HOBAN HIGHLIGHT REEL
After a year without a season in 2020, Head Baseball Coach Andrew Bonnette and his coaching staff began the 2021 season with one goal – take each game one at a time and learn from each experience. In his third year as head coach, the strategy paid off. Bonnette and the Knights made school history, earning Hoban's first baseball state championship.
Next year, Snyder will attend and play baseball for Baldwin Wallace University, Feltovich will join John Carroll University and Givens committed to the University of Findlay. While Butler will attend Kent State University, Crowe will be at the University of Notre Dame and Walsh will matriculate at Ohio State University.
“We had a growth mindset and adjusted even practice plans throughout the season to grow and move forward,” Bonnette said. “We were more focused on becoming the best possible team that we could be rather than wins and losses. The entire team trusted us and bought in.”
“I have so much appreciation for my family, the other Hoban families, the student section–everyone who came out to support us this year,” Feltovich said. “It helped us a lot to have that support in the stands. It helped give me the energy, to take it one pitch at a time and ease the pressure. Dr. Congeni and the strength and conditioning team also helped us stay healthy. We couldn’t have been this successful without Dr. Congeni, Coach Winkler and his team.”
The Knights began the season with an 8-4 record and then lost five consecutive games. Those five losses showed Bonnette and his staff the adjustment opportunities and how to play in tough games. Following that, the Knights went on a 16-game winning streak, ending the season 24-9. “We were seeded low for playoffs–10th in the district,” Bonnette said. “Every game was a fight. We were the underdog throughout, but the team constantly came together and had each other’s backs the whole year.” Following a 2-1 victory against Vermillion in the state semifinals game, the Knights met Bloom-Carroll on June 13. The team dug deep the entire game, which went into 10 innings. In the end, Hoban clinched the Division II state championship in a 2-1 win. Bonnette credits the team’s hard work ethic and the success of the season to the six senior leaders–Connor Butler, Thomas Crowe, Dylan Feltovich, Alex Givens, Dylan Snyder and Dillon Walsh. “This year felt a lot like my freshman year,” Snyder said. “We practiced last year and then the season was shut down. This year, there was a lot of anticipation because we were starting all over again. We worked hard in preseason and hit the ground running. As a pitcher, I had trust in the team to back me up on the mound. This year taught me a lot about trusting the process and working together as a team, which will help me in the future as a player.”
The team was also complemented by three freshman student-athletes who quickly gained the coaching staff’s attention and earned starting positions by the end of the season. Freshman Michael Ciavolella, Parker Falkenstein and Noah LaFine all proved themselves and helped bring home the title. “Coach Bonnette wouldn’t let us talk too far ahead of ourselves,” LaFine said. “But, we knew we had a great team. We struggled midway through the season but came together. The energy from the stands and the dugout helped a lot. Landon Ladany and Dylan Feltovich helped to get us all hyped.” Following a state title, the future of the program and next season is on everyone’s mind. For Bonnette, consistency and simplicity are key. “My goals are to continue to build on the established culture and push for growth,” Bonnette said. “Winning the state championship was a relief because now, as a team, we’ve been there. We know what we have to do and we have a recipe to follow moving forward.”
HOBAN MAGAZINE
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