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Fort Recovery seniors Troy Homan (11), Sage Wendel (14) and Gavin Faller (27) were batboys when the Indians reached the state semifinals in 2015 and 2016. Now the threee are key players as the Indians return to the Division IV state semifinal on Saturday in Akron.
The last time the Fort Recovery baseball team played in the state tournament in 2016, most of the players on the current squad were either in the stands at Columbus' Huntington Park or listening at home.
But for seniors Troy Homan, Gavin Faller and Sage Wendel, they had a first-hand experience with the team as batboys.
The three now get their chance to play in the state tournament Saturday at Canal Park in Akron in the Division IV semifinal against Jeromesville Hillsdale. Assistant coach Ben Will is also a link between the two eras, having started in right field in the 2015 state semifinal.
For Troy, the 2015 and 2016 trips were a chance to see his older brothers play in the state semifinals Will Homan appeared as a pinch-runner in 2015 and started in centerfield in 2016, while Ross started in right field and played third base in the 2016 semifinal.
"To be able to share a memory with them, it's amazing to do something they did," said Homan, the center fielder and relief pitcher for the 2024 Indians. "It was crazy. (Huntington Park) was amazing. If you're a young kid there, it feels like you're on the Reds field. I think it's more special as a player because you're older and more mature. To take the moment in when you take the field and see the whole community out there, it means so much."
Fort Recovery seniors Sage Wendel (14), Gavin Faller (27) and Troy Homan (11) were batboys when the Indians reached the state semifinals in 2015 and 2016. Now the threee are key players as the Indians return to the Division IV state semifinal on Saturday in Akron.
Wendel, who had cousins Cole and Cade Wendel that played in the 2015 and 2016 games, also relishes getting his chance to play.
"It was amazing to say I was part of (the 2015 and 2016) teams just being a bat boy," said Wendel, who starts at second base. "Seeing them have so much fun and doing so good, it made me think it would so cool if I could do it. Here we are now, and we did it."
Fort Recovery seniors Gavin Faller (27), Troy Homan (11) and Sage Wendel (14) were batboys when the Indians reached the state semifinals in 2015 and 2016. Now the threee are key players as the Indians return to the Division IV state semifinal on Saturday in Akron.
For Faller, the trip to Columbus was very much a motivation for his play today.
"Going with them was definitely a cool experience to look up to being a kid," said the Indians first baseman. "I remember they had those energy guys in the dugout and I wanted to be one of those one day. They could get anyone fired up for the game. It was a blast."
The run to state is more memorable with the run the team has made after going 9-11 in regular season games, rattling off six tournament wins to enter Saturday at 15-12.
"(The regular season) was tough, but we all stuck together," said Faller. "We were as a team hanging out on weeknights and figuring stuff out. We played Waynesfield-Goshen (in the first game of the tournament) and we were like this could be the last time we put a uniform on. From there, it kind of clicked. All the underclassmen bought in."
"The seven seniors (Homan, Wendel, Faller, Alex Dues, Riggs Tobe, Rex Leverette and Reece Evers) realized this was our last moment with Fort Recovery. We looked at each other and came up with the motto 'Why not us?' " said Homan. " 'Why can't we be that team to get out of district and be that team from the area to go to state?' "
The big moment came when Fort Recovery came from behind to beat Parkway in the district semifinal at Coldwater.
"After the Parkway game, we knew 'Okay, we're here. We can hit the ball. We just came back,' " said Wendel. "We thought we could beat anyone the way we're playing."
This week has been a flurry of excitement in the Fort Recovery community, although the players are working hard to treat it as just another game.
"We're going into it as just another game," said Homan. "But we're excited. It's kind of dragged by. We're just ready to get to Saturday and get on the field in front of all the fans and have a lot of fun."
"The community's got our back," said Faller. "I heard a lot of people congratulating us. We've gone to watch the little kids play because they all plan on coming up to Akron this weekend. It's been a fun week and a long time. The community is definitely behind us and we've had tons of support from other (MAC) schools."
So on Saturday, the Indians will take the field in Akron, it will be as players.
"Definitely will be anxious and nervous," said Wendel. "I just hope I can take it in, realize where I'm at and be able to calm down by game time."
Hopefully, much like they did back then, the current batboys and youngsters in the stands will share the dream.
"I hope the kids in the stands in the stands will feel the same way (we did) and try as hard as we did to get here," said Wendel.
