Once again, Golden Bears playing baseball late in May

There’s something to be said about tradition, and Waynedale baseball is building something special.

On the heels of back-to-back Division III state championships, this season was supposed to be a rebuilding one of sorts.

Not for the Golden Bears, though.

A combination of returning players assuming greater roles in the program and talented underclassman who have filled in the gap from graduated seniors a year ago, Waynedale finds itself back in a familiar spot — playing baseball deep into May.

“I am very proud of this group for the way they have worked to get to this point,” Bears coach Lucas Daugherty said. “We have a lot of freshmen and sophomores playing important roles on varsity this year.

“I definitely think our team believes we can win games and make a run in the tournament because they have seen it in recent years.”

For a team that came into the 2024 season with a combined 51 wins and the honor of being the 15th team in state history to win consecutive state titles, those built-in expectations haven’t fazed the current team as it navigated through a challenging schedule to come out with another district championship.

And that leadership has started on the mound as both senior Otto Solorzano and junior Shane Coblentz have helped keep Waynedale in every game, along with the defensive play of junior catcher Tristan Franks.

The left-handed Solorzano lived up to his second-team All-Prep Baseball Report status from a year ago while Coblentz emerged as a solid complement to the southpaw as he has a perfect 8-0 record entering regional play.

That combined with a consistent defensive approach has played a key role in the late-season success for the Golden Bears, especially a 2-0 victory in the district semifinal against Triway.

And to Daugherty, with a team that lost a host of talented individuals from the lineup a year ago, it was about controlling the controllables.

“Pitching and defense are the parts of the game we focus on the most because it is what we have the most control of,” he said. “I think our team has embraced this approach, and they have seen good results when we execute it. In the district semifinal, our defense made a couple of amazing plays, and that is probably the reason we are still playing baseball.”

Entering the season, the offense was something that was a concern for Daugherty and his staff, but that question mark was quickly answered.

The lineup has found ways to churn out runs, led by freshman Cameron Miller. The left-fielder currently leads the team in both hits and runs-batted-in. Fellow infielder, sophomore second baseman Collin McGlothlin, also has played a key role, along with other first-year varsity players in Brayden Steiner, Logan Troyer and Hudson Barkman.

The play of those underclassman has been even more important down the stretch with injuries to veteran players Jayden Schlabach and Josh Yoder.

But if it wasn’t for the leadership of those experienced players — either on the field or off — who played a key role in last season’s run to a state title, the season might have ended in a different way.

“Our upperclassmen have done a great job leading our team,” Daugherty said. “We have a handful of guys that played in the state tournament last year, and it helps having guys on the team with that experience. Jayden and Josh are a couple of our injured upperclassmen. They can’t be on the field, but they have been vital to the team’s success because of their leadership in the dugout.”