Midview Baseball wins 2024 SWC Championship
When a group of student-athletes and coaches come together as a unit, commit themselves to hard work and stay focused on team goals rather than individual ones, it increases their chance of success.
This is the case for the Midview High School Varsity Baseball team, which captured the outright 2024 Southwestern Conference Championship following a 3-1 win at Olmsted Falls High School on Tuesday (May 7). The victory was the Middies' 11th straight, improved their overall record to 16-4 and capped off a 12-2 league campaign.
"The varsity team has worked hard this year to come together as a family," said senior Michael Lopez Jr. "Coach [Ryan] Morgan has done a great job by hosting dinners at his house to bring the program together as one. The past few years were hard, and we struggled playing as a team, but you can see the difference this year. We all do our jobs when they are needed and will sacrifice to put our team in a winning position.
Midview is led by nine seniors. As freshmen, the varsity only won 5 games. The past two years the Middies won 11 both seasons but struggled in conference play. Most of this team was challenged to play early in their high school careers and have worked extremely hard to better themselves. This includes all the off-season workouts, open gyms, and open fields.
"This senior class is very special, and we all couldn't wait to play with each other this season," said Lopez. "We always talk about picking your teammates up when they get down on themselves and it has worked and helped a lot this year. The SWC is a very challenging conference but with the team we have and the encouragement that bounces off one another we have been able to have success. I can't thank this community, teachers and school enough for the support they have gave us this year."
Varsity Baseball's 2024 title is the department-best 16th in program history and second SWC crown, having won the championship in their first year of SWC play in 2016. Midview previously won conference championships in 1970, 1973, 1978, 1979, 1984, 1985, 1986, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2012 and 2013.
Senior Spencer Mueller credits this year's success to the team's commitment to strength and conditioning under Strength Coach Cody Florian. [Learn about Florian's impact on the department HERE]
"Mr. Florian has talked everyday about winning games and being able to go to school after each win and see him smile and congratulate us it means a lot," said Mueller. "I do not believe anyone in Midview wants to see us succeed more than he does. Spending time after school away from his family just shows how bad he wants to see us be successful. I truly believe that Mr. Florian's lifting class and his off-season training have helped our team tremendously. Without his help we would not be where we are today without him."
Midview endured its share of adversity during the SWC season but rose to the challenge each time.
Both games of their opening series with Amherst Steele were played on the Comet's home field due to wet field conditions at MHS. The Middies dropped game one 7-5 but secured a split with a 5-1 win three days later following multiple rainouts.
Midview then outlasted Berea-Midpark 3-2 in an 11-inning game that had to be finished a day later due to darkness. The Middies used momentum from game one to sweep the Titans with a 6-0 win in game two that day.
The third series of the year came against defending SWC Champion North Ridgeville. Senior David Moore no-hit the Rangers in a 3-0 game one win. However, North Ridgeville bounced back with a 7-0 win the next day to split the season series.
Midview once again had game one of its next series suspended due to darkness, this time against Avon. After a rainout the Middies came back two days later to defeat the Eagles 7-6 in 12 innings and then captured game two 13-3.
The fifth series of the year came against Avon Lake and was moved from earlier in the season due to both teams going on spring break trips. The Middies topped the Shoremen 4-1 and 12-2 on consecutive Fridays. Sandwiched in between were 5-1 and 5-2 wins over Elyria to move the Middies to 10-2 in league play.
Midview closed the SWC season with a series against Olmsted Falls. Both games were tight but ended in the Middies' favor. Midview scored both runs—one on a balk and the other on a passed ball—in the bottom of the first inning enroute to a 2-0 game one win. Following the win, many of the Middies made the quick trek to North Ridgeville to watch Amherst knock off the Rangers in extra innings. That result gave Midview a share of the 2024 SWC title.
The Middies then secured the outright championship the following day with a 3-1 win at Olmsted Falls. Mueller worked six solid frames, allowing just one run on five hits, while senior Joseph Melendez came in to record his third save of the year.
"We've had talent every year, but something just wasn't there and that was the hard work from every guy," said senior Mateo Lopez. "This year is a special group. Each guy wants to be there every day putting in the work and it started in the off-season. Whether it's from going to workouts every Tuesday and Thursday, putting in the work in a hot gym every Saturday morning, or even guys putting in work on their own, it all has contributed to this successful season. If you want to be successful you must put in the work. It's just not going to come on its own and that's what this program has done this year."
Midview has a pair of non-league regular season games on its schedule—home against Wooster High School on May 10 and at Hudson High School on May 13—before opening OHSAA Tournament action at home against the winner of Berea-Midpark and Wadsworth High School on May 16 at 5 p.m.
"The success we've had so far this year shows what hard work and dedication can accomplish," said Morgan. "This team means the world to me. We can control three things: our energy, effort, and enthusiasm. This group has done just that! They could have folded after losing our season opener, but they continued to fight and that's the makeup of a championship caliber team."
Morgan knows there will be a time to celebrate the team's achievements when it is all said and done but acknowledges they have more to accomplish this season.
"Although this feels great, we as a program have much bigger goals we are trying to reach this year," said Morgan. "The first is finishing off the regular season strong and making some noise in the state playoffs."