Strayer takes over as Clyde coach

CLYDE – Jake Strayer is a familiar face to local athletics. Strayer, a 2015 Bellevue graduate who served as Plymouth baseball coach for five seasons, was approved as Clyde's head baseball coach at Monday's board of education meeting. "The kids and the people at Clyde are what makes Clyde such a great place," Strayer said. "Honestly, the people here are amazing. The community comes out to support our kids in whatever they are doing. We have fantastic kids who work hard and are competitive." Strayer compiled 65 wins in the four seasons he coached at Plymouth (2020 was canceled due to COVID-19). The Big Red won district titles in 2018 and 2022 under Strayer. "We want to develop kids from top to bottom," Strayer said. "We intend to get involved in the youth programs in Clyde and Green Springs. These programs feed into the success at the high school level and we want to develop relationships with those programs and help them to develop their players as well. The game of baseball teaches a lot of lessons about life. We want to get our kids thinking about winning not only in the game of baseball, but in life as well. "We want to teach our kids the game and how to play it. Baseball is a beautiful game full of many intricate nuances. We are trying to teach our kids those small things and situations. Small things equal big things." Clyde-Green Springs superintendent Lucas Messer headed up the coaching search in place of athletic director Ryan Greenslade, whose daughter is engaged to Strayer. Messer raved about Strayer's knowledge of the game, commitment to academic excellence, communication skills, training programs and community engagement. "Jake has demonstrated a consistent ability to lead high school baseball teams to success," Messer said. "His previous teams have shown significant improvements in their performance with a history of winning records, playoff appearances and championship victories. This track record indicates his strong coaching skills and ability to foster a winning culture. "Jake is known for his exceptional leadership qualities. He not only focuses on developing players' athletic skills, but also emphasizes character-building, teamwork and sportsmanship. His ability to mentor young athletes and prepare them for both athletic and personal challenges makes him an ideal role model for high school students." Strayer takes over for Drew Linder, who led the Fliers to a 13-11 record last season. Linder's coaching contract was not renewed after six seasons at the helm. "Being able to work with the kids in a different capacity," said Strayer of his biggest excitement to take over as head coach. "Especially with coaching football and then being in the weight room all summer, there are kids that you see every day and you start to develop relationships with them. We put a high level of focus on working tirelessly on the mental aspect of the game and aim to train our minds as much as our bodies. We are going to work really hard to get our kids to buy into what we are doing." Strayer will be an assistant football coach under Ryan Carter for the third straight year later this summer and into the fall. Strayer, who will turn 28 next month, is an intervention specialist at McPherson Middle School in Clyde. He was an assistant track coach this past spring. Clyde was 5-5 in the Sandusky Bay Conference Lake Division this spring. The Fliers lost in a sectional final after advancing to a district final in 2022. Strayer, who will add his father, Mike, to his coaching staff, will have a solid nucleus of players returning, including Blake Gerstenberger, Colt Flores and Mason Flewelling. "I hope to see a culture where players support each other, take pride in their team and uphold the highest standards of integrity and respect," Messer said. "Coach Strayer's emphasis on team-building and mutual respect will be key to achieving this." At Plymouth, Strayer helped coach eight first-team Firelands Conference selections and eight second-team picks. Four players were named first-team all-district and the Big Red won four sectional championships under Strayer. Strayer was district player of the year his junior year at Bellevue in 2014. His senior season, the Redmen were regional runners-up. His salary to coach the Fliers will be $5,671. "I am extremely excited to get started with our guys," Strayer said. "We have a lot of good athletes and a lot of great kids. I think that we have a great staff in place so far and will work on finalizing that in the coming weeks. I am eager to see what the guys do in the Flier baseball program in the coming years."