No. 1 state-ranked Wildcats 'understand the process'

MOWRYSTOWN — “Trusting the process” hasn’t just worked for the Philadelphia 76ers in the NBA with them building their roster over the past few seasons, eventually winning games in the playoffs. In the village of Mowrystown, the Whiteoak Wildcats have adapted that same type of motto and work ethic for their 2018 baseball season, and it has earned them a Division IV No. 1 state ranking.

Before this season, the highest the Whiteoak baseball program — led for the past 27 years by Chris Veidt — has been ranked in the Ohio High School Baseball Coaches Association (OHSBCA) State Poll was sixth on two occasions in 2000 and 2004, and overall the program has been ranked in the state on six different occasions.

Having a storied past of baseball excellence, and even winning the inaugural State Field of the Year award this past March, the process of seeing the Wildcats rebuild from the ground up the past few seasons has been a sight to behold, as not one player was a member of a Southern Hills Athletic Conference (SHAC) championship team in their high school career before the start of the baseball season, in any sport. 

Remember, it is all about trusting their process, and for coach Veidt and assistant coaches D.J. O’Cull and John Combs, it has been about getting the team to do just that. The team has responded with flying colors thus far this season, though before the start of the regular season that wasn’t necessarily the case.

“This group is special. They are talented. They are coachable,” Veidt told The Highland County Press. “At the beginning of the season, we struggled with work ethic and being process-oriented. We performed poorly in our scrimmages. We didn’t handle failure well, which happens continually in the game of baseball. We thought talent would get us through.

“I still remember the day it began to change. We asked the kids how many of them had won a SHAC championship in any sport. No hands went up, other than the coaching staff. The light bulb seemed to turn on from that point on, and it continues to burn. Their approach has changed. Their work ethic has changed. Relationships have changed. The talent was always there.”

Since those scrimmages that didn’t live up to their expectations, Whiteoak flipped the switch — and when the regular season began, they got the process rolling and moving along steadily. The Wildcats won their first 15 games of the season, including four shutouts and holding opponents to a single run on four occasions in those first 15 games.

Their lone loss of the regular season didn’t occur until Friday, April 27 when they lost to Eastern Reedsville by a 5-3 score, the 16th game of the season. Since that loss, the Wildcats won the next eight games played for a 23-1 overall record and a 13-0 SHAC record.

In their perfect conference season, the Wildcats have outscored their SHAC opponents, 145-18, averaging 11.2 runs per game and allowing 1.4 runs per game in SHAC play. Through 24 total games this regular season, Whiteoak has scored 252 runs (10.5 runs per game) and have allowed 57 runs (2.4 runs allowed per game), including seven shutouts for the entire season, with four shutouts coming in conference games.

“At the beginning of the season and on a daily occurrence, we talk about the ‘process’ of being great,’” Veidt said. “We realize if we become process-oriented, results happen. The current No. 1 ranking was not something we discussed (at the start of the season), but the process of being great is. Our kids understand ‘OUR’ process.”


SETTING AND ACHIEVING LOFTY GOALS
In 2017, the Wildcats reached the district semifinals and lost to Waterford, 11-1 at VA Memorial Stadium, with many of the same players still on the current team. That experience was just one part of the Wildcats becoming the team they are today, as it took some rough twists and turns of growing pains at the varsity level on their path of learning how to win consistently.

In what was the current senior class’ freshman season, the Wildcats of 2015 finished 8-15 overall, but that was a year of the “young Wildcats” getting their feet wet in varsity baseball. The following year, Whiteoak improved to 16-13 overall, and last season the Wildcats finished 14-14, playing in the district semifinals.

Those three previous seasons were just a buildup for what has occurred this season, and not just including the No. 1 state ranking, but the undefeated SHAC championship, as “their process” shows how much work the Wildcats have put in to becoming a better program over the past four years.

At the start of this season, Veidt said in a season preview the goals for his Wildcat team were 20 wins, a conference championship, a district championship and as he stated, “hopefully a trip to Columbus.” Up to this point, the first two of those goals have been checked off the list in Sharpie.

Next on the list of the process is a district championship, and that path begins Tuesday when the Wildcats host Peebles in the sectional finals.


A TRADITION OF WINNING
Though this season may be the first time the Wildcats have been ranked as the top team in the state in Division IV baseball, it isn’t the first time the Wildcats have been at the top of the SHAC standings as this season marks the 10th championship the Wildcats have won in program history. Whiteoak has won conference championships in 1971, '81, '99, '00, '04, '08, '09, '10 and ’13 before this season and were undefeated conference champions in ’13, as this year is just the second time in program history the Wildcats have achieved the undefeated conference record.

The ’13 team for the Wildcats won a district championship, finishing 21-8 overall, as they won a championship in dominating fashion when they defeated Portsmouth Notre Dame, 11-0 in five innings at VA Memorial Stadium in the district finals. The 21 wins that season tied a program record for wins in a season and is the only district championship in the history of the Whiteoak program. This year, the Wildcats have broken the season wins record as they now have 23 wins on the year.


SENIOR LEADERSHIP AND A TALENTED ROSTER
This year, the Wildcats have five seniors on their roster, all of whom have played multiple seasons with the Wildcat program. Those seniors are Chase Carraher, Casey Nace, Joey Oliver, Caleb West and Trever Yeager.

“We have five seniors that all lead in different ways,” Veidt said. “I ask a lot of them, and they deliver. They are committed, and I wouldn’t trade them for the world.”

Besides a senior class that shows excellent leadership, the Wildcats have a group of freshmen, sophomores and juniors who all play a vital role within the baseball program, whether that be in the starting lineup or playing a role elsewhere on the roster.

The roster also includes juniors Traeten Hamilton, Ryan Roberts, Chase Butler and Evan Brill. Sophomores are Billy Oliver, Zach Harless, Kyler Emery, Mason Lehr and Brayden Yeager. The freshmen on the roster are Michael Igo and Jaycob Gross.

The aforementioned players on the Whiteoak roster have not only played their way to the top rankings, but they’ve also allowed Coach Veidt to see his team grow from the start of the season, which has been his favorite aspect of this journey.

“My favorite aspect has been watching them mature as individuals and watching them have each other’s back,” Veidt said. “It has been rewarding to see them learn the process of being great, while giving each other energy, being tough and selfless.

“If we continue to work the process, play the game one pitch at a time, flush the negative and embrace the positive, the sky's the limit. It’s all about the next pitch, though not the last.”


A GREAT HONOR; WORK CONTINUES
Though the Wildcats currently hold the No. 1 Division IV state ranking and have the SHAC championship locked up, Coach Veidt knows being bestowed that rank is “a great honor,” but he also knows there is work to still be done.

“It’s a great honor,” Veidt said of the state ranking. “It is much-deserved recognition for our school district. Our community and school administration have been so supportive of our baseball program. It’s positive to see that caring, passion and hard work pay dividends.

“The players have taken pride in it too, no doubt. It's not something we spend a great deal of time discussing, though. Our direction from the beginning has been to be the best people, players and team possible. The ranking just shows that the kids and adults connected to the program are all on the same page and achieving positive results.”