HAMILTON, Ohio — The first pitch for the annual state baseball tournament is still 24 hours away, but the Badin baseball team this week has already simulated its entrance into Canal Park in Akron.
Mind you the Rams don't leave for Akron until Thursday afternoon.
“We’ve done some visualization stuff where we have these guys walk in the stadium and down into the tunnel area where they get to hit and then walk into the dugout and walk out onto the field,” Badin coach Brion Treadway said. “We’ve tried to prepare them mentally for what they’re about to experience.”
Badin (26-6) is part of the opening game of the state tournament with first pitch against Parma Padua (19-9-1) scheduled for 10 a.m. Friday in a Division II state semifinal. The state final is scheduled for 10 a.m. Sunday.
The Rams are seeking their third state championship in program history and the first title since 1996. That was the year that Treadway, a 1997 Badin graduate, won both games as a pitcher in the state Final Four.
Badin is fourth in Ohio High School Athletic Association history with 15 state baseball tournament appearances. The Rams can't wait for an opportunity at a state championship.
“It’s electric,” senior second baseman Austin Buckle said before Wednesday's practice. “We’re all excited. We can’t wait to get up to (Akron).”
Badin, which has five shutouts this postseason, is making its third trip to the state tournament in the past four seasons. This year it’s just with four seniors — none of which were on Badin’s 2022 team.
“This is where we expected to be,” Treadway said. “This is what we’ve been preparing for since our season ended last year. We’re super excited. It’s been a fun year. A year of ups and downs but a year of growth.”
Eric Cole has witnessed the growth of the Rams. The Badin psychology and French teacher is the baseball team’s mental performance coach. He's worked with the players this week to prepare them for Friday.
“It’s been a lot of breath work actually because the breath is the bridge between our thinking mind and our automatic mind,” Cole said. “With baseball, it’s all about muscle memory. So they’re constantly drilling to get that in to where the pressure is on you to respond with what you practiced.”
Cole said the preparation is about leaning into the pressure of a game instead of freezing up in the moment.
“We practice with breath work that induces adrenaline into your system and we practice relaxing in that state,” Cole said. “This is a very young group and their enthusiasm is contagious. There’s no fear with these guys. They just embrace the moment.”
The Rams have looked at photos and video of its 2021 and 2022 state semifinal appearance to prepare for Friday morning. Junior shorstop Cooper Ollis said the team was grateful to be in the moment of a regional championship last week.
“I’ve just been so impressed by the progress they’ve made over the course of this season,” Cole said. “They’re completely different than they were at the start. They take adversity, they turn it to their advantage. They make it their ally. It shows. The energy in the dugout is phenomenal.”
Ollis said the coaching has made a significant impact.
“We work on not getting frustrated about the little things,” Ollis said. “Worry about the next play. Get the next play. And that kind of us the energy we need to keep going every day, keep winning.”
