The Strongsville Mustangs finished the 2017 season as Division I State Runner-Ups and a great deal of their success is owed to a strong senior class, which led the way both on the field and in the clubhouse.
Seven seniors graduated and as head coach Doug Cicerchi noted after the State Championship loss to No. 1-ranked Massillon Jackson, all seven appeared in the game.
Six of them started the game and reliever Louis Rahm made his 14th appearance of the season out of the pen, working one shutout inning.
Starting center fielder Alex Gray hit leadoff and pitched 1.1 innings of relief. He made a phenomenal catch in the state semifinal win over Olentangy Orange, which saved extra bases and made a big difference in what turned out to be a one-run game.
No. 2 hitter and starting catcher Parker Shannon played like a man possessed in that state semifinal, going 3-for-3 with two runs batted in, a run scored and three stolen bases.
Shannon’s last at bat of his high school career was a leadoff single to start the top of the sixth and even down 8-0, he played with the same fire and passion he displayed all season.
Shannon went on to score on a hustle play after an errant throw to first and it was a sign of the team’s resilience and fight, which got them so far in the first place.
He finished the season hitting above .420 with 28 RBI, 29 runs and 11 stolen bases.
Coach Cicerchi credited the Mercyhurst commit as the team’s “biggest leader on a team full of leaders” after the state semifinal win and has repeatedly called Shannon one of the best players in Ohio since early in the season. His knack to deliver in clutch situations was unrivaled by any of the players we saw at NEO Sports Insiders this season.
First baseman and cleanup man Noah Trizzino had a great game at the plate in the State Championship, going 3-for-3 with an RBI double and two singles against Yianni Skeriotis (9-0), one of the best pitchers in the state.
Noah Trizzino RBI double. 8-2 pic.twitter.com/r0sUKWQL8b
— NEO Sports Insiders (@NEOSportsInside) June 4, 2017
No. 8 hitter and right fielder Kyler Damm made solid plays in the outfield in both State Tournament games and finished his high school career with a triple, smoked down the left field line in the top of the seventh. Damm also hit a double in the state semifinal, going 2-for-6 in the two games with two extra base hits and a run scored.
Zach Kasian got the start in the State Championship, going 0-for-1, but played an integral role with the Mustangs all season. The first time we saw Kasian this year, he hit a game-winning pinch hit single against archrival Brunswick.
It’s that kind of depth on Strongsville’s roster, which gave the coaching staff the luxury of having numerous options to bring off the bench, that played a huge factor in getting the Mustangs to Columbus.
Left handed pitcher Jaret Beechy took the mound in the State Championship and although it was far from his best outing of the year, a lineup as potent as Jackson’s has done damage to many of the state’s best aces this season.
Beechy entered play with a 1.07 ERA and finished out his senior year with six wins and three losses.
His biggest win came in a regional final against Medina, in which he worked 6.2 innings, allowing two earned runs. He also pitched a complete game one-hit shutout in the district semifinal against Normandy.
Cicerchi credited his team’s pitching depth as one of its biggest strengths and referred to his aces as “1A and 1B.”
What a run. What a team. Always hanging around until the bitter end. Thanks Alex, Parker, Noah, Kyler, Zach, Jaret, and Lou. Most wins ever.
— StrongsvilleBaseball (@SHSVarsityBase) June 4, 2017
Guess Who’s Back?
The Mustangs can’t replace a talented group like the Class of 2017, but what they do have is an impressive crop of returning players, who have gained valuable experience this year, seeing significant playing time in big game situations.
One of those players is junior shortstop and pitcher Mitch Midea, who will enter his senior year in 2017-18.
Midea closed out the regional final win and was one of the team’s best relievers in the postseason.
He spent much of the season as a “3A-3B” starting pitcher, but Cicerchi noted that if he wasn’t such a great defensive shortstop, he may have gotten more opportunities to pitch this season.
His defensive prowess was on display in Columbus, as Midea made several great plays to rob base hits, and was part of two double plays, including this wild game-ending play.
FINAL: 4-6-3 double play sends @SHSVarsityBase to the State Championship! pic.twitter.com/3elalFPxai
— PBR Ohio (@PBR_Ohio) June 3, 2017
When you look at all the great teams in high school baseball, one common theme is to be strong up the middle.
Strongsville certainly had that with Midea and second baseman Trevor Denning.
Denning will return as one of the team’s seniors next year and between him and Midea, the Mustangs have two impressive middle infielders coming back.
One thing to watch for now that Beechy’s high school career has come to a close is the possibility of Midea seeing more time on the mound in 2018. It’ll be tough to fill that void at short on the days he pitches, but he’s certainly in the mix for next year’s potential Playoff starting pitching spot.
Speaking of impressive juniors, the Mustangs have one of the best pitchers in the state coming back in 2018 – right handed ace Matt Brosky.
Brosky was phenomenal in the district final win over perennial powerhouse St. Ignatius and the regional semifinal against Perrysburg (in which he threw a complete game).
The Mustangs received more of the same from the Ohio University commit, who outpitched MLB Draft prospect Tyler Brown in the state semifinal win over Olentangy Orange.
Brosky finished off the complete game, not folding in several high pressure situations, and the right hander credited his senior catcher for keeping him calm and “slowing his brain down.”
He finished the season with an ERA just under 2.30, seven wins, four losses and 68 strikeouts.
Strongsville’s pitching staff will lose some impressive arms, but Brosky returns as one of the premier pitching talents in the area for 2018.
One of the coolest moments we saw this season was when Brosky talked about being a new kid on the team this year. He transferred to Strongsville for the 2016-17 school year and although he knew many of the players beforehand, he said “they taught him what it means to be a part of a team.”
If that’s not what sports are all about, I don’t know what is.
Another junior, Austin Mucurio also saw playing time in the State Championship and is one of the guys next in line to get even more opportunities in 2018.
One of the biggest things Strongsville has going for it is the talented sophomore class, which featured several major contributors in 2017.
Jack Frank, one of the top prospects in the state of Ohio, had an outstanding season, hitting five homers as a sophomore.
He entered the State Tournament with a .407 batting average and 28 RBI – finishing the season tied for the team lead.
Hitting third in a lineup as impressive as Strongsville’s tells you all you need to know about the Michigan State commit.
The sky’s the limit for this kid and although he struggled at the plate in the state semifinal, he ended his season with a single in his last at-bat of the State Championship. He went on to score on Trizzino’s RBI double.
With Strongsville losing two starting outfielders, Frank is one of the candidates to take over center field in 2018, and getting this kind of experience on the biggest of stages can be astronomical for his growth.
The same can be said for all of the underclassmen who made the trip to Columbus.
Whether it’s Joey Venter, Gio “Big Poppa” Lombardo, J.D. Duplain, Jesse Kramer, Joey Meserini or the rest of the team’s contributors, just going through this type of playoff run is not something many ballplayers get to experience in their lifetime.
“It can do nothing but help,” Cicerchi said of what this opportunity can do for his younger players.
“This is the pinnacle of high school sports in Ohio. If you love the game, which we do have kids who love the game, they’re gonna’ fight like hell to try and get back.”
Cicerchi said after the state semifinal his team “earned everything they got,” and deep playoff runs are never guaranteed, but one thing is for certain:
No one will be sleeping on these Strongsville Mustangs in 2018.
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