2006 Kilbourne Baseball Team

Austn Taylor
Journalism
Kilbourne Baseball Best Teams and Players

Worthington Kilbourne High School has had many great sports teams and players in the 22 years that
Kilbourne has been around. The team with arguably the best history and players is the Baseball team. With
seven Conference Championships and two District Championships the baseball team has obviously displayed
its dominance. Kilbourne baseball has also sent 25 players to the collegiate level; 9 players to D1 schools, 4
players to D2 schools, 12 players to D3 schools, and even had 2 players go on to play at the professional level.
With such a rich history, the Kilbourne team has been a dominatng force among high school baseball.
The team has been around since the school was frst opened in 1991 and their frst season started in 1992; it
didnt take long for them to show that
they were not a team to mess with. In
1993, the team went on to win their frst
OCC championship. With such a strong
roster and coaching staf they were able
to win the OCC championship again in
1994. The team would go one to win
OCC championships in 2004, 2005, 2006,
2008, and 2010. OCC championships
are great, but District Championships
are even beter. In just the 5th season,
the baseball team got their frst District
Championship trophy. The Wolves got
upset for the OCC championship, but bounced back to win Districts. It would take 10 years for the team to win their next
District Championship as they brought home another in 2006. Jef Boulware who has been with the baseball team for 13
years now and spent his last 4 as head coach says the 1996 and 2006 baseball teams were the best that Kilbourne has
had to ofer. Boulware says, It starts with having really good players who understand the game are passionate about
it and are driven to be great. These two teams also learned the value of teamwork and put it two good use. Boulware
feels that the 2006 team though, was far more dominate, The 2006 team stands alone however in my mind. They hold
almost every ofensive, defensive and pitching record in the programs history. Six players of that team went
on to play college baseball. Another great team that has played at Kilbourne was the 2011 district runner-up
team. This team didnt win an OCC or District Championship, but Boulware says it was the most fun he had
eve had coaching. In 2011 we were matched up against the Number 1 ranked team in the state (Pickerington
North) in the district semi-fnals. They were bigger, faster and stronger than we were at every positon. We
played a great game, everyone contributed and we were able to win the game 2-1 in extra innings. Three
players from that team went on to play in college. Kilbourne baseball has certainly seen its fair share of great
teams, but none of that would have been possible if not for great players.
Kilbourne baseball has seen 25 of its players contnue their career at the collegiate level, which is the
more than any other sports teams at Kilbourne. One player even got drafed by an MLB team. The frst of
Kilbourne players to go D1 was Jef Todd. Todd now the current athletc director of Worthington Kilbourne
graduated in 1993 with a scholarship to Southern Mississippi University. The 95 team sent two players to The
Ohio State University, Jason Trot and Mike Lockwood. Lockwood would go on to be drafed by the Oakland
As. He never saw a game in the MLB, but played triple A ball for years. In 2000 Ryan Lindquist lef to play for
Bowling Green. Jason Hanlin a 2002 grad was able to contnue his career at Toledo. The most impressive year
for players going to college was 2006, the same team that won both the OCC and District Championships.
Jared Strayer, Cory Kovanda, and Ryan Dew all went to play at The Ohio State University and had great careers
there. Current baseball senior Danny Dutko says, I used to go to games and saw them play. Those three were
so good and it was really cool to watch. Since 2005, only one other player has gone to a D1 school. Marck
Palioto, son of former baseball coach Mario Palioto went to Ohio University where he is stll playing today.
Kyle Lindquist another Kilbourne great, was unable to play D1, but went to Marieta, a D3 school. He harnessed
his talents there and really grew as a player. Afer college he was able to play Independent Minor League
Baseball. He currently plays for the Gary Southshore Railcats. Jef Boulware was a coach for a lot of these
players and saw them develop over their high school years. All these players didnt just rely on talent, they
put forth an unbelievable amount of work to achieve on the ball feld. They worked at their craf on their own,
over and over and over again. Kilbourne Baseball has had a very rich history when it comes to championships
and players. The team has had great coaching and a great attude. The baseball team looks to contnue their
great progress for many years to come.
Baseball: a classic summer
activity, a much loved sport, and a
major part of American culture. With
the 2013 baseball season in full swing,
many avidly follow their favorite MLB
(Major League Baseball), college,
and even local high school teams and
players; local high school teams such as
the Kilbourne Wolves. The Worthington
Kilbourne baseball team is a group of
dedicated, fun, unique individuals. They
put in practice time to increase skills,
bonding time to unify the team, and
enjoy the great sport.
One notable member of the
Kilbourne baseball team is junior
Danny Darby, but you may know him
as #39 on the feld. Darbys baseball
career has taken him on quite a
journey. Currently, Darby plays outfeld
positions left feld, center feld, and
right feld for the wolves; but he didnt
get there over night. The Danny Darby
baseball journey began at the tender
age of four years old, back when he
and the rest of the Darby family resided
in Zanesville, Ohio. Introduced to the
Legends of a Man
The Danny Darby Story
sport by his father, Danny and his brother grew up on the
game It really is Americas past time, says Danny, and it
really is a fun game.
Danny Darby has had numerous infuences on his
baseball career: Such as his dad, his uncles, his brother,
numerous coaches, fellow players, and professional
baseball players and legends. Darby is thankful for all
the encouragement, support, and infuences the people
in his life have had on his baseball career; his family for
supporting him, his coaches for training him, and his fellow
team mates for accompanying him on his journey. Darby is infuenced by his role models in the
MLB and past baseball legends and look up to them. He says that he enjoy[s] watching Drew Stubbs
(Outfelder for Cleveland Indians) and that Jackie Robinson is an all-time favorite.
Darby played on numerous Zanesville little league teams every summer leading up to his familys
move to Columbus Ohio. Though he was leaving his home town, friends, and family, baseball and his
passion for the game came with him. Baseball has always been a constant thing in my life, Darby told us.
Darby entered the fourth grade at his new school, Bluffsview Elementary. Never missing a season, he was
back on the diamond that spring, playing for the Worthington Youth Boosters (WYB) Los Angeles Dodgers.
Darby spent most of his WYB career playing frst base and pitcher. Being on a team helped Darby, who was
still the new kid in school, make new friends and further develop his already existing friendships.
Darbys baseball career in Central Ohio progressed forward. In his second season in Worthington
Youth Boosters, the summer going into his sixth grade year, he played for the WYB Oakland As, returning
to his frst base and pitching positions. Throughout his summers, Darby attended baseball clinics to improve
his skills. Clinics took up quite a bit of summer time, said Darby, but it was all for the better. They
helped him improve his pitching/throwing, catching, batting, and did well at preparing him for the upcoming
season. Moving onward, Darby returned the next year for his fnal season with Worthington Youth Boosters,
playing once again for the Los Angeles Dodgers. This was his fnal year before stepping up to the more
competitive and intense middle school league. Though none of his WYB teams earned a championship title,
he grew in his skills and passion for the sport and was well prepared for middle school.
Middle school was very different, Darby told us. He explained that the approach to the baseball
season was very different from that of WYB, with an emphasis on training. The increased intensity meant
that Darby had to drill more, run, and even begin lifting. Having practice every day compared to the twice
a week WYB practices was a major change, but for the better. With consistently more practice time, Darby
solidifed his skills. After two seasons playing for the joint McCord-Perry Middle School wolves, Darbys
career took him to Worthington Kilbourne High School.
At Worthington Kilbourne High School, Darby was asked to put in even more time into baseball.
Practices were longer and so were the seasons. His freshman year, Darby played frst base and various
outfeld positions for the junior varsity team. His sophomore and junior years in baseball were also spent on
the junior varsity team but now as a full time rogue outfelder. Darbys junior year, which is currently where
he is, and 2013 season however, has been set back due to a sprained elbow from the recent wrestling season.
This hindered his throwing ability and exempted him from tryouts, resulting in a placement on JV.
Darby overcame this injury with rest and rehabilitation and before halfway through the season, he was
100%.
The 2013 season has not been easy for Darby and the rest of the Kilbourne Wolves. The current
varsity record is 5-18. Theres a lot of talent on the team, Darby explained, but a lot of bad luck,
especially when it comes to batting. The teams goal for the 2013 season is to have a run in the playoffs;
this will be diffcult considering the season so far though. To that, Darby said, we may not be the better
team, but we can still pull a win.

Baseball has been around for quite some time as it started gaining interest in the 1800s. The
Major League Baseball was founded in 1875 and from then on it would be Americas favorite sport,
and Americas favorite past time sport. But does it still hold that title?
Football is probably Baseballs biggest competitor. Last year, According to Yahoo Sports,
TV ratings for a bad NFL game doubled a baseball playoff game which was a surprise to most. Bill
Simmons, former writer to ESPN, said If this NFL game doubles the ratings for a terrifc baseball playoff
game, then Americas pastime label is dead. Most people would agree with him saying that
baseball has lost a lot
of popularity over the
years. According to
Statista, Super Bowl
ratings have seen an
increase of 111 million
viewers from 1990 to
2013. On the other
hand, according to
Foxs TV ratings for
baseball in 1990 there
were 24 million and
in 2012 there were only 10 million viewers. This is a defnite decrease which also may affect the TV
networks that want to have the games on their channel.
When people are asked what dont you like about baseball most of them have the same
answer. We asked a freshman at WKHS why baseball has lost its popularity. I think there are more
games to watch now and not as many people play it so they dont know much about it. For the
new generations we may see an even larger decrease in baseball
Is Baseball still Americas favorite sport?
because younger children arent playing it as much as other sports. According to, The Wall
Street Journal, from 2000 to 2009 kids aged 7 to 17 playing baseball fell about 24 percent. Football
and Baseball have their pros and cons but Baseball seems to have the most things that bother
people. Many people say that the game is too slow and not enough action. People also agree that
the games and seasons are too long.
Since many people arent watching baseball games nor attending them that also affects the
ticket prices. According to ESPN, the average MLB ticket is $26.91 and average NFL ticket is $77.34.
That is up 2.7% according to ESPN from last year. Even though twenty six dollars for a sport ticket
doesnt seem bad, for baseball fans its quite high. Some baseball teams tried to lower the ticket
prices as low as fve dollars to see if more people would come but nothing changed. The surprising
thing is that even though the average NFL ticket is three times more than a MLB ticket more people
continue to pay higher prices for football games.
Many people may wonder what baseballs future will be compared to other sports that
seem to attract more people. I think that as years pass by baseball will have the same attention
and popularity as hockey has right now. I do not think that it will completely lose its popularity but it
will never have as much attention as it had 30 years ago. It will not go away completely because
even though football has taken its place there are still some people that grew up watching baseball
and dont want to see it go away. There are still a lot of fans that love baseball and will watch it
for as long as they can. Although it may not be Americas favorite past time sport it will always be
remembered.

Kate Rabinowitz
Worthington Kilbourne 2013 Baseball Season
This season Worthington Kilbourne baseball team struggled to accomplish the season that they had
wished for. Ending the regular season at 5-20, the team was disappointed with their performance. However,
they were able to accomplish their preseason goal of beter team communicaton and many of the players
individually improved throughout the season.
Sophomore Dom Brown stood out this season
and was an asset to the team. Dom has made
a name for himself by producing greatly at the
top of the lineup and he has really helped me
out in the outield said senior Brian Sommers.
Brian has also been a stand out player this
season, my pitching has improved as well
as my confdence. Although many of the
players personally improved this season, all of the players hoped for a beter overall season and record. Dom
brown atributes their difcult season to lack of experienced players, this season we had a lot of freshman
and sophomore players who had less experience than those of previous years. Brian Sommers agrees, but
also thinks that the team had to overcome the loss of the seniors last year who were an asset to the team
and who really helped create team unity. Even though their season had a lot of hardships the teams biggest
accomplishment was beatng Thomas Worthington. We knew going into the game that Thomas had the
advantage and everyone was expectng them to win, they were OCC champions last year and were known
for having a good baseball program. Since we had not had a great season we really wanted to beat Thomas
to prove that even though the season was not our best we stll had the ability to win against a good team.
Half way through the sixth inning we were up by two and we all began to get really excited because we knew
we had a chance to beat them. Senior Ben Paulin, a pitcher and outielder was ecstatc when both JV and
Varsity defeated Thomas. Brian Sommers knew that the team had what it took physically to beat Thomas
but that they mentally needed to believe in themselves. The players atribute their win to concentraton,
communicaton and the overwhelming desire to beat Thomas. They also thank their coaches, head coach
Jef Boulware and assistant coach Dan Swaille, who Ben Paulin said kept them motvated and excited
to win. The baseball team also had a couple of other big wins this season. Next year Dom Brown knows what
has to be done in order to have a successful senior, only a sophomore this is Doms second year on varsity
and he knows the teams strengths and weaknesses. Losing the fve seniors we have this year will be difcult
because each of them helped the team in a diferent way, Brian Sommers and Ben Paulins pitching and out
felding helped get the majority of our outs this season, Danny Dutko had a great season in the outield, Ben
Lawson got to base almost every tme he was up to bat and Cameron Gall improved so much this season for
not having played in a while and he did awesome. This year Cameron Gall, rejoined the baseball team afer
not playing for fve years. The decision for him was easy, I had always regreted quitng baseball afer my
seventh grade year because I missed all of the guys I played with and I stll loved the game. I knew that I would
regret not coming back and playing for my senior year. Im so glad that I decided to play this year because not
only did all of my skills improve as well as my confdence towards the game but I had such an awesome tme
this season and couldnt think of a beter way to end my senior year. Even though overall we didnt have the
season we wished for I was just happy to be back in playing the game and I truly enjoyed every minuet both
on the feld and on the bench. Camerons attude this season really helped the team, Camerons the kind
of guy who always knows how to cheer people up and make them laugh, whenever we had a difcult game
or missed a play Cameron was always there to help us encourage one another and not to get discouraged or
overwhelmed. Without Cameron on the team this year we would have had as many of the good tmes that
we did. Said fellow player Ben Paulin. While none of the seniors plan on playing baseball in college, Brian
Sommers and Danny Dutko will both play in a summer league. Ive been playing baseball since I was fve
years old, and even though I made the decision to not play in college I stll didnt want to be completely done
afer my high school season. Said Sommers who is also considering playing summer league throughout college
or joining a college recreatonal league. The 2013 worthington Kilbourne baseball season was not all that they
players had hoped for, however, individual improvements, beatng Thomas and a close knit team contributed
to a fun and productve last season for the seniors.