Bulldogs Confident and Determined Ahead of Trip to Akron

For the second straight year, the Heath Bulldogs have run through the Division III baseball tournament, but this year, the team is one step closer to its ultimate goal of a state championship. A four nothing victory over Cincinnati Christian in the regional final was more of a grind than the team is used to, but the Bulldogs learned something about themselves in the win.

“Well, I learned they wanted to win, and I think there was a lot of pressure on them being the second-ranked team in Ohio. Number one had already been knocked out of the tournament. So, we go down there and I guess we’re expected to win, we’re probably the favorites to win, and they covered, they did what they were supposed to, and I’m proud of them for that.”

“We are very determined to our goals. We came to this tournament, you know, wanting a state title. We wanted to go back to Akron this year. And I think we’ve been very locked in in the tournament.”

That might be the understatement of the season for Heath. In their five games played in the tournament, the Bulldogs have outscored their opponents 36 to 5 over a two-week span, including three shutout performances. But the road doesn’t get any easier for Heath, as it faces a more than credible opponent in the state semifinal on Saturday.

“We’re playing Waynedale, two-time defending state champion, and I’m extremely excited about the opportunity. I was looking forward to the opportunity last year and we never made it to the final game to play them. So, just that fact alone, I think our guys are focused.

“We had the we had the chance last year and things obviously didn’t go the way we wanted them to, but to be able to have the chance again this year means so much to us.”

And for this team, it’s all about leaving a legacy, or rather, legacies.

“The first legacy is they are the first team in school history to go to back-to-back state tournaments. We’re going to win one hopefully. Last year didn’t work out for us, so that’s definitely a legacy and just the legacy of what they’ve carried on to the younger guys and the leadership that our older guys have shown, our seniors have shown, and just kind of how to practice and how to be a Bulldog.”

Heath heads to Canal Park in Akron on Saturday, with the first pitch at 1 p.m. as the Bulldogs are looking for the third title in program history and the first since 2007.