The Lancaster High School baseball team remains in first going into tournament play after a hard-fought win against Canal Winchester. The seniors wrap up their final season with immense satisfaction and memories that will last a lifetime. Head coach Corey Conn said that the seniors are leaving behind high stakes to fill with their outstanding leadership.

“These guys are awesome. They can joke, be serious, and the biggest plus of all is they get work done. They show up each day with a great attitude and get after it. Their leadership is outstanding, and each one of them embraced this role perfectly,” said Conn.

A few senior athletes highlighted some of the highlights of the season as well as their own personal accomplishments in this last season of their high school athletic career.

“We’ve had plenty of big wins this year, notably beating Pick Central at home, and beating Canal in extra innings at their place,” said Zach Mowder.

Senior Darren Ramsey said one of the things he is proud of is his ability to pitch.

“The highlight of my senior season so far is pitching. I think that is my strong suit in the sport. Every time I step foot on the mound, my mindset is to dominate,” said Ramsey.

Senior Aaron Banna said he’s enjoyed the moments with his teammates.

“I’ve had lots of fun playing with a great group of guys day in and day out and getting to bond with them over the last six months. I’ve loved every minute of the season with them,” he said.

Coach Conn said the team experienced some struggles that they couldn’t avoid.

“Our biggest challenge this year has been our depth. We are not a super deep team. We have also faced a lot of last-minute cancellations and weather-related issues. Nothing that is in our control, but factors we must face,” said Conn.

Rasmey said his personal struggle this season was his mindset on the mound facing good teams.

“The biggest challenge for me is facing really good hitting from other teams. I go into games expecting to strike everyone out, but I can’t do that. I need to just throw strikes, rely on and trust that my defense has my back,” he said.

LHS senior Aaron Banna said one difficulty faced by the team was staying steady when at bat.

“The most challenging thing so far is staying consistent with our hitting. We can hit the ball and hit it very well, but we need to learn how to adjust better to new pitchers in different games,” said Banna.

As the seniors finished up their final season, a few shared what they will miss most about their LHS baseball career.

“I will miss this program. Seeing your boys every day. No matter how you’re feeling on a certain day, you know they will always make it better, as well as playing your heart out for them on and off the field,” said Ramsey.

“I will miss all of the bonds I made with my teammates as well as the time we spent together on and off the field,” said Mowder.

The future is bright for this group of seniors. Zach Mowder is attending Denison University to continue his academic and baseball career. Darren Ramsey has committed to Otterbein University to play baseball. Aaron Banna plans to become a Columbus firefighter.

Ramsey said being a senior comes with being the leader.

“To make the underclassmen look up to you is all about building trust and relationships early. You have to be respectful towards them. The more advice and help you give them, the more they will look up to you. For me, I always try to make everyone laugh and make them feel comfortable to be around,” he said.