ARCHBOLD, Ohio — Summer is coming to a close and so too the ACME Baseball season. The Junior State Tournament is set to begin on July 8 in Archbold.
And wouldn't you know, the team who calls Memorial Park home is among the field battling for this year's title.
"Feels great," infielder Ethan Bowman said. "This is a great team accomplishment."
With a streak of nine victories in a row, the Blue Streaks now sit on the doorstep of history.
"Dedication. A lot of these kids, they just love baseball," head coach Kevin Mignin said. "They want to be here and win, it shows."
Having only lost once all summer and heading into the tournament with a 16-1 record, the Archbold Jr. ACME team believes they possess the tools to win it all.
"We have a lot of brotherhood, we're really close and we pray before every game," catcher Jason Grime said. "We value the team, we value each other and we pick each other up when we're down."
Monday night at 7:30 p.m. they'll face off against Ottawa-Glandorf in the second of two semifinals. The program will have the benefit of playing on the comforts of their own field.
"It adds pressure, but it also makes us want to succeed because you have all those people here," Grime said. 'You want them to come for a reason and give them a good result."
The last state championship this group has won was in 2018. Archbold also claimed 1st place in 2015.
The path to reach the Final Four included having to beat themselves, as the program fielded two teams this summer.
Archbold Jr. ACME Team 1 defeated Archbold Jr. ACME Team 2 by the final of 8-5 in Regional Semifinals, before eliminating Bryan to clinch State berth.
"It was a fun game, Archbold against Archbold," Bowman said. "It was neat but also had to pull through that in order to get here. We do have some bragging rights, yeah."
Grit has been the Blue Streaks calling card all season long which has proven successful.
"Feels like we get everybody's best pitcher each game and they got to battle that out every time," Mignin said. "You know they get down and get back."
There's also representing the ACME organization itself.
Founded in 1960, with help from Lou Brunswick — the father of Archbold varsity head coach Jeff Brunswick — this northwest Ohio staple continues to be a special option for high school athletes in the summer.
"ACME is different because you play all those teams and it gives you a good look for next year," Grime said. "What pitchers you're going to see, how to approach and how to approach the whole team aspect too."
Archbold's only loss of the season came at the hands of Defiance, 4-3, on June 11. The Bulldogs will also be featured in the State Tournament as they'll take on Coldwater at 5 p.m.
The 2024 Jr. ACME State Championship is scheduled for July 9 at 6 p.m. inside Archbold's Memorial Park. The ACME State Tournament will be held in Coldwater July 13-15 and contain an 8-team bracket.
Twenty-eight high school programs participated in Jr. ACME this season, including 58 at the ACME level.
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