Waynedale celebrates baseball legacy during championship ring night

Baseball can get in your blood.

At Waynedale High School, that blood runs gold and brown and has for decades.

On Jan. 6, Waynedale baseball players from throughout the decades came back to their old stomping grounds to reminisce and celebrate with the 2025 state title team that received its championship rings prior to the varsity basketball game.

Over the past 70 years, the program has seen some great success, especially recently, with the Golden Bears capturing titles in three of the past four seasons.

Current coach Lucas Daugherty said celebrating the accomplishments of the 2025 state championship team adds another stripe to the legacy of a program that continues to stand out as one of the state’s most successful programs in recent history.

With the ring ceremony set to take place Jan. 6, Daugherty and his staff thought it would be neat to invite any former Waynedale baseball player to a special gathering prior to the ring ceremony at the basketball game.

That late afternoon, numerous former Golden Bears showed up to fellowship, remember and celebrate the program.

“It’s really cool seeing people from 40 and 50 years ago coming back to reminisce and celebrate together,” said Daugherty, now in his ninth year of coaching at Waynedale. “Especially with me being kind of new to the area and not knowing all the history. It’s an honor meeting these players, allowing old teammates to get back together and hearing their stories.

“Having something like this lets you experience all of the different generations.”

One generation is the current crew who received their rings, some of them adding a third to their collection.

Shane Coblentz, currently playing ball at Malone University, starred on the mound, the field and at the plate for three championship teams. He said this one is just as special as the others, and it is an honor to add to the baseball lore at Waynedale.

“It’s really special, any time you can say you’re a state champion, and especially to be able to say that three different years,” Coblentz said. “I don’t think it ever got easier, although nerves weren’t as bad this time because we’ve been to the state tournament four years in a row.”

Designated hitter Jayden Schlabach is currently playing at the University of Mt. Union, and like Coblentz, was around to collect a third ring.

“It was an amazing experience to be around guys you’ve played ball with your whole life and to experience that type of success,” Schlabach said. “There’s a bond you create that is special. Our coaches pushed us to be the best, so much of our success is on them. They held us accountable to be successful.”

He said the memories of what they went through together remain a blessing in his life, something that certainly is shared by others.

Another group that had a huge turnout was the 1970 Waynedale Hot Stove team that won state and nationals, beating a team from Bristol, Michigan, for the latter title. Those guys all went on to play at Waynedale.

That team’s entire infield consisted of players from Holmesville, including John Snyder at catcher, Randy Kiser at first base, Bob Hartsell at second base, Brad Vincent at shortstop and Jeff Vincent at third base. Other local talents on the team attending that evening included centerfielder Charlie Miller and Rick Rottman.

“It’s fun to come back and to associate with the way they are playing ball now,” Hartsell said. “Our coach was Bill Vincent."

Jeff Vincent said the players grew up together, shared life together, had a blast playing ball and the memories run thick. He said they continue to get together and share their lives with one another.

Miller said having the opportunity to share an evening with Waynedale ballplayers from throughout the decades was special.

“Some of these guys we haven’t seen for years,” Miller said. “But it’s like we’ve been together forever, and it gets sweeter every time we do see each other.”

Miller is one of the breakfast crew who gathers the second Tuesday of each month, and the stories remain as fresh as though they’d happened yesterday.

Kiser, a 1969 graduate, said this opportunity to celebrate allows them all to look back into the past and remember because it was an important time of their lives that extends well beyond baseball.

“It’s so cool that so many of the guys are still around and stay connected,” Kiser said. “It’s also great that this current team has built such a terrific culture, and the program continues to feed off that. There’s a lot of great lessons to be learned from baseball.”

One other purpose in creating the evening was to generate interest in an upcoming project for Waynedale — the renovation of the old ballfield that has seen little change over the decades.

Daugherty said the project will include a complete renovation after this coming season that will see them put in infield turf, level the outfield, put in new dugouts, a new fence and a press box.

“We’re hoping to make it conducive to hosting events,” Daugherty said. “We’re blessed with an incredibly supportive community, and we’re excited about what is about to take place.”