The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
Avon ready for first regional appearance
After winning its first district championship in school history, the Avon baseball team took a day or two to enjoy it and let it sink in, then it was back to business.
The Eagles will face Medina (15-15) May 25 in a Division I regional semifinal, and coach Frank DeSmit said the team is trying to keep a semblance of normalcy in an otherwise unique circumstance.
“We obviously were very happy and enjoyed (the win) for a day or so, but we’re trying to get back to somewhat normal,” DeSmit said. “Everyone is excited about playing Thursday.
“We’re definitely focused, (but) there’s some excitement. The seniors, obviously it’s a pretty special time of year for them with graduation in about a week. I think they’re as focused as they can be right now. We’re trying to keep things as close to normal as we can, but it’s kind of tough. With all the attention, it’s been nice but they’re ready to go.”
It’s not enough to have the pressure of a first sweet sixteen appearance, but Avon (23-5) is working out of routine and doing everything it can to prepare for the Bees.
The advantage? The Eagles beat Medina once this season, a 4-3 win at Sprenger Stadium April 21, but DeSmit anticipates a whole new lineup than the one from a month ago.
“It’s two very evenlymatched teams, so it should be a good game,” DeSmit said.
“Medina is really a team that plays off emotion a lot, so it’s up to us match that at the beginning of the game. Hopefully we’ll do that. We’re a team that doesn’t get too high or too low, and that can work in your favor but it also means we can come out of the gate a little slow.”
The disadvantage to not having ever played this time of year, though, is that DeSmit has had trouble finding a team to scrimmage to make sure his players stay on their game.
That’s when Lutheran West stepped up.
The Longhorns, a regional qualifier in Division III, don’t have the depth for a mid-week scrimmage two days before the regional tournament, but coach Trey Lamb worked out a solution with DeSmit —the teams swapped fields.
Cuyahoga Community College Western Campus, host of the Region 3 Bowling Green/Parma tournament, has a turf field, while Massillon Washington, the site of Lutheran West’s game May 25, has grass, and the coaches agreed to practice on each other’s fields in an attempt to prepare for the field conditions.
“The hard part is not playing (games),” DeSmit said. “It’s one of those things where a lot of the teams that have had success and gotten out of their district are all pretty experienced in lining up games this time of year. We’re out of routine, so it’s kind of difficult to have practice every day.
“We were trying to line up a scrimmage or something because with all the rain we had Sunday we were worried our field wouldn’t be playable, so that’s how we ended up going over to Lutheran West.”
Considering the Eagles have done something no other Avon baseball team has been able to do, it would be easy to become complacent and lose sight of what this team can actually do, but DeSmit is pulling from personal experience to make sure his team makes the most of this journey.
“I hope they’re hungry,” DeSmit said. “I shared a story of my own experience in high school when my football team qualified for the playoffs for the first time and it was like anything after making playoffs is gravy, but after we didn’t win that game we thought, ‘Why didn’t we have more emphasis on winning?’ I think they understand there’s an opportunity there. Hopefully we come out and play our best and put out effort, but we have to have a little luck, too.”
Avon will travel to Cuyahoga Commuity College Western Campus to face Medina May 25. First pitch is scheduled for 5 p.m with the winner advancing to face the winner of Strongsville-Perrysburg on May 26 in a regional final.
“Medina is really a team that plays off emotion a lot, so it’s up to us match that .”
— Avon coach Frank DeSmit