CANTON – Norton plays with a mantra of “D.I.R.T.BAG BASEBALL” every season under coach Jack Pecnik.
“Dedicated, invested, relentless and tenacious is what D.I.R.T. stands for in our program,” Norton senior right-handed pitcher Caeden DeDomenic said Tuesday, June 2, after a 2-0 loss to Youngstown Cardinal Mooney in a Division IV regional semifinal at Thurman Munson Memorial Stadium. “It just means going out and giving your heart as much as you can. Hard work, [taking] extra bases, just putting pressure on the defense and pressure on other teams, but still being respectful and all that.
“Our dugout being chirpy — not too much, not bad — but just giving energy to our team and putting ourselves into the game and giving us the best opportunity we have to come out with a win.”
Pecnik was asked if his players exhibited the ““D.I.R.T.BAG BASEBALL” motto throughout the season.
“Yeah, I think we did,” he said. “We had so many one-run games. We had so many extra-inning games against great teams. They never gave up. Even this game, they get outhit I think 9-4 and it is a 2-0 game only. That’s what ‘D.I.R.T.BAG BASEBALL’ is.
“Usually teams would fold there and just say, ‘OK, they got nine hits and we can’t hit this guy.’ But we kept fighting, kept getting guys on and, yeah, that’s ‘D.I.R.T.BAG BASEBALL.’”
The “guy” to whom Pecnik referred was junior right-hander Ben Oddis, who pitched a four-hit shutout, with two walks, a hit batter and 10 strikeouts to guide Mooney (23-3) past Norton (20-7).
Senior Luke Kollar singled to lead off the third inning, stole second base, advanced to third on a passed ball and scored on a wild pitch to give Mooney a 1-0 lead.
Mooney made it 2-0 in the fifth when junior Kaden Reese hit a leadoff single, advanced to third on a single by junior Andrew Bushey and scored when senior Johnny Brenner lifted a sacrifice fly to Norton junior left fielder Jayden Halloway.
Norton ended this season as a district champion for the second time after the 2005 team accomplished the feat and made a Division II state semifinal appearance.
“We played great baseball all year,” DeDomenic said. “There was a time where we had four losses in a row, but we bounced back. We came back, played even harder, used it to fuel us, and I couldn’t be more proud of my guys. They came out, showed up every day and put in the work. We made history again.”
DeDomenic and Ronnie Ammons were the only two seniors on this year’s Norton team, which shared the Metro Athletic Conference title with Field.
“We played great baseball,” Ammons said. “We always wanted to put Norton on the map, and that’s what we did.
“It was a tough game. We battled. At the beginning, coach Pec said, ‘Just play D.I.R.T.BAG BASEBALL,’ which is be yourself. I feel like we did that, but it’s all right. We didn’t come out of here like we wanted to, but it’s all right.”
Junior Collin Davis had two of Norton’s four singles. Ammons singled and walked, sophomore Jaxon Ford hit a single and junior Jackson Lewis was hit by a pitch and walked.
“We started out, obviously, hot, 11-0,” Pecnik said. “We lost nine seniors [from the 2025 team to graduation], so we kind of were up in the air on how it was going to go. The two seniors … helped keep this crew together and stay in the same boat, and play our brand of baseball.
“We went on a four-game skid and I told them they can go one way or the other. You can go down the road where we kind of cash in our chips, or you learn from the four-game skid and you move on. We definitely learned from it and we played good baseball.”
Pecnik said his father, Jim Pecnik, a Norton baseball assistant coach, was vocal about the team extending its season.
“Since February, he kept saying, ‘Win the last game,’” Jack Pecnik said. “… Caeden and Ronnie had huge shoes to fill this year, and they filled them and did great. I think next year, they’re gonna leave huge shoes to fill again. They can’t be replaced. Ronnie and Caeden are two of the best captains we’ve ever had as long as I’ve been here. So, yes, we return a lot, but we’re going to miss them more than they know.”
DeDomenic pitched a complete game Tuesday, allowing nine hits, two runs and a walk and struck out eight. He also picked off two base runners.
“Our players who will return learned a lot this year playing in high-pressure games,” Pecnik said. “Hopefully, that’s good experience for them. You look across our infield, you had a sophomore at third base [Matt Hymes], you had a sophomore at second base [Jonny Kievman], you had a junior at first base [Noah Jung] and shortstop [Lewis], and at times we started a freshman [Luke Stover] at second. These games are important for them to learn and grow and see this pressurized situation.
“So, who knows what happens next year. The sky’s the limit again.”
Akron Beacon Journal sports writer Michael Beaven can be reached by email at mbeaven@thebeaconjournal.
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Regional run ends, but Norton goes out playing its style of baseball
Reporting by Michael Beaven, Akron Beacon Journal / Akron Beacon Journal
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