Effort, consistency leads Panthers to regional

McCOMB -- McComb has waited seven years to break through. Taking down Miller City in the Division VII regional final Saturday paved the way for the 14-player squad to break the curse and enter into the regionals for the first time since 2019. under head coach Ross Shoup. "We like to compete every year," Panthers head coach Ross Shoup said. "We run ourselves through a really tough schedule in our league and it makes you better. We also schedule really tough non-league opponents as well to try and prepare for tournament runs." Those schools include BVC opponents like Liberty-Benton (20-5), and Leipsic (15-10), who are also still alive in regional play. McComb (16-12-2) plays all 14 of the players on its roster, and has found its identity that way. "Opportunity has called their name, and they had to play key spots for us," Shoup said. "I think it's very unique for a school of our size to have a small team of 14 guys that all contribute in ways every given night." But that's how Shoup runs the program, and for Brayden Welty -- who pitched a complete game in the district final Saturday -- it is a rather interesting challenge. "I think this is one we haven't faced in a while, which is that we don't have a very big team, and it's something that has affected us because we haven't been able to pull guys out and talk to them in a game," the senior said. When the seniors were sophomores, there were 20-25 players on the team, and it was an opportunity to learn and grow. "Then we got to ease into the varsity role," Welty said. "Some of the guys (this season) have had to step into the varsity role and have excelled at it. I'm proud of them for it." Every year that Shoup has been at the helm, the Panthers have advanced through sectionals, and then districts become their kryptonite. Last year, they competed against a tough Hardin Northern squad in district semifinal at Findlay, and fell 4-2. But the team rebounded this season. "Our effort that we give as well as consistency, has helped us get back to where we are now," senior catcher Grady Schroeder said. For seniors Schroeder, Welty, Cameron Smith, Brayden Heller, and Brayden Davis, the year has been rewarding. To be able to make history and get the Panthers back to regionals was a goal they had in mind. "This season has been really cool," Welty said. "As a senior group, we have been to district finals twice before and lost, so for us to get a win against a team like Miller City, who's well known, felt really good." The last time the Panthers were in regionals, this year's seniors were in sixth grade. "They were in my sixth-grade math class," Shoup said. "Some of them were (at the games that year) when we played Leipsic, and we had a walk off home run at Patrick Henry. Tanner Schroeder called the shot before he left the dugout and he said 'boys, the game is over, let's get ready to have fun.' He hit a home run onto their football field and some of the boys were sitting in the seats that day and I think that had an impact on them and they saw that district title (and) going into regionals. They saw the community rally and ever since then, we have been close, but we hadn't gotten the job done until now." So how have they gotten there? "This is the best hitting group that we have had in a while," Welty said. "Not just seniors. Sure, we put a lot of work into hitting and into positional stuff, but we try to set the best example we can for the underclassmen. They have picked up on that and we have grown in that sense." Shoup sees how the underclassmen tend to listen to the senior leadership more. "It's so cool to see them share a lot of things and experience with different games, different times that we have had different outcomes," Shoup said. "The young guys listen and they have the young guys' ear. They say it in a way that their teammates listen and i think they listen because they see all the hard work that the seniors put in." Other ways the team has grown has been in defense and confidence. "Defensively, we have picked each other up," Schroeder said. "Especially in the outfield. "We have done a great job communicating and being a fish on the mound." "The team's confidence and our classes confidence has gone up," Smith said. "We saw all those good players before us, and we wanted to be like them, and now we are them." The other two seniors are also key to McComb's success. Davis has been with the Panthers for three years, while Heller came to the squad as a junior. "Those guys have been great additions," Shoup said. "If you watch our game day operations, we have a routine that we follow and those guys, as seniors, rather then telling the underclassmen 'this, this, and this', they are the hands and feet. They set up, they tear down; they have a feel for the time that we have and push things along when we need to and they make the coaches job easier because they are like the coaches themselves." But to be successful as a team, it has to run smoothly, and most times, Shoup doesn't have to say a word for it to happen. "(The players) will show up early," he said. "We have practices at the park, and we have to drive to our practice site because we don't have one on our home campus, so we have a set time that it starts. We have a team rule: we don't start practice until everyone is there. This year, we have started practice 10 minutes early because they show up, set up early, they are ready to go and they make us more efficient." Shoup said he's thought about what it would be like to take a team to regionals. "I have thought about that question for a long time, even before we earned it," he said. "We are a family, we are a small school, and we do with the best we have. We have great kids here, and I wouldn't trade any of the 14 guys for anyone in the state of Ohio. That's how we feel and that's real. Panther pride." As for the Panthers, their attention turns to Wednesday night against Montpelier (17-6). "You only have one opportunity," Shoup said. "We want to do our best and do things the right way to be able to earn another opportunity to play on Thursday."