Location, location, location.
That is all it took for Columbia coach Dan Durante to decide where the Raiders would wind up in the postseason.
The Ohio High School Athletic Association baseball tournament brackets were released May 11, and Columbia will be playing close to home. In Division VI, the No. 8 Raiders could get two home games before playing a potential district final at Cuyahoga Community College.
“We’ve always based it this way,” Durante said. “In the past, the decision was essentially made for us at Medina, but it has always been location, location, location. As somebody who has lived in Parma and went to Holy Name, those are my old stomping grounds. We were taking that spot regardless. That’s where my guys wanted to go, that’s where I wanted to go, so that’s where we’re going.”
Columbia starts its postseason at home against No. 15 Jackson-Milton on May 23. The Raiders would host the winner of No. 11 Rootstown and No. 18 New Middletown Springfield on May 28 in a district semifinal. No. 4 Hanoverton United awaits on the other side.
Durante is not only pleased with the possibility of two home games and a close district final, he also wants his players feeling comfortable.
“In the event that we’re fortunate to win a couple games, then you want to go to a place where these guys and your team have some sense of comfort in the venue that you’re going to,” Durante said. “(A long) bus ride is totally different than anything we’ve done all year. Trying to keep something consistent is the key in the most inconsistent sports season there is.”
The Morning Journal coverage area has several high-seeded teams that made similar decisions.
In Division II, top-seeded Amherst would also play its district final at Tri-C. The Comets host No. 27 John Adams in a district semi and would take on the winner of No. 14 Wadsworth and No. 17 Riverside in the district final.
The same can be said for Keystone. The No. 2 seed in Division V has a bye into a district semifinal and would play its district final at Mentor. The Wildcats will face the winner of No. 13 Lakeview and No. 18 Crestwood on May 28.
In Keystone’s case, like every other team in D-V, the goal was avoiding No. 1 Waynedale.
“Unlike the last few years, we didn’t have to put a lot of thought into where we wanted to go being the No. 2 seed,” Keystone coach Bert Fitzgerald said. “There were two byes open and we figured that Waynedale would come to their place at (Thurman) Munson (in Canton) and then everyone would pick away from them, which is basically what happened. We took the closest bye to us if we win our home game, which is Mentor.”
One team that took a different route was North Ridgeville. The Rangers are the No. 2 seed in Division II and would play their district final in Jefferson, an 80-mile drive.
Of seven Northeast districts, this was the only one with five teams in it. The move worked out for North Ridgeville coach Matt Ponting and his team, as they’ve already played three of the other four teams.
The Rangers host the winner of No. 23 North Olmsted and No. 24 Shaker Heights in a district semi. They would either play No. 12 Green or get a rematch with No. 18 Avon in the final.
“We are happy with our draw,” Ponting said. “We have played three of the four teams in our bracket. … Sometimes, it’s good to play a team again, and sometimes it isn’t. That’s baseball, making adjustments from game to game.”
Columbia’s Jose Rivera delivers a hit to left against Wellington on April 14. (Randy Meyers – For The Morning Journal)