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1Spring 2014 FORECAST Magazine

Midview’s Eric Lauer had a dream senior season for the Middiesbefore being named the 2013 Mr. Baseball award winner. The left han-der compiled a perfect 7-0 record with an ERA of 0.15 with 96 strike-outs. Opposing teams hit a meager .077 against him. Eric was select-ed in the Major League draft by the Toronto Blue Jays, but opted toaccept a full scholarship to Kent State and pitch for the Golden Flashes.

Elyria’s Caitlyn Minney is the 6th Lady Pioneer to capture the MissSoftball award. She was dominant her senior year, compiling a 22-4record, with 1.02 ERA. She fanned 129 and opposing teams hit a paltry.139 against her. Caitlyn is continuing her softball playing at the colle-giate level at Youngstown State.

ABOUT THE COVER:

News. Sports. Talk.News. Sports. Talk.

LORAIN COUNTY SOFTBALL PREVIEW . . . .pg. 3

FEEDING THE SUCCESSTim Alcorn describes the delicate balancing act thatmakes for a successful feeder program . . . . . .pg. 5

LORAIN COUNTY BASEBALL PREVIEW . . . .pg. 6

LAKE ERIE CRUSHERS PREVIEWAndy “Bull” Barch explains why 2014 is another season of exciting change . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 8

CLEVELAND INDIANS PREVIEWJim Rosenhaus shares the Indians plan for taking careof “Unfinished Business” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 12

BASEBALL SCHEDULESLAKE ERIE CRUSHERS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 9CLEVELAND INDIANS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 15

WEOL BROADCAST SCHEDULESKOLCZUN & KOLCZUN DIAMOND DUELS . .pg. 2THE CRUSHERS ON WEOL . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 8FROM THE DUGOUT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg.13

WEOL FORECAST MAGAZINEWEOL FORECAST MAGAZINESPRING 2014 PREVIEWSPRING 2014 PREVIEW

A Publication of AM 930 WEOLA Publication of AM 930 WEOLVolume 15 Issue 3

VP/GENERAL MANAGERLonnie Gronek

LOCAL SALES MANAGERTim Alcorn

EDITORKatie M. Loftis

ASSISTANT EDITORS

FEATURE WRITERS

COVER DESIGNBozCorn Productions

PUBLISHERDouthit Communications

Craig AdamsTim Alcorn

Tom Hutchison

Suzy PetersBruce VanDyke

Tim AlcornAndy Barch

James Brady

Jim RosenhausTodd Shapiro

Spring 2014 FORECAST Magazine2

"In our sundown perambulations of late, through the outer parts of Brooklyn, we have observed several parties ofyoungsters playing 'base', a form of ‘ball’. Let us go forth for awhile and get better air in our lungs. Let us leaveour closed rooms. The game of 'ball' is glorious."

-Walt Whitman

I can't recall how many years I've opened the spring edition of FORECAST from AM930 WEOL with thesewords of wisdom from Walt Whitman, but something tells me to use it again and again. Perhaps it reflects a timegone by; perhaps its signals a new time, a fresh start...time to get outdoors after this brutally cold and snowy win-ter.

This year, there is plenty of excitement and anticipation to go around. The Cleveland Indians, led by AmericanLeague Manager of the Year Terry Francona, hope to improve upon last year’s Wild Card Playoff appearance. TheLake Erie Crushers hope to return to the playoffs under new manager Chris Mongiardo and new hitting coach, theIndians’ American League 1980 Rookie of the Year, Joe Charboneau.

And of course, young men and women across Lorain County have been eager to return to the diamonds toshow what they can do.

Special thanks go to the outstanding advertisers who are supporting this magazine and our incomparable broad-cast schedule of high school baseball and high school softball.

Thanks also go to the athletic directors, man-agers and coaches for their support. It is indeedtime to, "Play Ball!" Craig R. Adams

Operations ManagerAM930 WEOL


By: Todd Shapiro

Year after year Lorain

County produces some of the

best softball talent in Ohio

and 2013 was no exception.

Two of the eight teams play-

ing on the final day of the

season – Elyria in Division I

and Columbia in Division III

–came from the county.

Although the Pioneers and

Raiders both left Akron’s

Firestone Stadium with a run-

ner-up trophy their successes

and their tournament runs left

area sports waiting to see

what 2014 has in store.

Behind the sensational

pitching of senior Caitlyn

Minney, Elyria won its ninth

straight district title and made

its third consecutive trip to

the state tournament. For her

efforts Minney won the both

Lorain County Miss Softball

and coaches association play-

er of the year awards.

Anyone who was in atten-

dance at the state semifinals

will never forget how the

Pioneers overcame a nearly

nine hour rain delay to defeat

Mason 5-0 thereby earning

the right to face North

Canton Hoover in the state

finals.

Hoover denied Elyria a

third state championship with

a 7-0 win but with coach Ken

Fenik back at the helm for his

20th season and sophomore

Carly Bachna poised to fol-

low in the tradition of great

Elyria players no one would

be surprised to see the

Pioneers in Akron again this

year on the first weekend of

June.

Columbia defeated

Leavittsburg LaBrae in the

regional finals to earn its first

trip to Akron. The Raiders

then went on beat Columbus

Bishop Ready 3-1 in the state

semifinals. Bloom-Carroll,

led by sophomore pitcher and

University of Washington

recruit Taran Alvelo, bested

Columbia, 3-2, in the state

championship game.

The Raiders were a veteran

team in 2013 but coach Ken

Lugo will return pitcher

Kailey Minarchik as they

look to repeat as Patriot

Athletic Conference Stripes

Division and regional cham-

pions.

Columbia’s biggest chal-

lenge in the Stripes Division

this year will come from

Sarah Kaya and the

Clearview Clippers. Kaya

enters her senior season with

814 career strikeouts, needing

339 more strikeouts this sea-

son to surpass Miss Softball

2001, Vermilion’s Megan

Meyer, as Lorain County’s

all-time strikeout queen. Last

season Kaya averaged nearly

two strikeouts per inning,

fanning 340 batters in 174

innings. She also threw a

pair of no-hitters against

Lutheran West and

Brookside.

One of the biggest changes

in Lorain County softball this

spring won’t be seen between

the lines but instead in the

third-base coaches’ box. Two

veteran coaches Norm Frindt

(North Ridgeville) and Bill

Matthews (Amherst), both

members of the Ohio High

School Fastpitch Softball

Coaches Association Hall of

Fame, retired after the 2013

season. Former Brooklyn

assistant Mike Mease will

take over at North Ridgeville

while Amherst elevated one

of its own assistants, Lacey

Reichert to head coach.

After leading Firelands to

its first district championship

in school history Falcons

coach Judy Dostall also

retired at the end of the 2013

season so she could watch

her daughter Samantha con-

tinue her softball career at

Baldwin Wallace University.

The Falcons also hired from

within elevating junior varsity

coach Phil Rawlings to the

head coaching position.

Last season the Falcons did

the (almost) impossible,

knocking off defending state

and national champions

Keystone in the Division II

district semifinal by a score

of 1-0. It was the first time

since 2000 that the Wildcats

did not win a district champi-

onship.

However, veteran Keystone

2014 LORAIN COUNTY SOFTBALL PREVIEW

See Softball on page 4

Steve Manheim/The Chronicle-Telegram

Slugger/preseasonfavorite WildcatCarleigh Herrington isready for her senioryear.


coach Jim Piazza should have

his team back on top in 2014.

Wildcats first basemen

Carleigh Herrington earned

third-team all-American hon-

ors last season after in a jun-

ior year in which she hit .474

with 37 hits, six home runs

and 27 RBIs. Herrington, an

Eastern Michigan recruit, is a

pre-season favorite to become

the 11th Miss Softball in the

illustrious history of the

Keystone softball program.

Keystone’s annual Prebis

Memorial Softball Classic

will take place on April 25

and 26 in LaGrange and

Wellington. This year the

event has grown to 54 games

over two days with 36 teams

from Ohio and New York

taking part, including seven

teams who played in the Ohio

High School Athletic

Association tournament last

spring. The highlights of the

Prebis Classic include a

rematch of last year Division

I state final between Elyria

and North Canton Hoover

and a rematch of the Division

III semifinal with Columbia

and Bishop Ready. Keystone

will also play Division I state

semifinalist Mentor.

The Prebis has grown into

one of the premier prep soft-

ball events in the nation in

the past decade but it won’t

be the only event to feature

area teams this spring. After a

one-year hiatus the JB

Firestone, hosted by Black

River, is back on the schedule

this year. Columbia and

Elyria will also be going

down to Ashland the week-

end of April 11-12 for the

20th Annual Wendy’s

Softball Classic.

Throughout the season a

number of local team led by

Avon Lake and Firelands will

play in events hosted by the

Akron Racers at Firestone

Stadium.

If you prefer a sudden blast

of power as opposed to a

long day of softball check out

Midview and its power hit-

ting shortstop Amanda

Beursken. Beursken, the West

Shore Conference player of

the year and a honorable

mention Division I all-Ohio

honoree, tied a Lorain County

record with 13 homeruns last

spring. Beursken now her eye

on the state record of 18

home runs in a season set last

year New Riegel’s Taylor

Kirian.

The Middies will be bat-

tling with Avon and North

Ridgeville in the WSC. The

Eagles, led by veteran coach

Ken Matuszak, return ace

pitcher Anna Edwards and

two of the county’s top hitters

in outfielder Kaylee Morton

and infielder Ally Sumser.

North Ridgeville’s offense

will be led by speedy leadoff

hitter Marissa Caraballo.

Avon Lake went 13-1 in

the Southwestern Conference

last season but the Shoregals,

under the tutelage of second-

year coach Buzz Mullen, will

be in rebuilding mode after

losing nine senior to gradua-

tion.

Last season was an unchar-

acteristic down year for

Amherst but they should

bounce back quickly this fall

with pitcher Zoe Beetler lead-

ing a group of five returning

starters and one of area’s top

freshman in second base-

man/centerfielder Madison

Cruzado.

Lorain coach Pam Jackson

always has the Titans in the

thick of the Lake Erie league

title hunt and this year should

be no exception.

Keystone returns both of

its top pitchers from 2013.

Senior Emily Cornish, who

signed a National Letter of

Intent with Cedarville

University, had a 12-4 record

last year while Sara Lowman

burst on the scene with an 8-

1 freshman season that

included wins over North

Royalton and Twinsburg in

the 2013 Prebis.

Since 2001 Lorain County

has had two district champion

every year but one and has

sent a team to the state tour-

nament at the conclusion of

every season except 2010.

So when the days get

longer and the snow finally

melts away there is nowhere

better for Lorain County

sports fans to head than the

local sandlot to take in a soft-

ball game and watch some of

Ohio’s finest athletes doing

what they do best.

SOFTBALLfrom page 3

Steve Manheim/The Chronicle-Telegram

Clearview’s SarahKaya will try to over-take the title of LorainCounty’s strikeoutqueen.

By: Tim AlcornIt’s an annual trip for us at

WEOL. Every year there isa local high softball teamthat makes the journey toAkron (and before thatAshland) to take part in thestate tournament. It’s athrilling moment for thegirls, the coaches and theirrespective communities.But why and how does itkeep happening? What setsthese teams apart? If youthink it is great coaching,you’re partly correct. If youthink it is the sheer talentlevel these clubs possess,you are somewhat correctwith that as well. Luckmight even play in to theequation. But in the end,the teams that consistentlymake that trip to the Final 4are there because they havebeen preparing for it foryears. They didn’t just startplaying softball in highschool, or even junior highfor that matter. They havebeen on softball diamondssince they were little girls,some starting as young assix years old. These “feed-er” systems at the lowerlevel, prepare those girls forsoftball at high school, andhopefully, a chance to playat Firestone Stadium for astate championship.

One of the teams thatseems to make the trip toAkron every year is Elyria,and their Hall of Famecoach Ken Fenik knows, itwouldn’t happen without thefeeder programs constantlyinfusing his team with girlsthat are ready to play. ButFenik says it goes furtherthan the girls just learningfundamentals at a youngage. “It’s not just that theyknow how to play softballby the time they reach highschool” he says. “I’ve

found that Elyria’s moresuccessful teams were builtwith girls who had playedtogether for a long time” hesaid. “They form a bond orchemistry at a young agethrough Little League andtravel ball, and that juststays with them by the timethey get to high school.They are a real family”.

So what makes a success-ful feeder program? Feniksays it is an incredible effortof combined forces. “Youhave to have a communitythat is truly committed andbought in to the success of aprogram” he admits. “Ittakes coaches willing towork and work with youngkids. It takes dedicated par-ents willing to commit time.It takes businesses that arewilling to commit moneyfor sponsorships and sup-port fundraisers to supplyequipment. They all play apart in working towards thesame goal”. And Fenikknows, it’s more than girlsplaying on fields in just thewarm weather. “These girlsplay year round now”, hesays. “Obviously in thespring and summer, but alsoin fall ball, and they playindoors in the winter. It’sreal commitment”.

While Fenik admits thefeeder programs havehelped the Elyria programtremendously, he also isvery frank about the fact hethinks there can be toomuch softball for somegirls. “I know with myteam, I sometimes just givethem a day off during theseason. They get worn outfrom all the constant play-ing” the Lady Pioneer coachsays. He also thinks girlsshould play more than onesport. “I still love the girlsthat play two or three sports

in high school, that’s part ofthe high school experience.I want them to do that”Fenik says. “Too many girlsare specializing in softball,and they don’t have to.They can still play othersports, and if they are goodin softball, the collegecoaches will find them”.Fenik thinks that specializa-tion can translate to pressureon girls to succeed on thediamond. “Kids develop atdifferent paces, grow at dif-ferent rates and so forth,and that can affect theirgame. All of a sudden, theyworry about that, and putway too much pressure onthemselves”.

Another aspect of thefeeder system that canprove to be challenging isthere are some girls whothink they should automati-cally play once they reachhigh school. “There arefreshmen who thinkbecause they have beenstarting on a team from thetime they were six or sevenyears old, they will auto-matically start in highschool” he says. “They getfrustrated if there is a girl infront of them or if theydon’t start immediately.They aren’t use to that and

it can be a challenge” headds.

As much as Fenik relishesthose trips to Akron and thelifetime memories it pro-vides his players, he also isquick to warn parents, soft-ball cannot be all consum-ing. “As I get older andhave daughters of my own, Iunderstand these girls stillneed to be teenagers” hesays. “They need to spendtime with their friends, theirfamilies and do things thatall teenagers do. They needto have fun”.

So the balancing act is adelicate one. The need todevelop a feeder system iscritical to the success of thehigh school program over-all. Whether it is Elyria,Keystone, Columbia,Midview, or any of theother schools that have hadsuccess on the diamond,their coaches will tell you,the girls need to start early.As coach Fenik said, asidefrom developing sheer skilllevel, it can build the chem-istry and bonding of agroup that will play togeth-er for some time. But inthe end, the experience stillneeds to be fun, and not a“pressure cooker” for theseexceptional young girls.


FEEDING THE SUCCESS

Photo: David Richard/The Chronicle Telegram


By: James BradyAfter finishing 3rd in the

Southwestern Conference lastyear, Avon Lake turned intolast season’s Cinderella storymaking a run to the Sweet 16as Matt Morrissette and BrettKiser shut down Midview andAmherst in district play beforelosing to St. Ignatius. KentState recruit Brad Hamiltonreturns with his .466 averagebehind the plate after a 1st

team SWC and Lorain Countyselection. Top returning field-ers along with Hamilton arecenterfielder David Winkel(.417, 9 SB), first basemanKyle Kuhar (.359, 21 RBI) andright fielder Jeremiah Campo(.354). Logan Montague (4-0,1.19 ERA), Logan DeLong (2-1 3.71) and Campo (2-0) pro-vide plenty of experience onthe hill.

Keystone remained one ofthe top teams in 2013 asparkling 23-8 (13-3 PAC)record, but their three year runat the top of the Stars Divisioncame to an end at the hands ofBuckeye who went 14-2 inleague play. The Wildcats, whowere ranked 16th in the state,are primed for another big sea-son under 2nd year coach BertFitzgerald as Kendle Stinerand Tyler Gullett both returnwith sparkling 7-0 recordsfrom last season. Gullett, aToledo baseball recruit, wasalso phenomenal at the platebatting 483 with 14HR and 64

RBI. Pierce Young (.408) andMarcus Gunter (.375) shouldalso provide plenty of punchfor the Keystone offense.Keystone’s three-year run asdistrict champion will be test-ed this season after moving upto Division II for the first timesince 2008.

Amherst set a schoolrecord for wins last year underrookie coach Matt Rositanorising as high as 4th in theDivision I State AP poll.Despite losing three players tocollege baseball, Rositano’steam is loaded with five play-ers that have already commit-ted to play college baseball.Leading the offense will becatcher Justin Mott (BGSU)

was 1st team All-SWC afterhitting .313, Kody Bledsoe(Lake Erie) hit .284 from theleadoff spot and Alex Walts(Hillsdale) will hit in the mid-dle of the lineup after batting.318 last season. NoahSkladan (Mount Union) andShane Derricote return withthree wins each from last yearand both had an ERA under1.30. Mott picked up threesaves and had an ERA of 0.77for Amherst.

After an 18-9 finish twoyears ago, Midview followedthat up with an equallyimpressive 21-7 mark under2nd year coach Scott Jalowiecsetting a school record forwins. Middies games will be

the place to be if you want tosee top-notch pitching withthe senior season of CodyCallaway at hand. Callawayhas committed to BowlingGreen State University forfootball, but he very wellcould be a mid-round selec-tion in the MLB draft thisyear. Kyle Warner will anchorthe 1-2 punch on the hill aftera 4-1 season earned him All-County and All-WSC honors.Calloway (.275), TylerLeinerth (.266) and ZacWilson (.288, 10SB) willanchor the offense.

For the second straight yearLorain High finished with 17wins finishing second in theLake Erie League behindEuclid with an 11-3 confer-ence record. Brad Ternesreturns for his 11th season inLorain between Southviewand LHS with 165 careercoaching wins. The Titanswill rely heavily on pitchingafter losing seven of ninestarters from last year’s team.Demon Hisle returns after a 3-0 season (0.30 ERA) withMike Velez who had a 4-1mark last year with 37 strike-outs. Aaron Andujar and his.384 average (.535 OBP) willpace the Lorain offense.

Avon had an average seasonby its standards going 14-14in Coach Frank DeSmit’s 6th

season finishing 3rd in theWest Shore Conference.There are a number of upper-

2014 LORAIN COUNTY BASEBALL PREVIEW

David Richard/The Chronicle-Telegram

Avon Lake catcher and senior Brad Hamilton willcontinue his baseball playing career afteraccepting a scholarship offer from Kent StateUniversity.

classmen returning for theEagles this year. Alex Tomko(5-3, 1.29 ERA), Ian Long (3-1, 2.80 ERA) and ScottBarnum (2-0, 4 SV) willanchor the pitching rubber.Long (.338), Kevin Maloney(.310, 14, RBI, 11SB) andAndrew Lee (.276, 8SB) arein place to lead the offensiveattack.

After a 17-12 season,Firelands will now becoached by Doug Benzelreplacing long-time coach TedBusch. The Falcons will havea different look after four-yearstarter Joe San Felippo tookhis baseball skills to play forWheeling Jesuit. Firelandswill be leaning heavily onCole Sklarek who went 4-2 onthe mound (1.70 ERA) andbatted .330 with 31 RBI at theplate. The Falcons will alsoneed the bat of Tristan Clarkho hit .314 last season.

Elyria Catholic finished15-14 last year in BruceLisicky’s second season asPanthers coach. EC will lookto improve on a 5th place fin-ish in the West ShoreConference with senior Joe yBegany leading the way.Begany hit .462 last season(11 2B, 33 RBI) and also went3-2 on the mound with a neat1.71 ERA averaging nearlyone strikeout per inning.Dominic Piazza will be askedto help carry the load pitchingafter a 3-2 record as a sopho-more last season. SeniorAngelo Cruz returns after hit-ting .329 last year.

Two –time Stripes Divisionchampion Columbia finishedat 12-12 last year, but went11-5 in Patriot AthleticConference play to finish twogames ahead of Clearview andLutheran West beating both in9-inning games the last twogames of the league season.Coach Justin Ramsey entershis 6th season with a coupleof All-PAC pitchers and a pairof .400 hitter. Michael Boeyand Kevin Simon will leadColumbia on the hill, whileTyler Underwood (.446, 20RBI) and Boey (.405, 18SB)lead the Raiders offensiveattack.

Elyria High went just 1-9 inthe tough NOC last year, butfinished with a 14-14 mark inCoach Ed Piazza’s second sea-son. The Pioneers haveoffense returning in BrodieStewart (.338, 8 2B), JacobCsizmadia (.303, 3HR) andMarques Inman (.301, 12RBI). The Pioneers will besearching for arms with justfour wins returning in ZackMinney (3-0, 3.47 ERA) andBrad Conley (1-0, 2.19 ERA)

Vermilion had what wouldbe considering a down yearfor them going 13-15 finish5th in the West ShoreConference. Coach Jeff Keckenters his 12th season at thewheel of the Sailors afterpicking up his 200th win atVermilion and should get his350th coaching win needing10. It could take the Sailors alittle time to get going withonly six returning letter win-

ners. On the mound, sopho-more Caleb Waller returnswith a 3-4 record (1.73 ERA)along with Josh Buchanan andKyle Nader who both had twowins last year. This is aVermilion team that has beento district tournament play for12 straight years.

Clearview’s Roger Englereturns after being a first-teamAll-Lorain County and PACplayer selection hitting over.450 in conference play.Antonio Pagan (.330) andAustin Arendt (.320) will helpbalance the Clippers offensiveattack. Sophomore AntonioBennett will again play short-stop and look to improve onhis three wins last year.

Brookside will be lookingto improve on an 8-14 seasonunder third-year coach BradBomback. Senior CraeWatkins went 4-1 during hissummer season and will leadthe young Cardinals on themound. Matthew Seekins(.377) and Cameron Drew(.370) were both All-Countyselections last year forBrookside.

It will be tough for CoachRoger Sasack to replaceWellington’s Erik Fehlan(Baldwin-Wallace) who ledthe Dukes in wins, innings,hits, average and RBI in an 8-17 season. The Dukes will belooking for senior right-han-der Nick Carevic (3-3, 3.63ERA) to lead on the moundand junior left-handed hitterRobbie Bliss (.282 AVG) tospark the Wellington offense.

North Ridgeville seniorMatt Feierabend returns aftera 4-4 season on the moundand a .330 average for 3rd

year coach Mathew Ponting.The Rangers finished 13-16and 7-7 in the West ShoreConference last season. NorthRidgeville will be looking forNolan Freeman (3-2) to helpon the mound along with jun-ior Nathan Colbert (.324AVG) on offense.

Matt Loescher returns forhis 13th year as coach atOpen Door after the Patriotswent 4-15 last season.Sophomore Tyler Haas (.365AVG), senior Cory Kushinski(.325) and junior right-handedhitter Will Lovett (.322) areexpected to lead the way forthe Open Door offense. JuniorJacob Lowe could providespark after missing last yearwith an injury.

This is the second year atLake Ridge for Coach JasonDimacchia and the cupboardisn’t bare after a 6-13 seasonin 2013. Sophomore NikoOrtiz threw a perfect game inhis first start last year againstLawrence Academy. Ortiz wasa 2nd Team Division IV All-Ohio selection. Seniors JackSpellman (.480 AVG, .618OBP) and Danny Fulop(.280/.400) return to lead theoffense.

Oberlin has 3 returneeswith impressive stats.Matayo Wyman hit .493 with33 hits, Tyler Buga .462 with36 hits and Liam McMillan.384 with 28 hits.


By: Andy “Bull” Barch

Voice of the Crushers

While the beginning of the

2013 season for the Lake Erie

Crushers offered a lot of dif-

ferent amenities, the end result

was the same, as the Crushers

made it to the playoffs for the

third time in five years, but

fell just short in the

Championship to Schaumburg.

Change is prevalent once

again in Avon, as the Crushers

have their third manager in as

many seasons. Chris

Mongiardo, the pitching coach

for the 2013 Crushers, was

hired as Lake Erie’s new man-

ager on January 14, replacing

Jeff Isom, who left to manage

the Joliet Slammers back in

November.

Mongiardo, better known as

“Monge” to those in the base-

ball world, played a pivotal

role in developing last year’s

pitching staff into one of the

best in the league. The

Crushers started slowly, but

ended the year with a 3.38

earned run average, which was

second best in the 14-team

Frontier League circuit.

Mongiardo has coached in

the Frontier League for seven

seasons. He started back in

2001 with the former

Richmond Roosters as bench

coach where he was a part of

back to back championship

teams in 2001 and 2002. He

then managed the Roosters

during their final three seasons

of existence.

The new Lake Erie skipper

is a Willowick, Ohio, native,

and graduated from Kent State

University while playing base-

ball for the Golden Flashes.

He is excited about getting

involved in the surrounding

communities and helping us

build the new Lake Erie

Crushers youth baseball and

softball academy.

More changes were made

about a month later, when the

Crushers announced the hiring

of Youngstown, Ohio, native,

Rick Muntean, as the team’s

new General Manager.

Muntean, comes to Avon after

spending the last five years

with the St. Joseph Mustangs

of the MINK League.

In his five years in St.

Joseph, Mo., the Mustangs

won a pair of MINK League

Championships, and most

recently, they went 28-17 this

past season. He had been with

the Mustangs for the previous

five seasons, since the fran-

chise launched in 2009.

Muntean has over 30 years

of baseball experience. Prior

to joining the Mustangs in

2009, he spent five years with

the Kansas City T-Bones of

the Northern League (now the

American Association), where

he engineered two Northern

League Organization of the

Year awards, one Executive of

the Year award, and one

Northern League

Championship. Prior to the T-

Bones, Rick spent 15 years as

the General Manager and

Assistant General Manager for

the Scranton Wilkes-Barre

Red Barons, the top minor

league club of the Philadelphia

Phillies.

On the field, the Lake

Erie Crushers expect to be

Championship contenders

once again. Most of the play-

ers on the 2013 Eastern

Division Championship team

will be invited to spring train-


See CRUSHERS on page 10

BATTER UP:

“Super Joe” Charboneau has joined the LakeErie Crushers as a batting coach and will beworking with the teams’ new manager ChrisMongiardo and GM Rick Muntean!

Bruce Bishop/The Chronicle-Telegram

A Look at the 2014 Lake Erie Crushers


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May June

July August/September

2014 Lake Erie Crushers Schedule

= Fireworks= HomeDH = Doubleheader* = Day Game5/28 - 10:35am7/23 - 11:05am

All games start at 7:05pmwith the exception of Sundays (1:05pm) and day games. Gates open one hour before game time.

*

*

BASEBALLCHAMPIONSHIP

BASEBALLCHAMPIONSHIP

2013Avon, Ohio


ing, with a few others in the

mix as well to compete for a

few open spots on the roster,

and create completion at a few

others.

A familiar face to Crusher

fans everywhere, four-time

Frontier League All-Star

Andrew Davis is set to return

for what will be his sixth sea-

son with the Crushers. Davis

was Lake Erie’s primary

power source last season, lead-

ing the team with 17 home-

runs, and his 66 RBI were

third most in the Frontier

League. The 2014 will be his

last with the Crushers, as he

will reach the league’s age-

limit for veteran exceptions.

While it will be difficult to

replace the production of

Daniel Bowman, who was one

of the Frontier League’s best

hitters last year, earning top-10

marks in several offensive cat-

egories, the Crushers will have

a few other returnees from the

2013 season, who put up very

nice numbers as well.

The first of who was

acquired via a trade with

Schaumburg last season, in

utility man, Craig Hertler.

Hertler was Lake Erie’s lead-

off hitter, and consistently

came through in clutch situa-

tions. Over 54 games with the

Crushers, Hertler hit .304, with

an on base percentage of .427.

In addition, he hit .362 with

runners in scoring position,

and .344 with runners in scor-

ing position and two outs.

One of Lake Erie’s other big

power sources last year, was

the 2012 Frontier League

Homerun Derby Champion,

Russ Moldenhauer.

Moldenhauer is set to return

for this third season with the

Crushers, after smashing 14

bombs a season ago. Like

Hertler, Moldenhauer was key

in clutch situations throughout

the year. He hit .275 on the

year, but stepped up in pres-

sure situations, hitting .301

with runners in scoring posi-

tion, and .302 with runners in

scoring position and two outs.

The pitching staff reached

new heights a season ago, as

the Lake Erie team ERA of

3.38 was not only second best

in the league, but it was the

best ERA at season’s end in

the five year history of the

franchise. Back for the 2014

season is the ace of the staff,

in lefty Matt Rein. Rein had a

phenomenal season for the

Crushers, posting an 8-6 over-

all record, with a 2.37 ERA,

which was among the best in

the league.

Another lefty that had a ter-

rific 2013 season, Dave

Middendorf, will be back in

action for the Crushers as

well. Middendorf had 12

wins a season ago, third most

in the Frontier League and

posted a 2.60 ERA, which

was fifth best in the league as

well. Back for his third sea-

son with the Crushers, is

right-hander Mickey Jannis,

who thrived as both a starter

and a reliever in 2013. Jannis

went 7-2 with a 2.42 ERA,

which included four starts,

and he had a pair of saves as

well.

Many of the same great pro-

motions will be back again for

the 2014 season, but there will

be a few changes as well. The

first pitch for Sunday home

games, which had been deliv-

ered at 5:05 PM for the first

five years, have been changed

to 1:05 PM.

Weekly promotions will

lead off on opening night,

Friday, May 16th with fire-

works. There’s always a spec-

tacular show to be seen after

every Friday home game.

Super Saturday’s will feature

a giveaway to the first 1,000

fans. Just as last year, on

Saturdays, families can pur-

chase 4 home box tickets and

4 perfect game vouchers for

$44.

New to the lineup this year

will be Marked Down

Mondays, featuring $1 general

admission tickets and $3 box

seat tickets. Two-Dollar

Tuesday is in the mix this year

as well, featuring $2 specials

on select concession items

will be available at Stomper’s

Grille and Eddy’s Eatery and

there will be dollar hot dogs

on Wednesday nights. On

Wednesdays, seniors will be

able to buy a Home Box ticket

for $6.

Thursdays are still $1 beer

night. College students pre-

senting proper ID will be able

to purchase a general admis-

sion ticket for $2 on

Thursdays.

Christmas in July will

return to All Pro Freight

Stadium on Friday, July 18.

There will also be a pair of

early games as well.

Wednesday, May 23, will be a

school day, with a 10:35 AM

start, and this year’s Summer

Splash Day is on July 23, with

an 11:05 AM start.

Our annual Pack the Park

Pink will reign again this sea-

son. Come out to the ballpark

on Friday, August 22 to help

raise money for breast cancer

research and stick around for

the Fireworks following.

Opening night is Friday,

May 16th, and features a post

game fireworks extravaganza.

For ticket information, call the

Crushers at 440-934-3636, or

visit the Crushers website, at

www.lakeeriecrushers.com.

CRUSHERSfrom page 8

By: Jim RosenhausPlay-by-Play AnnouncerIt was late February in

Goodyear, Arizona.Outside, it was anothercloudless, crisp morning atthe Cleveland IndiansSpring Training complex.Inside, Director of BaseballInformation Bart Swain washunkered down in hisoffice, attacking his dailyresponsibilities. Suddenly,the peaceful quiet of aspring training early morn-ing was broken by the tor-nado of activity that is Tribefirst baseman Nick Swisher.

“Yo Bart, I need moreshirts bro !”, howledSwisher. “I got to have emfor everybody, 5 or 6 justain’t gonna cut it.”

The T-shirts in questionwere supposed to be handedout only to those playerswho participated in a com-mercial shoot promoting theteam for the 2014 season.But what about the otherplayers? As the acknowl-edged leader of a playoffcontending team, Swisherknew what he had to do.He needed to get more ofthose shirts that Swain wasbarricading in his office.Two trips into the mediaroom later, “Swish” filledthe request and all was rightin Tribe land. Why werethe bright red T-shirts sospecial? It was the letter-ing on the front, the letter-ing that said words that cap-ture the essence theCleveland Indians in 2014.The words are “UnfinishedBusiness”.

How did the Indians

arrive at this point? Priorto the 2013 season, theTribe has lost 90 or moregames in 3 of the prior 4seasons. But last yearunder new manager TerryFrancona, the Indians won92 games and reached theAmerican League playoffs.The 24 win turnaround wasthe biggest improvementfrom one season to the nextin franchise history. Notbad for a franchise thatbegan operations in 1901.They did it with an offensethat finished 4th in theAmerican League in runsscored, a number achievedwithout the benefit of a.300 hitter, a 25 home runhitter or a 100 RBI man.On the mound, the Indiansshowed tremendousimprovement and posted the2nd lowest ERA after theAll Star Break. Despite

that success, there was astill a bitter pill to swallowin the end. The Tribe lostits Wild Card Playoff gameto Tampa Bay, ending whathad been a furiousSeptember run to the play-offs. Even a manager whohas reached baseball’s high-est pinnacle twice, winninga World Series in 2004 and2007, summed up what hisclub felt after the toughplayoff loss.

“We played so well for solong, having it end so sud-denly was tough to take,”said Francona three monthslater at Tribe Fest inCleveland. “That playoffgame stung, more than Irealized it was going to. Itwas hard for me to talk tothe team after the game. Ithurt because we had playedso well to get there and justlike that, it’s over. Seasons

don’t wind down; they justcome to a crashing halt. Asproud as I was of thoseguys, it hurt so bad, I could-n’t believe how much itstung.“

That pain was replaced byrenewed optimism as thewinter moved along,replaced by the sense ofpurpose that comes with anew spring training. Thebulk of the roster that expe-rienced so much success isback, bolstered by somenew faces that figure toplay key roles as theIndians pursue anotherplayoff spot and more in2014.

To a man, this year’sCleveland Indians believethat last year was just thebeginning of an extendedrun of success. One of the


Mike Aviles and others celebrate clinching their first playoff berth since2007

Photo: Dan Mendlik/Cleveland Indians

UNFINISHED BUSINESS

See INDIANS on page 13

key pieces will be left field-er Michael Brantley. Inkedto a new contract in earlyFebruary, Brantley will bewith the Tribe for four moreseasons. He has become asteady offensive player andis coming off a season inwhich he hit .284 with 10HR and a career best 73RBI.

“We have such a greatgroup in this locker roomand I want to be a part ofthat for years to come,” saidBrantley. “I believe lastyear was just a steppingstone of what we are capa-ble of as a team. We weren’tready to go home last year,especially the way it ended.The atmosphere in the play-off game was electric and itmakes you want more ofthat.”

On the pitching side,Justin Masterson willanchor the starting rotation

once again. Last season,Masterson won 14 gamesand despite a late seasoninjury that cost him 3weeks, still logged almost200 innings. He says thefeeling in the clubhouse isvery similar to last year,when thoughts of a turn-around season developed.

“Last year, we had theexcitement of Tito comingin, along with Swish andBourn,” says Masterson.“This year, it’s just a contin-uation of what began lastyear. We’ve added a fewmore veterans, the youngerguys continue to grow andit’s a good mix. When youthink back to last year, wenever really played great,until the end. This year, wefeel we can play great base-ball and make things morespecial than last year. “

The common themeamong this year’s Indians isto continue the loose, funatmosphere that last year’steam fostered. Outfielder

Ryan Raburn is coming offa tremendous bounce backseason and was big key to atremendous Indians bench.Raburn hit 16 home runsand drove in 55 runs in lessthan 250 at bats. He sayshe couldn’t wait to get backto spring training to pick upwhere last year’s team leftoff.

“I can’t stress that enoughto everyone in here, howimportant it is to have funin this game,” Raburnpoints out. “I’ve had yearsin the past that just weren’tenjoyable and it makes adifference. That carriesover to the field. Last yearI made a conscious effort tohave fun and I believe thatwas a big reason I had theyear I had.”

Looking at the day to daylineup for the Indians in2014, there were few posi-tion battles heading intospring training. Yan Gomeswill be the starting catcherafter bursting on the scene a

year ago. A regular in theseason’s second half, thenative of Brazil hit .294with 11 HR and 38 RBI.He shut down opposingrunning games be throwingout 38% of would be basestealers. His handling ofthe pitching staff was alsosteady. Arguably theIndians hottest hitter inSeptember, Nick Swisherreturns as the everyday firstbaseman, looking to contin-


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INDIANSfrom page 12

ue what was an outstandingfinish to 2013. Jason Kipniswill man second base afteran All Star season last yearwhen he hit .284 with 17HR and a team best 84 RBIand a team high 30 SB.Asdrubal Cabrera is onceagain the Tribe shortstop,looking to bounce back

from an off year by hisstandards offensively. Inthe outfield, Brantley willplay left. Michael Bourn isfully recovered from a lateseason injury and will playcenterfield, while newlyacquired David Murphywill man rightfield, withRaburn filling in at the cor-ner outfield positions on aregular basis.

The lone position in ques-tion appears to be thirdbase. Lonnie Chisenhallwas the starting third base-man coming out of springtraining a year ago, butstruggled with consistencyand eventually spent time atTriple A Columbus. Hewill be challenged by for-mer number one catcherCarlos Santana, whorequested the chance to playthird base following lastseason. Santana’s case isintriguing in that heremains one of the Tribe’stop run producers offensive-ly. Last year he hit .268with 20 HR and 74 RBI. Ifhe is adequate defensively,it opens up several possibil-ities for the rest of the ros-ter. A decision most likelywon’t be made until the lat-ter stages of spring training

and manager TerryFrancona says there is norush.

On the mound, the firstfour slots in the rotationappear set. Masterson willbe the opening day starter,followed by and not neces-sarily in this order, CoreyKluber, Zach McAllisterand Danny Salazar. Kluberand McAllister won 11 and9 games respectively andsolidified their status asbona fide major leaguestarting pitchers.Meanwhile, the flamethrowing rookie Salazarmade 10 starts down thestretch last year and got thenod in the playoff game vsTampa Bay. The battleremains for the 5th spot inthe rotation. The con-


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INDIANSfrom page 13



tenders include in housecandidates Carlos Carrasco,Josh Tomlin and TrevorBauer along with non-rosterinvites Aaron Harang andShaun Marcum.

In the bullpen, there willbe changes. Gone are clos-er Chris Perez, set up manJoe Smith and reliable MattAlbers. Free agent signeeJohn Axford, who averagedclose to 35 saves withMilwaukee in 2010 through2012 should replace Perezat the back end of the pen.Cody Allen and BrianShaw, who were rock solidin late inning roles a yearago, are back. They arejoined by lefty MarkRzepczynski and then amyriad of candidates to fillthe remaining spots. Likethird base, it may take mostof spring training for thebullpen to gain some clari-ty.

Another key componentof the team a year ago wasthe bench, which becameknown as the “GoodSquad”. Jason Giambi isback in camp and lookingto extend his career at theage of 43. His impact onthe ballclub from a leader-ship standpoint wasimmeasurable. Statisticswise, he hit 9 home runs,including 2 walk off homeruns. His game winning,pinch hit home run vs theWhite Sox on September24th remains one of thegreat moments of any sea-son in recent Indians histo-ry. Others in the benchmix include utilitymanMike Aviles, outfielderRyan Raburn and thenpotentially veteran outfield-ers Nyger Morgan and JeffFrancoeur and infielderElliot Johnson.

In summary, most of thekey slots are filled andspring training will be usedto fill out the roster and

find the right mix to createa winning atmosphere.Who better to comment onthe state of the Tribe head-ing into 2014 than NickSwisher.

“Hey, last year wasbrought excitement back tothe 216,” says the alwayscharged up Swisher. “Thisyear, I walked into theclubhouse here inGoodyear and I thought,man I’m home!”Everybody knows every-

body now, we added someveterans and young thun-dercats alike and it’s a goodenvironment. We aregoing to keep going outthere and working hard andbelieve me, when you havea guy like Terry Franconaleading your team, you arealways going to be headingin the right direction.”

For the 2014 ClevelandIndians, the plan is for thatdirection to be taking careof “Unfinished Business”.

Michael Brantley

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INDIANSfrom page 14

Life Care Center of Elyria is proud to open 33 private rooms for rehab!

While our trained and caring nurses are just a button-push away, and activities are planned for interaction each day, our single rooms give residents a place to go for quiet time and solitude, an important

part of healthy living. All rooms include free Wi-Fi and cable television. Admissions and tours are welcome seven days a week.

Call (440) 365-5200 for more information!

Private Suites

LIFE CARE CENTERo f ELYRIA

1212 S. Abbe Road | Elyria, OH 44035 | (440) 365-5200 | (440) 365-5266 FaxLCCA.com

Cleveland Clinic Lorain Family Health and Surgery Center is

proud to offer Kolczun & Kolczun Orthopaedics, providing

the latest treatments in orthopaedic care. Our entire

musculoskeletal team works together with area school

athletes in injury treatment and prevention. We treat a full

range of orthopaedic joint conditions in high school athletes

and adults. If your condition requires surgery, our Outpatient

Surgery Center offers advanced procedures that allow

patients to return home the same day.

clevelandclinic.org/fhc

Helping You Around the Bases

To schedule an appointment,

call 440.204.7800

Orthopaedic Offices

5800 Cooper Foster Park Rd., Lorain

5275 North Abbe Rd., Elyria

303 Chestnut Commons Drive, Elyria

450 Avon Belden Rd., Avon Lake

33100 Cleveland Clinic Blvd, Avon*

*This location offers a 24/7 Emergency Department should you find yourself experiencing an orthopaedic emergency that requires immediate care.

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