MIDDLETOWN — In the midst of a historic run through the IHSAA 2A state tournament by Shenandoah baseball, one player has persevered through an unexpected tragedy.
The night before the Raiders’ sectional championship matchup against Hagerstown, senior catcher Ashton Renz hosted an open house to celebrate his graduation with family, friends, teammates and coaches. Later that same night, Renz and his family were forced to evacuate their home as it was destroyed by a fire.
“It was probably 10, 10:15 at night, and I had just laid down for bed,” Renz recalled. “It was me, my mom, my brother and my stepdad that were home. My brother was the first one to see and he kind of just let everyone know, and we just evacuated the house the best we could.”
Fortunately, everyone got out safely, but the Renz family’s home was lost. With a sectional championship game less than 24 hours away, the entire team found itself shaken by the news. Renz missed the team’s practice that morning, and the morale was off as everyone grappled with what had happened.
But on that evening ― Monday, June 2 ― Renz showed up ready to play for a sectional championship despite not sleeping a wink the night before. His resolve has inspired the team and the Middletown community throughout the Raiders’ postseason run.
‘Destined to win that game’
Renz could tell as soon as he showed up to that game against Hagerstown that something was in the air. He could feel a special moment was brewing.
His suspicions were quickly confirmed when Drew Fredenburg and Collin Osenbaugh both blasted solo home runs in Shenandoah’s first two at-bats, giving the Raiders a quick lead that they never relinquished en route to a 6-2 win.
Perhaps the most special moment, though, came in the top of the third when Renz delivered a throw to second baseman Aiden Coffey to catch a man stealing. Renz, usually a quiet and humble presence behind the plate, got animated after making the play — as did the rest of his teammates who knew that it was more than just a great play.
“The moment that happened, I knew what that meant to him,” Shenandoah coach Ryan Painter said. “I think for the players on our team to rally around him, as soon as he did that, it just kind of felt like we were destined to win that game, and not only for Ashton but for everybody else too. There’s definitely some added motivation when somebody in our team goes like that and we as a group rally behind him to get the job done.
“I couldn’t have been any prouder of how Ashton handled that moment.”
‘Playing for something a little more’
Osenbaugh has a deep bond with Renz, not only through their pitcher-catcher dynamic but also through a friendship that dates back to elementary school. As soon as Osenbaugh heard what had happened that Sunday night, he texted Renz words of support and has been there for his friend every step of the way since the fire.
“I’ve been really tight friends with Ashton since second, third grade, and our families have been friends since then,” Osenbaugh said. “Obviously, what happened broke my heart, but having him behind the plate, I wouldn’t want anyone else. Our chemistry is unreal, every pitch he calls, you don’t see me shaking off any calls in the game because he can read my mind when it comes to pitch calls.”
The Raiders loved the turnout at community night! We all got to interact with many youth baseball and softball players. It was so awesome seeing everyone… All 100 posters were signed and given out! pic.twitter.com/5KycgNv7BN
— Shenandoah Baseball (@DoahBaseball) June 11, 2025
As Shenandoah has kept its season alive through the regional round, Renz has felt the love and support, not just from Osenbaugh and the rest of his Raider teammates but from the entire Middletown community.
“Watching the crowd and everybody around, it made me realize we were playing for something a little more,” Renz said. “It couldn’t be more cool seeing the community members and everybody rally around the team. (Tuesday), we had a community night down at the local park that was really special.”
‘Moments over milestones’
Not only did Shenandoah end a 19-year sectional drought with its win over Hagerstown, but the Raiders followed it up with a 4-2 win over Triton Central at regionals on Saturday, June 7, winning their first regional championship in 38 years. A win at semi-state would mark the furthest Shenandoah has ever gone in the state tournament, and a second win would clinch the first state championship berth in school history.
For Renz, however, the focus is on “moments over milestones.” On Friday, May 23, Renz gave a graduation speech as Shenandoah’s valedictorian for the Class of 2025, and that sentiment was key to the message he shared with his classmates.
“Kind of the tagline throughout my speech was moments over milestones,” Renz said. “In the context of the school setting, for me that meant spending time with your classmates and those around you rather than chasing the big accomplishments like material things. I also expressed the importance of family and relationships in your life.
“Obviously, it’s hard losing what we did, but the fact that everyone’s OK, we still have my family and a loving community behind us, it makes the message hit home a little more.”
Keeping this historic run going won’t be an easy task. Shenandoah will head to the University of Evansville to take on Evansville Mater Dei — the No. 3-ranked team in Class 2A by the Indiana High School Baseball Coaches Association’s final poll. Although they face another long road trip and a clear disparity in proximity to the semi-state site, the No. 7-ranked Raiders aren’t looking to change anything about their approach.
In fact, Renz’s “moments over milestones” philosophy seems to have rubbed off on his head coach.
“To be honest, we really don’t want them to change their mentality or their mindset or their approach at all,” Painter said. “I kind of see that as an advantage for us that we travel to Madison Consolidated last week for the regional. I don’t have any concerns about our travel, and I actually think it’s a really cool opportunity for us to play this semi-state at the University of Evansville. I mean, the facility is outstanding.
“Above all else, this is high school sports. We’re making some really cool memories together, and I think there are things that these kids will carry with them for a lifetime.”
Contact Cade Hampton via email at cbhampton@muncie.gannett.com or on X, formerly known as Twitter, @CadeHamp10.