Switch flipped: Clear Fork dumping regular-season events for fresh start in postseason play

BELLVILLE — Kaleb Hollar is well aware of the expectations in The Valley come tournament time.

The Clear Fork baseball senior has grown up watching past teams make tournament run after tournament run and, now, he wants it to be his turn to add to the Colts' postseason legacy.

So far, so good.

The Colts picked up a 21-0 win over Mansfield Senior in the Division II sectional semifinals to earn win No. 1 in tournament play on Wednesday. But if you would have told Hollar and his teammates back on May 4 that they were going to have a chance to make a nice run in the tournament, they would have called you crazy.

That was when the Colts lost 1-0 to Shelby in an absolute gem of a pitching duel. That was also the day the Colts started to skid, losing seven consecutive games in seven days.

"We had a couple of weeks where we were not playing good baseball at all," Hollar said. "We knew that the league title was out of the picture so our focus turned to making a run. Clear Fork has a history of legendary tournament runs, and we have that potential. We are starting to hit the ball finally."

It is that switch in mentality that helped the Colts put the struggles behind them. They earned an 8-1 win over Ontario before falling 13-12 to Northmore to round out the regular season.

"I don't know if the kids had a lot of pressure on them during the regular season but we could feel a bit of tension," Clear Fork coach Joe Staab said. "The bottom line is we told them we have a senior-heavy team, and with the weeks dwindling down it was coming down to the final couple of weeks and we gave them a bit of a gut check. We questioned them about how bad they wanted it and how bad they wanted to be successful.

"We needed to just go back to doing things the right way because we got away from doing things the way Clear Fork baseball has played in the past. Last week, we felt that page turn and we are starting to play better baseball."

That was evident Wednesday when the Colts scored 13 runs in the bottom of the first inning to end any doubt if they were ready for the postseason. It also released any and all pressure they felt coming into tournament play as they could relax a bit and have some fun with a 13-0 lead less than six outs into the game.

"It felt great because it just took a lot of the pressure off," Hollar said. "We hit the ball well because we were going up relaxed. All year pitching has carried us, so for us to hit the ball the way we did felt great and, hopefully, we can carry that into Friday."

Friday is when the Colts travel to Shelby at 5 p.m. for a sectional championship game. Clear Fork lost twice (1-0 and 12-2) to Shelby during the regular season.

But this time is different — there is no tomorrow if they don't win this time around.

"Hopefully, at this point, everyone is buying into you win and advance or lose and go home mentality," Staab said. "No matter what their roles are, it is important whether it be to be a great teammate in the dugout or be a starter on the field. Doing what it takes to win is all that matters. When the year is over, it will sting and hurt and all we want to do is keep playing baseball together."

The Colts make a habit of making improbable tournament runs. In 2019, the Colts rode momentum all the way to the district championship game before falling 3-2 to Lima Shawnee on a walk-off. That run included an 8-4 win over Celina to get them there.

Staab is no stranger to the expectations after playing on the 2010 Division III state championship team as the starting second baseman. He knows the switch has to flip in the postseason.

"It is a different energy come this time of the year, and the boys know that there is a standard for Clear Fork baseball," Staab said. "It isn't necessarily to win championships, but it is about going out and competing and playing baseball hard and the right way. Winning is a byproduct of that. Come tournament time, there is a different energy and it is a different season. We will put the best lineup out there to go win and that will be our focus."

Now, Staab's starting second baseman, Hollar, is in charge of being a leader and making sure those expectations are met, all while making sure his senior class leaves its own mark. He understands the expectations and the history the Colts have in the postseason.

"We don't dwell on it too much to the point we expect it, but it is important to understand that we have a tradition here and it is up to us to keep that tradition going," Hollar said. "The seniors want to graduate with the accomplishment of keeping that tradition alive."

Clear Fork racked up 19 hits and scored 21 runs in the tournament opener. Jay Jackson and Ty Sellers had four hits apiece while Hollard, David Ballinger, Aaron Brown and Kaden Riddle each had two hits and Luke Schlosser, Jared Scott and Kasey Swank had one apiece. Hollar finished with four RBIs while Sellers had three, Jackson, Ballinger and Brown two apiece and Schlosser and Riddle one each.

Riddle allowed just two hits and struck out seven in four innings.

Clear Fork (13-11) enjoyed the perfect start to its second season as it continues to try to live up to the expectations in the Valley.

jfurr@gannett.com

740-244-9934

Twitter: @JakeFurr11

This article originally appeared on Mansfield News Journal: Clear Fork will play at 5 p.m. Friday at Shelby for a sectional title