The following is an official news release from Midview Athletic Director Dan May:
Midview Athletics has announced the anticipated hiring of Major League Baseball veteran and Midview alumnus Ryan Feierabend (Class of 2003) as the new Head Baseball Coach. The recommendation is pending approval by the Midview Local Schools Board of Education, which is scheduled to meet on June 30.
“I want to thank the Midview Board of Education and administration for giving me the chance to return to Midview High School to run the baseball program,” Feierabend said. “I will try to represent the Midview community to the best of my capability and bring a winning culture to the school district!”
A 2013 Midview Athletic Hall of Fame inductee and 2021 jersey retirement honoree, Feierabend returns to lead the program where his two-decade professional baseball career began. He will succeed Ryan Morgan, who stepped down after five seasons as head coach.
“I have gotten to know Ryan fairly well since his retirement as a professional baseball player,” said Athletics Director Dan May. “He truly cares about this community, and I was excited to learn of his interest in the position. His experience and enthusiasm are exactly what we need to lead Midview baseball into the next chapter of the program’s storied history.
Feierabend had a standout career as a Middie, leading them to three straight league titles and a district finals appearance. As a senior, he earned Conference Player of the Year and All-Ohio honors. The left-hander finished his career with an impressive 23 wins, 347 strikeouts, and a 1.55 ERA.
“The opportunity for me to return to my alma mater and become the head coach at Midview is amazing!” said Feierabend. “I am really fortunate and cannot wait to follow in the footsteps of some great coaches that led this program over the years. This is an opportunity for me to come home and bring the knowledge that I have obtained during the last 20-plus years in pro baseball to the program where it all started for me.”
Feierabend was drafted in the third round of the 2003 MLB Draft by the Seattle Mariners. He made his major league debut in 2006 and recorded his first MLB win in 2007. In 2008, he was named AAA Pitcher of the Year for the Mariners. His 18-year professional career included stints with the Texas Rangers (2014) and Toronto Blue Jays (2019), as well as international experience in Korea and China. He concluded his playing career with the Lake Erie Crushers in 2021.
After retiring, Feierabend worked as a Patient Service Specialist with the Cleveland Clinic and helped coach Midview Middle School boys basketball. He later returned to professional baseball as a pitching coach in the Miami Marlins organization, beginning in the Dominican Summer League before advancing to Class A Jupiter Hammerheads in 2025. He plans to return home after the Hammerheads conclude their season.
“I think my experience in baseball will help immensely with undertaking this new job,” Feierabend said. “Even though I have never been a head coach in baseball, I have had plenty of time watching and learning from the ones I have played for and even coached with for the last 21 years! Baseball is baseball at any level, and I look forward to helping the next generation of baseball players come through the Midview Program.”
In 2024, Midview Baseball captured its 16th conference title—the most of any Midview program—and its second Southwestern Conference (SWC) championship, the first coming in 2016. Previous conference championships came in 1970, 1973, 1978, 1979, 1984, 1985, 1986, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2012, and 2013.
Feierabend’s immediate goals include developing players as athletes and young men while instilling pride in wearing the Midview name.
“The name on the front is more important than the one on the back,” Feierabend said. “Once we get to where we want to be in that area, my long-term goal is to hopefully take this program to the next level. We are going to try and win as many conference championships as possible and eventually get to the State tournament and win the whole thing.”
The 2025 squad, which featured 10 seniors, finished 10-15 overall and 4-10 in league play. The Middies anticipate a core of talented newcomers and underclassmen, featuring eight returning lettermen, to return and be ready for the challenge that comes within SWC play. Midview opens the 2026 season at home against Brookside High School on March 28.
“My message for the current and prospective members of the program is… BE READY TO WORK!!” said Feierabend. “Baseball is a kid’s game, and we are going to have fun. With that being said, we are going to work our tails off to make sure we are sound in all facets of the game. Physical errors are going to happen! Mental errors cannot! We will have lots of discussion about situations on both offense and defense so that we are all thinking as one unit when it comes to game time.”
Feierabend resides in Grafton with his wife Sarah and their two children: Trey, who will be a sophomore at Midview, and Sienna, who will enter eighth grade in the fall.