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FRANKLIN — Jackson Kauffman spent years imagining what this moment would feel like.
The Fenwick High School senior grew up watching his older brother play baseball for the Falcons. He played youth baseball with many of the same teammates who now surround him in the dugout. Along the way, one goal remained constant.
Play baseball in June.
That dream has become reality.
Fenwick will face Fairfield Union at 1 p.m. Saturday at 7 17 Credit Union Park in Akron in the Division IV state semifinals, marking the program’s first state tournament appearance since 1982.
“It’s been unreal,” Kauffman said. “It’s something I’ve been looking forward to since I was growing up and watching my brother play here. It’s been a lifelong dream of mine. Just the opportunity to be here has been amazing and surreal right now.”
The Falcons (22-8) have won 13 of their last 15 games and enter the weekend riding a six-game winning streak. Their postseason journey has included a comeback victory over Urbana in the district championship game, a dominant 16-6 win over defending Division III state champion Licking Valley in the regional semifinals and a dramatic 5-4 walk-off victory over Roger Bacon in the regional championship game.
Fenwick’s offense has been one of the driving forces behind the run. The Falcons have scored 205 runs while collecting 226 hits and 181 RBIs this season.
Kauffman has helped lead the charge. The senior enters the state tournament batting .393 with 33 hits, 12 doubles, 25 RBIs, 28 runs scored and a .491 on-base percentage. Sophomore Carter Shouse has added a team-high 29 runs, five home runs and 21 RBIs, while junior Isaac Barker is batting .404 with 21 hits, 20 RBIs and a team-best .560 on-base percentage.
Several postseason victories have tested the nerves of Fenwick’s supporters.
“Our parents are going crazy when we get to the seventh inning,” Kauffman said with a smile. “But it’s really just the confidence and brotherhood that we have. Every time we know one of us is going to step up.
“We’re pretty confident in every part of our lineup. At any point if we’re in a bad spot, it’s positivity from all of us. We’ve got confidence in each and every one of us. It’s our brotherhood.”
That brotherhood has helped carry the Falcons to a place no Fenwick baseball team has reached in more than four decades.
First-year coach helped unlock team’s potential
The road to Akron began before the season even started.
Doc Wieland accepted the head coaching position last summer knowing the Falcons possessed talent. Fenwick had reached the regional semifinals in 2025 and returned a veteran nucleus capable of making another deep tournament run.
Results did not come immediately.
The Falcons opened 5-4 and later sat at 9-6.
“At the beginning of the year, I wouldn’t say we were player-led,” Wieland said. “There were some adjustment periods with them getting used to our coaching staff and the things we wanted to build and the culture.”
The losses never caused panic inside the program.
“Competing in the state finals was definitely our biggest goal,” Kauffman said. “Last year we lost in the regional semis and that was heartbreaking for all of us.
“Coach Doc would always tell us losing is just an opportunity to build. We had a bigger goal in mind. Those games weren’t going to harm us. We had to learn from them.”
Wieland credits the team’s senior leaders for helping transform the Falcons throughout the season.
“The best teams are player-led,” Wieland said. “As the season went on, I’d love to give them their freedom because they’ve earned it.”
The Falcons developed into one of the most balanced teams in southwest Ohio.
Shouse emerged as one of the state’s most dominant pitchers, compiling a 5-3 record with a 1.10 ERA, a 0.94 WHIP and 90 strikeouts in 44⅔ innings. Junior Anthony Snyder added a 4-1 record with a 2.40 ERA and 43 strikeouts, while senior Caleb McMonigle contributed three wins and 57 strikeouts in 32⅓ innings.
Fenwick’s pitching staff owns a 2.62 team ERA and has recorded 277 strikeouts in 187 innings.
The lineup has been equally balanced. Senior Jude McCullough has driven in 21 runs, Barker has produced 20 RBIs, Boyd Westerfield has added 19 RBIs and Ty Miller has contributed 17 RBIs.
Statistics tell only part of the story.
Fenwick’s defining quality has been its resilience.
The Falcons rallied from an early deficit against Urbana and later responded to pressure-filled situations against Roger Bacon. Their offensive explosion against Licking Valley showcased another dimension.
“That happened to us three times in a row,” Wieland said of his team’s postseason responses. “That’s directly related to our leadership and how our team is now player-led.”
The growth of that leadership exceeded even his expectations.
“I knew our senior leadership was good,” Wieland said. “As good as I thought it was going to be, our senior leadership has been that much better.”
Falcons focused on making history, not just reaching it
The significance of Fenwick’s return to the state tournament is not lost on anyone inside the program.
A 44-year drought is difficult to ignore.
“It baffled me to know that it was 1982,” Wieland said.
The veteran coach saw the potential for something special when he interviewed for the position.
“I knew the pieces that were in place,” Wieland said. “I knew I came here to win a state championship because of the players that were in place.”
The Falcons have already secured a place in school history.
But nobody inside the program is satisfied.
“Our goal wasn’t to get to the state Final Four,” Wieland said. “Our goal was to win the state championship.”
Kauffman said that goal has united this senior class since childhood.
“I want to win it all,” he said. “Speaking for every senior, we’ve talked about it. We all grew up together playing baseball. One of our main things was when we decided we were going to go to Fenwick, we wanted to win state.”
The Falcons believe they possess the pieces to finish the journey. Their lineup has produced a .303 team batting average and a .420 on-base percentage while stealing 65 bases. On the mound, Fenwick has thrown three shutouts and allowed just 69 earned runs all season.
A state championship would represent the culmination of years spent playing together, overcoming setbacks and building a program capable of competing on Ohio’s biggest stage.
“We want to be remembered,” Kauffman said. “I think we already have, but we want to take it to the next level. We want to win state and put a banner in our gym.
“It would mean the world to each and every one of us. We’ve worked so hard,” Kauffman added. “A lot of stuff has happened inside the team, but we’ve always had each other’s backs. We’ve always had our coaches’ backs. It would just show how great this team has been.
“It’s a tangible sign of what this team has meant to our school.”
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The Fenwick High School senior grew up watching his older brother play baseball for the Falcons. He played youth baseball with many of the same teammates who now surround him in the dugout. Along the way, one goal remained constant.
Play baseball in June.
That dream has become reality.
Fenwick will face Fairfield Union at 1 p.m. Saturday at 7 17 Credit Union Park in Akron in the Division IV state semifinals, marking the program’s first state tournament appearance since 1982.
“It’s been unreal,” Kauffman said. “It’s something I’ve been looking forward to since I was growing up and watching my brother play here. It’s been a lifelong dream of mine. Just the opportunity to be here has been amazing and surreal right now.”
The Falcons (22-8) have won 13 of their last 15 games and enter the weekend riding a six-game winning streak. Their postseason journey has included a comeback victory over Urbana in the district championship game, a dominant 16-6 win over defending Division III state champion Licking Valley in the regional semifinals and a dramatic 5-4 walk-off victory over Roger Bacon in the regional championship game.
Fenwick’s offense has been one of the driving forces behind the run. The Falcons have scored 205 runs while collecting 226 hits and 181 RBIs this season.
Kauffman has helped lead the charge. The senior enters the state tournament batting .393 with 33 hits, 12 doubles, 25 RBIs, 28 runs scored and a .491 on-base percentage. Sophomore Carter Shouse has added a team-high 29 runs, five home runs and 21 RBIs, while junior Isaac Barker is batting .404 with 21 hits, 20 RBIs and a team-best .560 on-base percentage.
Several postseason victories have tested the nerves of Fenwick’s supporters.
“Our parents are going crazy when we get to the seventh inning,” Kauffman said with a smile. “But it’s really just the confidence and brotherhood that we have. Every time we know one of us is going to step up.
“We’re pretty confident in every part of our lineup. At any point if we’re in a bad spot, it’s positivity from all of us. We’ve got confidence in each and every one of us. It’s our brotherhood.”
That brotherhood has helped carry the Falcons to a place no Fenwick baseball team has reached in more than four decades.
First-year coach helped unlock team’s potential
The road to Akron began before the season even started.
Doc Wieland accepted the head coaching position last summer knowing the Falcons possessed talent. Fenwick had reached the regional semifinals in 2025 and returned a veteran nucleus capable of making another deep tournament run.
Results did not come immediately.
The Falcons opened 5-4 and later sat at 9-6.
“At the beginning of the year, I wouldn’t say we were player-led,” Wieland said. “There were some adjustment periods with them getting used to our coaching staff and the things we wanted to build and the culture.”
The losses never caused panic inside the program.
“Competing in the state finals was definitely our biggest goal,” Kauffman said. “Last year we lost in the regional semis and that was heartbreaking for all of us.
“Coach Doc would always tell us losing is just an opportunity to build. We had a bigger goal in mind. Those games weren’t going to harm us. We had to learn from them.”
Wieland credits the team’s senior leaders for helping transform the Falcons throughout the season.
“The best teams are player-led,” Wieland said. “As the season went on, I’d love to give them their freedom because they’ve earned it.”
The Falcons developed into one of the most balanced teams in southwest Ohio.
Shouse emerged as one of the state’s most dominant pitchers, compiling a 5-3 record with a 1.10 ERA, a 0.94 WHIP and 90 strikeouts in 44⅔ innings. Junior Anthony Snyder added a 4-1 record with a 2.40 ERA and 43 strikeouts, while senior Caleb McMonigle contributed three wins and 57 strikeouts in 32⅓ innings.
Fenwick’s pitching staff owns a 2.62 team ERA and has recorded 277 strikeouts in 187 innings.
The lineup has been equally balanced. Senior Jude McCullough has driven in 21 runs, Barker has produced 20 RBIs, Boyd Westerfield has added 19 RBIs and Ty Miller has contributed 17 RBIs.
Statistics tell only part of the story.
Fenwick’s defining quality has been its resilience.
The Falcons rallied from an early deficit against Urbana and later responded to pressure-filled situations against Roger Bacon. Their offensive explosion against Licking Valley showcased another dimension.
“That happened to us three times in a row,” Wieland said of his team’s postseason responses. “That’s directly related to our leadership and how our team is now player-led.”
The growth of that leadership exceeded even his expectations.
“I knew our senior leadership was good,” Wieland said. “As good as I thought it was going to be, our senior leadership has been that much better.”
Falcons focused on making history, not just reaching it
The significance of Fenwick’s return to the state tournament is not lost on anyone inside the program.
A 44-year drought is difficult to ignore.
“It baffled me to know that it was 1982,” Wieland said.
The veteran coach saw the potential for something special when he interviewed for the position.
“I knew the pieces that were in place,” Wieland said. “I knew I came here to win a state championship because of the players that were in place.”
The Falcons have already secured a place in school history.
But nobody inside the program is satisfied.
“Our goal wasn’t to get to the state Final Four,” Wieland said. “Our goal was to win the state championship.”
Kauffman said that goal has united this senior class since childhood.
“I want to win it all,” he said. “Speaking for every senior, we’ve talked about it. We all grew up together playing baseball. One of our main things was when we decided we were going to go to Fenwick, we wanted to win state.”
The Falcons believe they possess the pieces to finish the journey. Their lineup has produced a .303 team batting average and a .420 on-base percentage while stealing 65 bases. On the mound, Fenwick has thrown three shutouts and allowed just 69 earned runs all season.
A state championship would represent the culmination of years spent playing together, overcoming setbacks and building a program capable of competing on Ohio’s biggest stage.
“We want to be remembered,” Kauffman said. “I think we already have, but we want to take it to the next level. We want to win state and put a banner in our gym.
“It would mean the world to each and every one of us. We’ve worked so hard,” Kauffman added. “A lot of stuff has happened inside the team, but we’ve always had each other’s backs. We’ve always had our coaches’ backs. It would just show how great this team has been.
“It’s a tangible sign of what this team has meant to our school.”
Continue reading...
