Leaders keeping Tigers focused with big goals for season in mind

Chagrin Falls’ run to a regional final last season was a significant achievement. A young Tigers team concluded the regular season with a .500 record, then advanced to the doorstep of a trip to Columbus.

But the regional runner-up trophy in Chagrin Falls’ possession may not serve as the most valuable outcome from 2016. Through eight games, Tigers coach Mike Sweeney has watched a group motivated to achieve what it did a year ago — and ascend higher this season.

“They’re not just satisfied with what we did,” Sweeney said. “They know there’s bigger things out there we maybe didn’t get last year that we have a chance to get.”

So far, last year’s postseason experience has translated into a 7-1 start for the Tigers after they beat Fairport, 4-0, on April 5. Erik Wilson scattered four hits and struck out seven over a completegame shutout.

The junior starting pitcher is one of many key contributors returning from last season’s team. More importantly, he’s a captain and part of a leadership core which, so far, has ensured the consistency of Chagrin Falls’ effort.

“I just think the leadership from the guys we had last year has kind of carried over,” Sweeney said. “The guys know how to carry themselves, how to handle themselves, what it takes to be successful, the work ethic needed.”

The Tigers are still fairly young, with three seniors in Andrew Kwasny, David Workum and Dustin Kushious. Only Kwasny, who anchors the front of Chagrin Falls’ rotation with Wilson, is a starter. But their attitude has helped establish the expectation of everyday effort from their teammates.

“Our team last year, we had 13 guys with jerseys,” Wilson said. “This year we have a lot more guys and

sometimes that can take away, like guys don’t get focused. But the seniors have done a great job of making sure everybody’s focused and ready to play each day, which has really helped contribute.”

Wilson’s RBI single in the first inning staked Chagrin Falls to a 1-0 lead. Ben Cervelloni’s RBI single was followed by the first of Jack Amendola’s two run-scoring singles to put the Tigers up 3-0 after two against Skippers freshman Sammy Schuster, who started his first game on the mound.

Chagrin Falls loaded the bases against Schuster in the second and had a chance to blow the game open, as the Tigers did with an 11-run fifth in their 12-1 win at Fairport April 3. Schuster struck out Wilson to end the threat and kept Fairport within striking distance as he worked into the fifth.

Schuster allowed three runs and eight hits in 4 2/3 innings and is one of many players Coach Mike Ondo will count on to produce in the void of Caleb Hites. The Skippers’ stud shortstop and pitcher, committed to Alderson Broaddus, will miss his senior season after he was injured two days before it officially started.

“(Schuster) kind of got comfortable there,” Ondo said. “Once he got out of it I thought he was very effective.”