After enduring a less than stellar varsity season in the spring, the Bowling Green High School baseball
team knew something had to change for the program to be successful.
And change it did, as the Bobcats made quite the turnaround from a team that finished 5-7 in the Northern
Lakes League, to winning the school’s first ACME state title just over a week ago.
BG went 4-0 in the state tournament in Celina, rising above good competition through a total team effort.

The Bobcats finished the summer 18-7 overall, using a combination of great defense, solid pitching, and
timely hitting to provide a positive building point and much needed confidence boost going into next
spring.
"It says a lot about what they can do," BG varsity head coach Josh Iler said. Iler is limited
in the time he is able to coach his players in the summer due to Ohio High School Athletic Association
and ACME rules.
"It solidifies what the coaching staff has told these guys for the last two years, ‘Here’s what
you’re able to do as long as you can come together,’" he added. "They overcame the adversity
and they didn’t do it with one person, they did it as a team. That’s exactly what it takes. These guys
stepped up to the challenge … That’s what baseball is all about."
BG got past Perrysburg in the ACME district, a team that finished second in the state in Division I
during the spring.
The Bobcats then won all their games at state, although all were fairly close, out-scoring their
opponents by a combined score of 18-8.
"The biggest part was we were all having fun," said Mason Mayberry, who pitched and played
first base and will be a senior next season. "During the varsity season we were all uptight … We
didn’t have as much skill this year for ACME, but we definitely did our part. Each of us did our part
and we just stayed calm and had fun."
The defense committed only two errors in four games at state, and turned a whopping 12 double plays
throughout the tournament. The offense came through when it needed to, but the Bobcats never scored more
than five runs in any game at the state tournament.
"Going into the season it didn’t seem like it was going to be a strong suit, our hitting was what
was going to carry us," said Cody Lang, who played second base and will be a senior. "But I
was surprised that our defense came through that well. Everybody stuck their nose in and did their part.

"It’s something to reflect on for next year. Now the younger guys know that we can do this. For us
seniors, the last year of ACME, it’s a pretty big accomplishment," Lang added. "We got
Perrysburg and from there on it was like, ‘Hey we beat Perrysburg. So we can beat any team.’"
The Bobcats, like most summer teams, had to deal with players missing on a regular basis due to family
vacations, playing for other teams, and other demands.
Add a sweltering few weeks of summer and injuries to multiple players, and the team truly overcame quite
a bit of adversity to win the state title.
Now the Bobcats will look to carry the positive momentum of the state title into more success when it
really counts, during the varsity season, NLL play and the OHSAA state tournament.
"We had a good team during the spring … but it seemed like we worked better together (in
ACME)," said Jacob Ireland, who played shortstop and pitched and will be a senior. "It just
seemed like we jelled really well together. It was a whole different thing."
Ireland was a prime example of a Bobcat that played through adversity, as he had to be taken off the
mound after vomiting early in the district finals against Perrysburg. Ireland was able to eventually
reenter the game, and would go on to have the game-winning hit to push BG into the state tournament.
"It sets the bar pretty high since we know what we can do," Ireland said. "As long as we
stay relaxed like we did during the summer then I think we could definitely take the league at
least."
And through the success this summer, and the way the team was able to step up its play, the Bobcats
appear to be a team that will indeed need to be reckoned with next spring.
"When these guys got their uniforms on they stepped on the field, they focused on winning and
accomplishing what they needed to every out, every inning, every game," Iler said. "That’s
enough right there to move forward on to the next step."