Team chemistry key to Kaufman’s remarkable seven straight Class A titles
When you win seven titles in a row, no matter what the sport, there are certain things that must accompany it.
True talent is without question one of the keys. It also takes a certain amount of luck along the way. Some intelligence about the game, a drive to win, motivation and fundamentals all play a role.
But for Kaufman Realty’s Tuscarawas County Class A baseball team, the ability to reel off seven straight titles against some great competition has been as much about team chemistry as it has been the above.
After Kaufman dismissed Kapper Chiropractic’s hopes of stopping the streak at six with a highly unlikely 10-0 win in the title game on Wednesday, August 17 at Tuscora Park in New Philadelphia, the team took stock in the magnitude of what they had accomplished, but not until the players had taken a knee, as one, grateful not for a title, but for another enjoyable year in which no one had been injured, and friendships had continued to blossom.
“We’ve been really fortunate to be able to win that many games in a row, but I tell you, these guys are an amazing bunch of guys,” said Kaufman Realty coach Chuck Jarvis. “The best thing is, not only are they good and talented baseball players, they are young men who have a lot of character and they play together well. They don’t nitpick at each other and they are always so positive around each other.
“There might be a guy who gets down during a game but there are always guys willing to step up and rally around him and pick him back up. There are no conflicts. The cliche ‘team effort’ oftentimes gets overused, but what these guys have accomplished over the years has been just that.
“That kind of cohesiveness has probably contributed as much as anything to these wins over the years.”
One example of that is first baseman Ari Yoder. Yoder, now living in Columbus, continues to make it down south to play in games whenever he can. A powerful bat who hits fourth in the Kaufman lineup, Yoder was not present in Kapper’s 8-4 victory the night before the title game.
It took teammate Ross Yoder about 10 minutes after that game was over to call up his friend and tell him that his services were going to be needed for the finale.
“Ross called me and said, ‘We need you here buddy’,” said Yoder following the championship game. “I told him it didn’t look too good, but I was able to juggle some things around and make it here. We’ve been through a lot together as a team, and I wanted to do whatever I had to do to make it here for them.”
Jarvis said that he wanted to give Yoder the game ball just for making the effort to get there. He added that Yoder’s presence served as a real inspiration, since his slugging first baseman is a crucial component of the team’s chemistry.
“When the guys found out Ari was going to be here tonight, it just buoyed us,” said Jarvis. “All of a sudden we had an extra burst of adrenaline, and we were even more ready to go.”
Jarvis said that during the run, he has seen numerous examples of situations where the team could have gotten down, could have hung their heads, but instead rose to the challenge and responded in big ways.
So it was that he was not shocked to see his team come out on fire after getting beaten in the first championship game the night before. Nor did it surprise him that they didn’t let the fact that Kapper had beaten them four straight times this season bother them.
“These guys have found ways to win,” said Jarvis. “They don’t shrink away from big challenges. There are just a lot of great qualities about these guys that go beyond what happens on the field.”
Team owner Dave Kaufman addressed his players following the game, bringing a loud response after notifying his squad that their effort had earned an all-expense paid meal at Texas Road House.
A passionate baseball fan, Kaufman said that it has been a true joy to watch the team perform over the years, and that they will never take the championships for granted, whether it ends at seven or continues on.
“We’ve had some pretty special guys playing on this team over the years,” said Kaufman. “Guys like Josh Frank, who will go out and give you everything he has on the mound. Guys who have shown a lot of heart and drive. This has been such a great time coming to the games and watching them play.
“When you’ve got great people, it makes it that much more enjoyable to watch them win, because these guys deserve it.”
True talent is without question one of the keys. It also takes a certain amount of luck along the way. Some intelligence about the game, a drive to win, motivation and fundamentals all play a role.
But for Kaufman Realty’s Tuscarawas County Class A baseball team, the ability to reel off seven straight titles against some great competition has been as much about team chemistry as it has been the above.
After Kaufman dismissed Kapper Chiropractic’s hopes of stopping the streak at six with a highly unlikely 10-0 win in the title game on Wednesday, August 17 at Tuscora Park in New Philadelphia, the team took stock in the magnitude of what they had accomplished, but not until the players had taken a knee, as one, grateful not for a title, but for another enjoyable year in which no one had been injured, and friendships had continued to blossom.
“We’ve been really fortunate to be able to win that many games in a row, but I tell you, these guys are an amazing bunch of guys,” said Kaufman Realty coach Chuck Jarvis. “The best thing is, not only are they good and talented baseball players, they are young men who have a lot of character and they play together well. They don’t nitpick at each other and they are always so positive around each other.
“There might be a guy who gets down during a game but there are always guys willing to step up and rally around him and pick him back up. There are no conflicts. The cliche ‘team effort’ oftentimes gets overused, but what these guys have accomplished over the years has been just that.
“That kind of cohesiveness has probably contributed as much as anything to these wins over the years.”
One example of that is first baseman Ari Yoder. Yoder, now living in Columbus, continues to make it down south to play in games whenever he can. A powerful bat who hits fourth in the Kaufman lineup, Yoder was not present in Kapper’s 8-4 victory the night before the title game.
It took teammate Ross Yoder about 10 minutes after that game was over to call up his friend and tell him that his services were going to be needed for the finale.
“Ross called me and said, ‘We need you here buddy’,” said Yoder following the championship game. “I told him it didn’t look too good, but I was able to juggle some things around and make it here. We’ve been through a lot together as a team, and I wanted to do whatever I had to do to make it here for them.”
Jarvis said that he wanted to give Yoder the game ball just for making the effort to get there. He added that Yoder’s presence served as a real inspiration, since his slugging first baseman is a crucial component of the team’s chemistry.
“When the guys found out Ari was going to be here tonight, it just buoyed us,” said Jarvis. “All of a sudden we had an extra burst of adrenaline, and we were even more ready to go.”
Jarvis said that during the run, he has seen numerous examples of situations where the team could have gotten down, could have hung their heads, but instead rose to the challenge and responded in big ways.
So it was that he was not shocked to see his team come out on fire after getting beaten in the first championship game the night before. Nor did it surprise him that they didn’t let the fact that Kapper had beaten them four straight times this season bother them.
“These guys have found ways to win,” said Jarvis. “They don’t shrink away from big challenges. There are just a lot of great qualities about these guys that go beyond what happens on the field.”
Team owner Dave Kaufman addressed his players following the game, bringing a loud response after notifying his squad that their effort had earned an all-expense paid meal at Texas Road House.
A passionate baseball fan, Kaufman said that it has been a true joy to watch the team perform over the years, and that they will never take the championships for granted, whether it ends at seven or continues on.
“We’ve had some pretty special guys playing on this team over the years,” said Kaufman. “Guys like Josh Frank, who will go out and give you everything he has on the mound. Guys who have shown a lot of heart and drive. This has been such a great time coming to the games and watching them play.
“When you’ve got great people, it makes it that much more enjoyable to watch them win, because these guys deserve it.”
Published: August 17, 2011
