MADISON TOWNSHIP — Before every game and every practice, Madison senior Liam Stone looks at the right side of his Rams baseball cap and takes a second to reflect.
There, he sees a #19 in pristine white stitches on the side of the Madison green hat. No matter what Stone is feeling on a particular day, when he sees that No. 19, he knows he must put every ounce of effort into becoming a better baseball player on that particular day.
Because that’s what Luke Yetzer did.
Yetzer, a 2007 Madison graduate and an All-Ohio baseball player for the Rams who helped the program pile up three straight Ohio Cardinal Conference championships from 2005-07, passed away on Aug. 9, 2025, unexpectedly at his home. The passing left a hole in the heart of every Madison Ram who knew him.
When Jayson Stone was hired as the next head baseball coach at Madison High School, his alma mater, he wanted to make it a point to honor the past, present and future of the tradition rich program. So, he wanted to make a uniform modification before the start of the 2026 season. So, on uniform distribution day, Stone made the day a little different than in years past.
“Before I let anyone have this hat, it was very important to me to take all the kids out and have a sit down with them to share a conversation under Luke’s All-Ohio picture in the hallway,” Jayson Stone said. “We talked about what the number ultimately meant. It was emotional, but it was the direction we needed to go with the program. We needed to care and love baseball as much as Luke did. This is going to pay huge dividends in the direction of our program and the kids get it. They didn’t know him personally, but they feel his presence here.”
Yetzer was a second team All-Ohio pitcher during the 2005 season when he won seven games and sported a 1.37 earned run average with 42 strikeouts, all among the area’s best that season to earn OCC Pitcher of the Year honors.
After graduation from high school and college, he became the Vice President of Sales and Marketing at Informa Business Solutions where his commitment, leadership and drive were cornerstones to his life. Things he learned while playing baseball at Madison under hall of fame coach Doug Rickert stuck with him through every step of adulthood.
“He was always someone to be counted on and trusted,” Jayson Stone said. “A great communicator and a significant leader who turned into a great husband, father and friend. He left a lasting impact on our program.”
Such an impact that Stone created five core values for his teams to live by every time they take the diamond. Operate with gratitude, work hard, communicate, be a good teammate and, most importantly, have fun. Yetzer did those five things every single day.
And those will be the values the Rams take to the field every day, but especially on April 18 when they host Centerburg in a nonconference game. Yetzer’s wife, Kara, son, Cameron, and parents, Mark and Alfretta, among several other family members, will be invited for an honor ceremony in Yetzer’s memory. The Rams hope to play like Yetzer.
“Luke defines what I consider Madison baseball,” Jayson Stone said. “He was a bulldog every time he stepped on the field. We created some of the Madison baseball program’s core values in honor of him because he brought those things to the ballpark every single day. Just such an amazing kid. We cannot wait to honor him, his family and his son.”
Liam Stone grew up in the Madison program that his uncle and current head coach played for and coached for several years. He understands the history and what Yetzer did for the program without even seeing him throw a single pitch.
“I met his family at our annual spaghetti dinner fund raiser, and it was an incredible experience to meet them and talk to them about Luke,” Liam Stone said. “It means a lot to dedicate this season to Luke and his family.”
He is proud to wear the No. 19 hat.
“It means you have expectations to live up to every single day,” Liam Stone said. “Like Coach Stone says, Luke was a Madison Ram baseball player, so we have to honor him in a way by coming in every single day and give it our all just like Luke did when he played here.”
And even after he hung up his cleats, Yetzer was still making an impact on the Madison baseball program without even knowing it.
“During Coach (Doug) Rickert’s Hall of Fame induction ceremony, I was there and so was Luke,” Jayson Stone said. “I hadn’t seen him in years, and he made it a point to come sit with me and talk for 30 minutes. We reminisced and talked about the good old days. It those small things that made Luke such a bright light.”
And that is why when Liam Stone looks down at the No. 19 on his hat, he knows he must play baseball like Luke.
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This article originally appeared on Mansfield News Journal: Yetzer’s Madison baseball impact carried on by Rams with number patch
Reporting by Jake Furr, Mansfield News Journal / Mansfield News Journal
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