WOOD COUNTY, Ohio — There is a lot of terms in baseball to signify success, and given Owens Community College baseball team has done this season, success has certainly been achieved. 47-2 is their record and on Thursday afternoon, the Express captured their 3rd consecutive NJCAA Region XII Division III Tournament title.
"We really haven't talked about [wins] much," head coach John Parisho said. "This group of guys just love to play the game."
That simple frame of mind has led to a whole lot of success.
"We'll get five runs put up on us and we'll just look at each other and think 'we'll see you guys in the 5th inning,' sophomore pitcher Cameron Darrington said. "We're just a team that fights, we don't give up. I feel like all the guys have that desire to win."
At the end of the regular season, Owens racked up a program-record 44 wins, which included capturing their first Ohio Community College Athletic Conference championship since 2009.
"They've exceeded my expectations, simply because of their mentality," Parisho said. "Honestly it's the culture and what they've done for each other, they hold each other accountable."
The team's prosperity elevated the Express to be ranked No. 3 overall in the most recent NJCAA Division Three poll.
"I feel like us, personally, we've always had a target on our backs," Darrington, a Perrysburg High School alum, said. "So I feel like it's another day for us."
One of the best hitters on the team, Wilson Stopera, added the same sentiment.
"We know we're going to get everyone's best," Stopera, a shortstop, said. "So we just keep doing our jobs and not look at rankings. We play the same game against anyone we play and it works."
At the plate, it's all aboard the hitting train for this team that is batting .370 as a group and averaging more than 12 runs per game.
"Hit a lot of fastballs and get good pitches to hit. Guys are on base, so it puts a lot of pressure on the pitcher," Stopera, a Central Catholic High School alum, said. "It's always fun when you're winning, can't think of anything more fun than winning."
Despite the impressive mark so far, Owens remains focused on the future, not the past. Even so, last year's abrupt postseason end in the district tournament still provides fuel to make a deep tournament run this season.
"We know what happened last year, we're prepared now and ready for everything," Darrington said. "Every day, all of the pitchers and hitters are locked in. You show up and we'll all be in the weight room from 10 a.m. to close."
Owens currently awaits their next opponent for the Great Lakes District Tournament which will be held May 19-21.