CANTON ― A three-peat was always the goal for this year’s Hiland baseball team after winning state titles in 2023 and 2024.
If you were to ask this year’s team if it feels like that right now, though, they would beg to differ.
Instead, their focus has been on getting this one just for themselves and leaving their unique imprint on one of the area’s most storied programs.
“Yeah, they were part of a couple other teams that did it,” Hawks coach Chris Dages said. “But they want to make one themselves, they want to leave their mark.”
And with a 4-2 victory on Saturday, June 14, over Highland in the Div. VI state semifinal at Thurman Munson Memorial Stadium, that opportunity remains.
The Hawks (30-1) struck in the bottom of the first with a Caden Coblentz single, and he scored on a Colin Coblentz RBI single up the middle. Fairview (22-4) evened up matters in the third, but the Hawks responded in the bottom of the inning with a single tally of their own, when Grady Monigold’s RBI groundout scored Mike Miller.
“Getting that run back in the third was huge,” said Dages. “It kept the pressure on them and allowed us to stay loose and aggressive in our approaches at the plate. It was a great game all around, by both sides.”
After Caden Coblentz escaped a bases-loaded jam in the top of the fifth, Hiland extended that momentum. A Fairview two-base throwing error started off the inning before Colin Coblentz tripled home Mike Miller and Monigold got another RBI groundout for a 4-1 lead.
“It was great to get some wiggle room,” senior pitcher Caden Coblentz said with a smile afterward. “Then you can relax a little bit when you’re out there and not everything is life or death situation.”
Coblentz, the staff ace, finished his day with nine strikeouts and five hits allowed over six innings. Miller got the save with two strikeouts.
“We had play clean defense behind Caden and we really stressed not giving them any extra runners or free bases,” Dages said. “We were able to do that today and for us, we wanted to be aggressive on the base paths and to keep pressure on them, make them make some plays.”
Next up for Hiland is the Div. VI state title game at 1 p.m., Sunday, June 15, at Canal Park. Hiland plays Lake Center Christian, which beat Elmwood 10-1. The key for the Hawks is pretty simple.
“We just need to keep playing our baseball,” said catcher Danny Hostetler. “We have been putting hard hit balls into play all year and out bats are really starting to wake up. I am feeling really confident in all my arms that can throw, I feel really confident in our defense and in my opinion, they are one of the best if not the best Ohio.”
“We have to play our game,” added Caden Coblentz. “Chase will go out there and throw good and we just have to get enough runs.”
This article originally appeared on The Daily Record: Hiland baseball’s shot at three-peat remains alive with OHSAA state semifinal victory
Reporting by Joshua McWilliams, Wooster Daily Record / The Daily Record
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
