Cornerstone Seniors enjoyed a victory lap, of sorts

Aug. 12—Call it one last hurrah; a return to the roots of the game.

Not that the Columbus Cornerstone Insurance Group Seniors were about to take the summer lightly, but for the last months ever together in the dugout and on the diamond there was more about the game than simply winning and losing.

With the pressure to make a state tournament at some point in their careers off their shoulders, Cornerstone players, who've always enjoyed each other's company regardless of the results, did even more so in May, June and July.

As the most accomplished group of baseball players, likely in Columbus history, they deserved at least that. But maybe it was that connection all along that made them so successful all these years.

"Let's enjoy it while were here," coach Cody Schilling said. "It doesn't always have to be intensity all the time. Let's have some fun while we're there. ...And these guys have always understood that. They like to win, but they like to have fun. Whether it's practice or a game, it's not all work, work, work. They really enjoy each other."

Cornerstone was 20-13 over the course of the summer, won the Omaha South Tourney in early June and went 10-2 overall in tournament action.

After a 2-4 start the team won eight of the next 10 and never slipped under .500 the rest of the way.

In league play, Columbus split with every team other than a sweep over South Sioux City and a doubleheader loss to Gretna. In the Area Tournament, Columbus went 2-2, alternating wins and losses before being eliminated by Fremont in the semifinals.

Fremont and Gretna, the two teams that handed Columbus losses at the Area Tournament, won the National and American Division Legion state titles a week later.

Cornerstone was led by Colin Flyr at the plate with a .394 average, Kaden Young was tops with 32 RBIs, Trey Kobza reached base at a .465 clip and Flyr had 17 extra-base hits and a 1.073 OPS.

On the mound, Flyr, Brent Beard, Conner Rausch, Ryan Eickhoff and Trevor Schumacher each won two games. Schumacher had a 2.45 ERA and held hitters to a .197 average over 20 innings, and Jurisky Rivera struck out 51.

Caleb Van Dyke, who hit a walk-off home run in a win over South Sioux City, had a summer to remember in his final year. The third baseman hit .352 with eight RBIS, 22 runs scored and 31 hits. He hit .065 and had just two hits last summer.

Rivera, who missed the spring season, had Schilling taking his phone out and recording his pitches the first day of practice because he had never seen the left-handed Cuban throw before.

With so many players that have been regular playmakers for years, that duo added another dimension to the mix and generated even more good times.

Rivera will be back next year, as will pitcher Ryan Eickhoff, Cody Zrust, Shon Brockhaus and Schumacher. Close to 10 move up from the Juniors and will add more depth in pitching and give Schilling more options at the plate.

But while the future is bright, the summer was about appreciating the moment rather than looking too far ahead.

"They know they've done quite a bit. I love them all to death. Some of those guys I've been coaching since they were 14, 15," Schilling said. "When someone like Brent Beard is going to walk out of your program and walk out of your life, you have to step back and acknowledge what he's achieved. Him and guys like Kaden Young and Evan Bock and Trey Kobza; it's bittersweet."

Columbus was looking for two state tournaments in a row after ending a 68-year drought in the varsity spring season, but it was a year everyone can be satisfied with short of playing at state.

Most importantly, it was a chance for nine members to do it all together one last time.

"I watched (Junior Blues coach Jimmy Johnson's) team a little bit this summer, and I think next year's practices might be a little quieter. There's some guys that are going to be difficult to replace baseballwise and personally," Schilling said. "There's a lot of good guys coming up. We can move forward knowing that Columbus baseball is in a good place."

Nate Tenopir is the sports editor of The Columbus Telegram. Reach him via email at sports@columbustelegram.com.

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