Baseball ties run deep in Myers family

SANDUSKY — When St. Mary Central Catholic's baseball team arrives at the field, it's easy to spot a member of the Myers family. They're everywhere. The Panthers' head coach is Ryan Myers, who is in his second season on the job. His dad, Mike Myers, is one of his assistant coaches. Ryan also coaches two of his brothers — Dylan and Dominic, who are seniors at SMCC. "It's way more than just a game," said Ryan, who was a standout player at SMCC. "Baseball is literally a family affair for us. Our dual relationship is not always sunshine and flowers, but in 20 years these will be experiences we all bond over." Baseball has been in the family for years. Mike coached Ryan was he was little and headed up the Panther Baseball Club when his youngest boys started in 8U. The team won Firelands Interleague Baseball championships in 2015 and 2017. Ryan helped Mike coach those teams when he was available. The Myers men look back fondly on those FIB days. "That was my first time ever being a champion in anything," Dominic said. "My brothers and dad were there so it was really cool." Mike, who is an assistant director of information technology at BGSU Firelands, is a Sandusky High School graduate who played on the Blue Streaks' 1998 team that set the school record for wins in a season. He and his wife, Susan, have enjoyed watching their boys grow up in the game. Their daughter, Erika, was a softball player. "They enjoyed it from the beginning," Mike said. "Dominic had a lot of health issues. He was born with one lung and a short bone in his (right) wrist so he kinda pitches like Jim Abbott with the mitt tucked underneath and throws and puts it on. "We're fortunate that he's even alive, let alone playing three high school sports." Dominic says he learned as a young pitcher how to protect himself while playing with just his left hand. He also plays first base. "I always practiced quickly getting it on if a line drive would come back at me," he said. "It's just who I am. Gotta live with it." Dominic, Dylan and the rest of the Panthers will travel to New Riegel on Thursday for a Division IV sectional championship game. An upset win would prolong the season, but the family knows the current team won't be together much longer. "Without these three I would not be the head coach," said Ryan, now 28. "They're certainly my inspiration to make a difference here." The head coach is quick to point out that he treats all his players the same. After all, he's been with them for years. "They're all like brothers to me and I care for each one of these guys," Ryan said. "I don't think there's any difference in how I coach Dominic and Dylan and the rest of the team." The Myers family isn't the only one with close connections on the team. Dan and Jake Schwerer (father, son) are assistant coaches. John Lawrence is an assistant and his son, Sam, is a player. Brothers Brock and Brayden Gill play on the team, as does their cousin, Austin Gill. Ryan, who works as a physician's assistant at NOMS Healthcare, also thanked his mom for her support (veteran move). "She's washed thousands of dirt-stained baseball pants over the years," he said. "She's definitely been for us all along the way." Whereas Dominic goes way back for his favorite baseball moment, Dylan, a left fielder, is more current. He made a memorable play during his Senior Night game this season against Danbury. "I was in left-center, we had a shift on, and the batter hit a pop fly two, three feet from the foul line," he said. "I ended up tracking it down and ending the inning, which was probably the best feeling I've had. "As I was running, what was going through my head was when I didn't lay out against Danbury two years ago. It was like, 'You have to give it all on this play.' It was the best feeling." The two younger Myers brothers, who will attend BGSU, have talked about helping out their big brother next year when they can. Ryan said he'll miss them. "It's gonna be tough to let it go, but we've followed them all the way up from 8U to now at the varsity level," Ryan said. "It's a great opportunity to coach any family member at this level. It's a special, humbling experience." A baseball family, to be sure. If you're still not buying it, let's allow Ryan to walk this off. "I've never seen the ocean," he said, "because the only family trips we've taken have been to baseball tournaments."