A Proud History

Cardinal Baseball History

Cardinal Baseball has a long and storied history since the consolidation of Parkman, Huntsburg, and Middlefield into Cardinal Local Schools in 1954. This history includes 24 County and Conference Titles, 6 District Titles, 1 Regional Championship and an appearance in the 1996 Division III State Championship game. Over the 50 + years of Cardinal Baseball we have produced 11 Conference MVP’s, 700 + team wins and countless All-League players. Legends like Tony Peters, Tony Fuduric, Steve Smetana, Justin Smetana, and Jason Driscoll have gone on to professional careers in baseball at various levels. Cardinal is truly one of the most storied small high school baseball programs in Northeastern Ohio.

The Huskies were first led by legendary Coach Paul Verno from 1955 to 1989, seeing him rack up an amazing 423 wins for a .693 winning percentage, 15 conference titles, and 1 district title. The 1990’s saw the Huskies attain their greatest accomplishments, becoming a perennial State Division III power under Coach Rich Driscoll. During his tenure as head coach Driscoll’s record of 153-33 ranks him second in program history in wins and first in winning percentage (.823). Coach Driscoll produced 5 ESC and CVC titles, 5 District titles, and 1 Regional Championship, coaching 5 Conference MVP’s and the program’s only 1^st Team All-Ohio player, his son Jason Driscoll in 1996.

The 1996 season was a magical one. The season before, the Huskies narrowly missed a trip to the State Final Four, losing to Campbell Memorial 6-5 in the Regional Championship Game. 1996 would see no near miss. Led by Jason Driscoll, Bill Kumher, Josh Yoder, Seth Klepper, and Todd Yoder, Cardinal cruised through the tournament defeating Northwestern 8-4 in the Regional Championship game earning a trip to the State Final Four. The Huskies then went on to defeat Versailles 9-4 in the State Semi-Final Game and then lost 4-1 to Wheelersburg in the State Championship Game. The Huskies finished the 1996 season 27-2, setting the mark for wins in a season.

The Huskies continued their dominance throughout the 1990s, nearly missing the State Final Four again in 1997, losing 3-1 to Elyria Catholic in the Regional Championship Game, and winning District Titles in 1998 and 1999. Coach Dave Bronson continued the program’s success, winning CVC titles in 2000 and 2001. Since then Cardinal has seen its ups and downs, but has returned to being a perennial contender in the Chagrin Valley Conference.