High school baseball: Foundation for Cloverleaf success started at youth level

NORTH RIDGEVILLE — The belief of brotherhood is rich in baseball. When one player slips, the next man will fill the void. Cloverleaf entered the North Ridgeville Division II District having only played in two previous semifinals (1974, 1987). The Colts hadn't been to a final since, well, ever. That changed Monday when fourth-seeded Cloverleaf beat sixth-seeded Buckeye 5-2. The Colts (20-6) will play third-seeded Firelands (24-5) on Wednesday, and much of that has to do with an idea put in place eight years ago. In 2013, Scott Schreck and Kevin McMullen saw a need for Cloverleaf baseball to have another avenue to practice. The two wanted to give the Colts a chance to develop as a program with the high school level in mind. They didn't look for a new name, instead entering the 10U Lorain County Hot Stove League as the Cloverleaf Colts. "Our mission statement was to develop these kids into high school baseball players and potentially college baseball players," Schreck said. "I played college athletics golf. I can't even describe the relationships you develop out of it." It started with Kelly McMullen, Brody Wittman, Drew Schreck, Brady Roberts, Justin George and Ashton Newton. Josh Pierce and Trent Youngeberg came along in Year 2. While that core never won a Hot Stove championship, the Colts went to the semifinals a handful of times and also had the best record in the league a few times. Fast forward to Monday and the bond created almost a decade ago has spread throughout the team. "That's something we have preached since we came on board three years ago," Cloverleaf coach Mark Kelly said. "It's team. Those relationships are always fantastic. They're bringing the younger guys with them along the road. "That's the best part. These older guys we're talking about are excited for these younger guys, too. That's been great for the team aspect. Obviously, in games down the road, it's team that wins. They have each other's back. They trust each other, and that's why we've been able to come out of these big games. It's not just this game today." Even when the Bucks (17-10) looked like they had the Colts rattled, the band of brothers found ways out of jams. Buckeye put the leadoff man on five times and four of those times, that runner was erased on a double play. "That brotherhood has been there since I was a freshman," junior Youngeberg said. "I couldn't ask for a better team. These guys are leaders. They're always stepping up. Even when you've had a bad day, they're right there behind you. Between the lines, off the field, they're always there picking you up when you need it the most." It showed at the plate as well, as Cloverleaf scored all of its runs with two outs. The instruction instilled at a young age played out all the way through in a highly entertaining game that went into the bottom of the fifth tied 1-1. "It's absolutely amazing to be able to have the opportunity to do that," George said. "We all stuck together. Since we were kids, we've always lived close to each other. We'd always play baseball. It was the thing that we did. "To be able to trust them to do their job every day is one of the best things to come out of that. This has always been a dream of ours. It would be the same group of guys with other younger guys that help a lot. I'm trying to think of some words here. It's mind-blowing to be able to call them my brothers one last year." If the Colts have it their way, it will last five more games. Drew Schreck (7-1), who picked up the win in a five-hit, four-strikeout performance that included no earned runs, may have said it best. "Brotherhood is probably the most important thing next to energy and attitude," he said. "We're all playing for one goal, and we're doing it as a team." Contact Brad Bournival at bournival929@gmail.com.