Welcome to the first episode of “Hey Coach!”, a new podcast hosted by WEOL’s Rocco Nuosci! We’ll go around Lorain County talking to different coaches from different sports about their background, coaching philosophy, goals for the upcoming season, and more!

Our first guest is Amherst head baseball coach Matt Rositano, who just led his team to its first ever State Championship game appearance earlier this month at Canal Park in Akron!

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.

Saturday, June 14th (State Final, Baseball) – Amherst vs. Anthony Wayne

Anthony Wayne def. Amherst 7-3

Friday, June 13th (State Semifinal, Baseball) – Amherst vs. New Albany

Amherst def. New Albany 3-2 (10 innings)

Thursday, June 5th (Regional Final, Baseball) – Amherst vs. Oregon Clay

Amherst def. Clay 7-4

Wednesday, June 4th (Regional Semifinal, Baseball) – Amherst vs. Green

Amherst def. Green 6-3

Friday, May 30th (District Final, Baseball) – Keystone vs. Cardinal Mooney

Cardinal Mooney def. Keystone 9-0

Thursday, May 29th (District Final, Baseball) – North Ridgeville vs. Green

Green def. North Ridgeville 3-2

Wednesday, May 28th (Regional Semifinal, Softball) – North Ridgeville vs. Walsh Jesuit

North Ridgeville def. Walsh Jesuit 7-5

Tuesday, May 27th (District Semifinal, Baseball) – Warren G. Harding vs. Avon Lake

Warren G. Harding def. Avon Lake 7-5

NOTE: ALL GAMES WILL AIR EXCLUSIVELY ON WEOL STREAM 1

The following is a News Release directly from the Ohio High School Athletics Association and Director of Media Relations Tim Stried:

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Several significant changes highlight the 2025 Ohio High School Athletic Association football playoff regulations that were approved Thursday by the OHSAA Board of Directors. The number of qualifiers per region will be 12 instead of 16, with the top four seeds in each region earning a first-round bye. In addition, the first three rounds of the postseason will be hosted by the higher seeded team instead of the first two rounds.

From 1999 through 2019, eight schools per region qualified for the playoffs, which was a five-week tournament. In early 2020, the OHSAA approved a proposal from the Ohio High School Football Coaches Association to expand to 12 qualifiers per region, which added a week to the postseason. Shortly after that, the Covid-19 pandemic greatly affected high school sports, and the OHSAA allowed every school to participate in the 2020 playoffs since schools played a varying number of games. The positive feedback from schools that season prompted the OHSAA to expand from 12 to 16 qualifiers per region from 2021-24.

“For the last few years, we have been pleased that more schools experienced the football playoffs, and there were some lower seeds that won playoff games,” said Doug Ute, OHSAA Executive Director. “But over the last year, we have received feedback from our schools, with a slight majority favoring 12 qualifiers per region, and we had many conversations with stakeholders around the state that led us to make this proposal to our board. We appreciate the feedback we received and will continue to gather comments moving forward. Like we do with all of our sports, we want to make sure the student-athletes are our No. 1 priority.”

With the top four seeds in each region receiving a first-round bye, the first-round parings include the No. 12 seed playing at the No. 5 seed, No. 11 at No. 6, No. 10 at No. 7 and No. 9 and No. 8. In the second round, the No. 1 seed will host the winner of No. 12 vs. No. 5, the No. 2 seed will host the winner of No. 11 vs. No. 6, the No. 3 seed will host the winner of No. 10 vs. No. 7, and the No. 4 seed will host the winner of No. 8 vs. No. 9.

There are no changes to the 2025 divisional breakdowns and regional assignments announced by the OHSAA on May 1. The 2025 divisions and regions are posted at: https://www.ohsaa.org/Sports-Tournaments/Football/Football-2025

2025 OHSAA Football – Report Showing All Schools (706)

2025 OHSAA Football Divisional Breakdowns

Division Adjusted Enrollment          Number of Teams

I              592 and more                     72

II             378 to 591                          104

III            268 to 377                          107

IV            202 to 267                          105

V             157 to 201                          106

VI            112 to 156                          106

VII           111 and less                        106

               Total Teams                        706

2025 OHSAA Football Calendar

Summer Period: May 12 through July 31 (13 practices permitted, plus five days for acclimation)

Practice Begins – August 1

Regular-Season Begins – Week of August 18 (first Friday is August 22)

Regular-Season Ends – Saturday, October 25

Playoff Qualifiers Announced – Sunday, October 26

Regional First Round – Friday, October 31

Regional Quarterfinals  – Friday, November 7

Regional Semifinals – Friday, November 14

Regional Finals (at neutral sites) – Friday, November 21

State Semifinals (at neutral sites) – Friday, November 28

State Championships – December 4-6, Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium, Canton