The 1996 Shoremen baseball team closed out their exceptional season with a 17-8 record and a trip to their first ever state semifinal appearance. The Shoremen started out strong with wins over Lorain Catholic, Firelands, North Ridgeville, and Fairview. After a midseason losing streak, the team recovered by beating Westlake twice. With these wins, the Shoremen secured a tie for third place in the SWC.
The real story is not found in the regular season, but in the team’s exciting postseason winning streak. The Shoremen once again peaked at the right time and used their .337 team batting average and clutch pitching performances to advance in the playoffs. The team began with wins over Buckeye, Bay Village, and Benedictine in the Sectional Tournament and won their second consecutive sectional crown with a 4-1 victory over Padua. The Shoremen then traveled to Genoa and came away with a 4-1 victory over Bellevue in the Regional Semifinals. This victory set the stage as the Shoremen shocked the second ranked team in the state, Columbus Watterson, with a 7-1 victory to capture their first ever Regional Championship. This surprising win led the team to the State Semifinals at Canton’s Thurman Munson Stadium. Avon Lake’s Cinderella season was finally put to an end by the eventual state champions, Hamilton Badin, in a tough loss of 3-1.
Leading the Shoremen this year were three seniors: Matt Schroeder, Jeremy Griffiths, and Brian Nealon. They led the postseason parade as Griffiths was selected to First Team All-State and All-Conference. Schroeder was joined on the All-Conference First Team by junior Kyle Donato. Brian Nealon was joined on the Second Team All-Conference by Frank Balogh. Matt Schroeder and Coach Cliff Zunis were honored as Lorain County Player and Coach of the Year. Team honors went to Schroeder, Offensive MVP and Scholar Athlete; Nealon and Balogh, Defensive co-MVPs; Kevin May and Dustin Koch, Coach’s Award. The MVP Award when to both Matt Schroeder and Jeremy Griffiths for their superb hitting, pitching, and leadership accomplishments.

The Record
Avon Lake Avon Lake Avon Lake Avon Lake Avon Lake Avon Lake Avon Lake Avon Lake Avon Lake Avon Lake Avon Lake Avon Lake Avon Lake Avon Lake Avon Lake Avon Lake Avon Lake Avon Lake Avon Lake Avon Lake Avon Lake Avon Lake Avon Lake Avon Lake Avon Lake		8 12 13 4 1 9 0 0 10 3 8 9 2 5 10 14 14 7 9 14 15 15 4 7 1		Lorain Catholic Firelands N. Ridgeville Fairview Admiral King Amherst Bay Amherst Olmsted Falls Bay Westlake Rocky River N. Olmsted N. Olmsted Olmsted Falls Fairview Rocky River Westlake Buckeye Bay Benedictine Padua Franciscan Bellevue Columbus Watterson Hamilton Badin	0 6 0 1 6 12 2 3 4 5 1 6 5 6 3 17 1 6 1 1 8 1 1 1 3