Rob Ehlers, his staff and the Shawnee State baseball program are grit personified.

It showed throughout the 2024 season -- one in which Shawnee State more than tripled its win total from the year prior, and essentially just 10 months after Ehlers arrived on campus with the workmanlike approach that has breathed life and day-to-day competitiveness back into a historically proud program.

It was also evident again in the ninth inning of a go-or-go-home contest against West Virginia Tech.

Trailing by a sizeable 12-1 margin entering the bottom of the ninth frame behind five home runs by the Golden Bears, Ehlers' group put a giant scare into West Virginia Tech's big lead as Shawnee State scored eight times in the ninth frame, cutting West Virginia Tech's 12-1 margin down to a 12-9 count and putting the tying runner at first base with two out in the bottom of the ninth frame.

The gritty rally ultimately fell short by a 12-9 count, resulting in the end of the Bears' season -- but remains another feather in the cap for Ehlers as Shawnee State showed the optimism that has increased by the day within the program in the crooked effort prior to matters coming to a conclusion in an elimination contest Saturday morning in the River States Conference's Baseball Tournament at VA Memorial Stadium in Chillicothe.

Hunter Warner, who posted a terrific beginning to the contest, homered in the Bears' second at-bat and doubled to lead off the third inning, but the junior infielder's efforts proved to be the main statement for Shawnee State throughout much of the opening eight innings as the Bears, who left 10 runners on base, struggled to string together the hits necessary to plate any additional salvos outside of Warner's first inning solo shot.

That, however, changed in a massive flurry in the ninth frame of action.

Following a pair of sacrifice fly RBIs that allowed West Virginia Tech to take a 12-1 lead heading into the bottom of the ninth frame, Shawnee State not only began its comeback trail but did so in a hurry. Ryan Scott's leadoff walk was followed by a double by Nolan Tressler that moved Scott over to third base, and the following batter, Warner, walked to load the bases. Two hit by pitches and an Eric Oakes free pass then allowed SSU to pull within 12-4 -- while keeping the bases jacked with no outs against the Bears' contingent.

Then, Michael De Jesus' RBI single was followed by an RBI fielder's choice by Kyle Eslick -- allowing the Bears to draw within 12-6 with just one out against it and runners on the corners.

The game only got more intriguing from there.

Back down at the bottom of the order, Tyler Lund reached on an RBI single to the left side of the infield, and after a hit batter, another fielder's choice that resulted in an RBI, this time by way of Tressler, brought SSU to within 12-8.

With runners on second and third with two gone in the bottom of the ninth, Warner walked again to load the bases, setting up three-hole hitter Noah Sniadach who ripped an RBI single to left field to score Scott, putting Shawnee State within 12-9 with the bases full, the tying run sitting at first base and the winning run, Eric Oakes, standing in at the plate. However, Oakes, facing recently inserted West Virginia Tech pitcher Logan Stump, struck out looking -- and West Virginia Tech, by mere whiskers, held on to advance in the tournament while eliminating SSU.

Additional

Despite Saturday's setback, Ehlers, along with assistant coaches Juan Familia and Ben Bennett, have each been critical components to changing Shawnee State's culture. The Bears won 12 consecutive contests between its nine-game winng streak to end the regular season and its three victories between the River States Conference's Baseball Championship Opening Round at Indiana-Kokomo and SSU's first contest against West Virginia Tech to open tournament play Thursday morning.

Ehlers, who led Shawnee State to a 26-21 overall record to clinch the program's first above .500 season since 2014, had six seniors -- Dylan Driskill, Eric Oakes, Noah Sniadach, Logan Green, Noah Rezner, Nolan Tressler and Kyle Eslick -- participate in Senior Day ceremonies last month. Oakes, Sniadach and Tressler comprised three of the four all-conference honorees that the Bears had, while Driskill and Rezner are multi-year letterwinners inside the Shawnee State program and Green battled through injuries to make positive contributions with his leadership components.

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