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Sports

Avon Lake's Matt Kohler Shined on the Diamond This Year

Senior is heading to Ohio University after stellar senior season.

To say it was an amazing season for Avon Lake High School baseball player Matt Kohler might be an understatement.

From being named First-Team Lorain County and playing playing in the county all-star game, to being tabbed second team all-state. Overnight, it seems Kohler became a big star, in the course of season where the Shoremen accomplished more than most thought possible.

"We knew he was a good ballplayer, but he has really stepped it up this year at second base," Avon Lake coach Jeff Stratton said during the season. "He's a little bit of a surprise but had done a good job for us."

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The surprise comes in the fact that his sophomore and junior year he was bouncing back and forth between varsity and JV.

"This year I was still fighting for a starting position, and then when I got one was taking it day by day," Kohler said. "I think the biggest difference is that I got up early in the morning before school and with the other seniors hit in the cage by ourselves. It was tough getting up that early, but worth it."

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Worth it indeed. Kohler led the team with a .423 batting average, and had a .537 on base percentage. He was also second on the team with 22 hits, and had seven RBI's, but didn't know how well he did until the season was over.

"To be honest, I was afraid to look at them and jinx my season," Kohler said. "This was probably the best season I ever had, so when people kept telling me about my batting average, but I kind of turned the other cheek."

The Ohio University bound senior also excelled on the field. Playing second base, he had just one error all season.

"In the mornings before the season started, I took ground balls, and was just making sure I was getting good reads on the ball," Kohler said. "Coach always told to make sure we got the good hops and I guess it really paid off this year."

Kohler said that two things helped him with his breakout season. The first being  the early morning workouts and secondly teammate and good friend

"His three years varsity experience really helped me," Kohler said. "He taught me how fast the game was at the varsity level, because it is so much faster than junior varsity. The games go by much quicker and you can't be napping out there or else something is going to go by you and you could blow the game.

 "I plan on play some ball this summer, but pretty much plan to enjoy a laid back time until I go off to college next fall."

 Kohler says he has been talked to about playing for the Bobcats as a walk-on, but says he isn't sure, because he wants to focus on his studies and that this season was probably his last in competitive ball.

Editor's Note: This is a series about athletes who had a high level of performance this spring at Avon Lake. The next in the series in trackster Matt Marron, and will be followed by Morgan Srail and her medal winning performance at states.

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