Bears’ legacy continues to blossom through hard work

What makes Waynedale one of Ohio’s top baseball programs, one that will play for an almost unprecedented third straight Division III state title in 2024?

For head coach Lucas Daugherty, the answer is simple.

“I wish I knew,” he said. “There’s not one easy answer.”

So much for simplicity.

Daugherty said in 2022 the Golden Bears were an up-and-coming team with loads of talent but hadn’t won anything yet, even though people could see them coming because of the immense talent.

He said grinding through a difficult schedule that season helped set the groundwork for them to believe in the program and themselves.

“That year we realized we could beat some pretty good teams, and once we started to believe that we were a good team and win in a variety of ways, that team knew we were going to be in every game and had a chance to win every night out,” Daugherty said.

Then last season the Golden Bears returned a seasoned crew with plenty of sizzle, and Daugherty said that group knew it was going to be really good, as did most of the OHSAA baseball world.

“We knew we had a lot of the main pieces back, but we knew it wouldn’t be easy, but we always had that belief that we could repeat,” Daugherty said.

Then came 2024, a season in which Waynedale lost a whole lot of talent from the year prior. In came three sophomores and three freshmen who were thrown into the fire. The Golden Bears had some key pieces returning, like star senior pitcher Otto Solorzano and junior catcher Tristan Franks, but there were some major holes to fill.

Few had high hopes of the Golden Bears finding their way back to state again, well, maybe except for the team itself.

“We’ve got a lot of good young talent, and we had a lot of growing pains, but the guys worked hard. We play a tough, challenging schedule that can be difficult sometimes because we did lose some games this season, but that has helped prepare these guys for where we are now,” Daugherty said.

The feel coming into this year was completely different than last season.

Daugherty said he gets it, with Waynedale having graduated so much talent and boasting so much inexperience.

However, there is a work ethic at Waynedale, and the program has become one of the most successful in the state because of it, and now the players are buying into the work and the system.

“These guys embraced the challenge and want to be in big moments,” Daugherty said.

One big advantage is having the seasoned Franks behind the dish, even though this is only his second year there.

His experience and leadership have been monumental in bringing this team along.

“Having Tristan’s presence behind the plate has been huge for us,” Daugherty said. “He worked so hard last year, and his composure and his ability to call a game and know when to calm pitchers down has been instrumental to our success.”

With Solorzano battling the injury bug this year, the Golden Bears needed a boost from someone and got it with junior pitcher Shane Coblentz, who has become a rock on the mound.

“We’ve had some incredible pitching throughout this run, but we’re really built on developing multiple guys we know we can trust out there,” Daugherty said. “That’s been a strength.”

Franks said catching the talent on the mound the past two seasons has been fun from his perch behind the dish.

He said he would put talents like Solorzano, Coblentz and last year’s star pitcher Trey Barkman up against anyone. He said he has enjoyed his leadership role in bringing along some of the youngsters.

“Last year was a real learning year for me in terms of learning from our seniors, and this year I get to give back to these younger guys,” Franks said. “I don’t think these guys look up to me because of my skill level, but because I’ve been here before and learned from some great players before me. I think the key has been reminding these guys that every game is just another baseball game, and we need to relish the chance to great out here and play the game we love.”

Coblentz said this season has been special because of the way this team has grown and come together. He said it has been a unique feel experiencing this season in a new way.

“We’re all out here doing the best we can,” Coblentz said. “We’ve talked about where we are right now as a program, and we were off the radar to a lot of people, so we’re trying to show the rest of the state that we’re not rebuilding. It’s nice seeing the hard work we’ve put paying off because we know what we’ve put into this game as a whole.”

Daugherty said there is a true work ethic in this program that has pushed it to rise above challenges and develop into a powerhouse.

Coblentz said the precedent was set by former players who helped each of this group to recognize it takes extra effort and a willingness to go above and beyond the norm in practice to earn success when it matters the most.

“For us, it’s about competing hard every night and every pitch, regardless of who we play and what the score is,” Daugherty said. “That’s something that’s helped us build out confidence over the years, just get out and compete.”

Daugherty said the legacy of where the program is now takes a back seat to enjoying the in-the-moment feel that comes with each new group.

“It’s about enjoying the game of baseball,” Daugherty said. “We’ve got a group that loves the game and coaches who enjoy this, so we aren’t worried about (the legacy/dynasty) as much as we are about simply enjoying being here together playing the game.”