Lake Catholic Baseball Team's Miracle March Takes Them To State

They lost too many players.

They would need to break in a new third baseman and an entire outfield.

It looks like a rebuilding year.

Despite two consecutive trips to the regional tournament, conventional wisdom did not have 's baseball team pegged as a guaranteed success this year.

Even their coach -- Dennis Woods, a man with 44 years of coaching experience -- was unsure what to make of his team.

"My assistants and I sat in the gymnasium during the preseason, and we all felt we'd be lucky to be a .500 ballclub," he told The Plain Dealer after his team won its third consecutive district title.

Well, the Cougars (20-10) turned out to be better than a .500 team. Much better.

In fact, for the first time in 25 years, Lake Catholic is going to the state final four.

The team started slow, accruing a 1-4 record. But that turned out to be a speed bump on the road to Columbus.

A few marquee names -- catcher/first baseman Lou Peterlin and pitcher Joey Samuele -- led a scrappy, talented team to its third consecutive district title.

However, it would take a pair of miraculous, come-from-behind, walkoff hits to make it to state.

First, they topped Tallmadge in a game they trailed 4-2 going into the seventh inning. However, a walkoff, two-out single from Trevor Boslett ended a 3-run rally that gave the Cougars the game.

But even that was just a prelude to their regional championship victory.

Once again, the Cougars were down to their final out in the final inning. Trailing 3-2 and with a 3-1 count, Zach Hawkins nailed a homer that gave the Cougars their first state berth since 1987.

Hawkins called the hit "a miracle."

"I feel like I'm dreaming right now," he told The News-Herald after the game.

Who's to say how many miracles the Cougars are saving for the final four?

Lake Catholic faces St. Francis DeSales, ranked fourth by the Associated Press, this Thursday. But that doesn't deter a team that has played the underdog for much of the season and postseason.

If the Cougars win, they'll play the winner of Millersburg West Holmes and Wapakoneta on Saturday for the state championship.

Then we'll see what conventional wisdom has to say.