Hiland in rarefied air with third straight state baseball title
About 0.02 seconds after Logan Yoder made contact on this swing, he and the Hawks were celebrating a Division VI state championship.
When it comes to OHSAA baseball, it’s only happened twice before that a team has won three state titles in a row.
You can now make it three and add the Hiland Hawks to the list as the newest member.
Hiland seemed poised to claim its Division VI title Sunday, June 15 at Canal Park in Akron when they led Lake Center Christian 3-1.
Then LCC pushed across three runs to take the lead in the top of the seventh, only to watch the Hawks respond quickly with two of their own to earn a 5-4 victory and propel the program to its third straight championship.
Seven decades ago Cincinnati Elder became the first school to accomplish the feat. Two decades ago Newark Catholic — a name Hiland recognizes with ease — followed suit.
No other schools had done it since — until now.
For Hiland it was a dream ending to a dream season, and this group of seniors capped off careers that saw them celebrate their final three years as Hawks in grand fashion.
“There’s almost no way to describe how surreal this moment is,” catcher Danny Hostetler said. “I’m glad it was this group of guys, and I’m glad we could go out together on top.”
Senior shortstop Keith Hershberger set the tone all day, where he made a handful of defensive gems and added a pair of hits.
“Our coaches have poured so much into this season and into this program, and it starts with a ton of work in the offseason,” Hershberger said. “This is absolutely crazy. It shows how hard this program works and how much we believe in each other. We’ve put a lot of pressure on ourselves, and we are really grateful to find ourselves here at the end celebrating the title. All of the work has paid off.”
The comeback after the downfall
Many teams might have cracked after giving up the lead in the final inning.
However, great teams find ways to win games, and this team proved its greatness in its final at-bat of the season.
In a game of cat and mouse, with the wheels turning, both coaches unloaded a torrent of strategic moves that led to Hiland loading the bases with one out and junior Logan Yoder striding to the plate.
To that point of the game, Yoder’s day had consisted of a pair of strikeouts and a meager pop out to second.
He zeroed in and came through with the game-winning hit, a sizzling shot through the left side that he was celebrating three strides out of the batter’s box.
Thirty minutes after the game, the enormous grin hadn’t left his face.
“We’ve been here before and know how to battle through adversity, and we were feeding off of each other’s energy. I wanted to see a pitch up in the zone, and I got one,” Yoder said. “I found my pitch, a fastball. I saw it get past the third baseman, and I was celebrating.”
As for his chance at immortality, Yoder said it was a dream he’s had since he was a little kid, and it’s something he won’t ever forget.
“That’s been the dream, and I’m so blessed to be able to experience that,” Yoder said.
Always leave ‘em wanting more
Hiland senior starter Kaden Kandel must love living on the edge because it seemed like there were runners on base every time he faced a batter.
Yet every time the Tigers threatened, Kandel was there to slam the door in their face.
The right-hander baffled LCC for five innings, never allowing any type of hard contact.
It was a microcosm of Kandel’s career on the mound for the Hawks.
“Every time I got in trouble, I just trusted the stuff I’ve been working on the last four years,” Kandel said. “I put in a lot of work in the offseason, and I trusted that, and I trusted that whatever I did, if they put the ball in play, my defense would step up and make plays because they’ve done that all year.”
Hiland coach Chris Dages said it was a typical Kandel performance, filled with baffled hitters and guys off-balance as thy tried to adjust to his off-speed stuff.
Kandel said nerves were on high alert as he toed the rubber prior to making his first pitch.
As for the thrill of posting a third straight title, he said, “This is insane, almost hard to describe. Playing with all these guys has been amazing and especially this group of seniors. It’s been fun seeing all of us grow as players and as people. We all wanted this so much, and we trust each other like crazy.”
Defense wins championships
Dages said defensively this group has shone brightly all season, but never more than in this game, and it was shortstop Keith Hershberger whose glove set the tone early with several sparkling plays that prevented run-scoring innings.
“He’s special,” Dages said of Hershberger. “It’s something amazing to see when he gets a ball deep and comes up with these incredible plays, making them almost look routine. It’s a thing of beauty.”
Hershberger quickly gave credit to the coaches, especially Richie Mast, who puts in overtime working with the infielders to hone their skills.
The senior goodbyes
Hiland now bids adieu to a group of seniors including Kandel, outfielder Cade Beachy, twins Colin and Caden Coblentz, Hershberger, Hostetler, and infielder Luke Hershberger.
All the players played vital roles in this program and this season’s success.
Dages said it will be difficult to say goodbye.
“What a gifted group of talented players,” Dages said. “We’re going to miss those guys immensely. There’s a lot of holes to fill. Fortunately, the incoming senior class has a lot of talent too, and we’ve got guys chomping at the bit to get their chance to show they belong. We’ll get right back to work next week and keep working.”
Title No. 3 is the sauce on top of the cherry on top of the sundae. Any way you put it together, Dages said it’s satisfying.
“Any way you want to phrase it, it tastes awfully sweet,” Dages said. “It’s been an incredible ride.”