Just when hope seemed to creep into the Copperheads’ season like a ray of sunshine, the storm clouds gathered and washed it all away in a matter of two days.
The Snakes were eliminated from playoff contention this past Sunday after dropping two straight to the Lima Locos.
Things seemed to be on the upside for the Copperheads (19-21) after a promising win against Delaware, snapping an 11-game winning streak by the Cows. After salvaging a split against Anderson last Saturday, Southern Ohio only needed to secure one win in Sunday's doubleheader against Lima.
“I think a lot of it had to do with the fact that we ran out of gas,” manager Ted Tom said of the Copperheads’ finish.
“When you have so many games in a short period, on the road, we didn’t have much pitching left.”
Another factor going into the weekend was the fact that Southern Ohio was without one of their main offensive threats Jeremie Rehak. Rehak’s last game was Friday because of a prior commitment.
“Definitely losing Rehak was huge,” Tom said.
After a Cinderella season last year that led to the Copperheads’ appearance in the semifinals, one would look at this season's early conclusion as a failure.
However, last month the Copperheads were well on their way to finishing the season in flames, after suffering a seven-game losing streak that put them near the bottom of the Great Lakes Summer Collegiate League.
After getting off to a commendable 6-2 start, the Copperheads began a free fall that began on the second game in a crucial doubleheader with the Cincinnati Steam.
Cincinnati would go on to hold a firm grip atop the standings, eventually finishing first in the GLSCL, while the Copperheads would win two games over the next three weeks of the season.
On July 20, Southern Ohio was seven games below .500 and looked as though the previous season was a fluke.
But then they woke up.
They swept a doubleheader against the Grand Lake Mariners, and they went on an offensive onslaught for the next five games, scoring six or more runs in four of the five contests. Even more impressive, what had taken them three weeks to destroy was rebuilt in four days.
Although they climbed back into the playoff picture, the Copperheads let the opportunity slip away by the common cold of inconsistency in the final 10 games, limping to a 4-6 finish.
Currently, the Copperheads have two players — Rehak and Zach Keen — who can return next season, but Tom said it depends on the players and Coach Joe Carbone, as well tracking the players on a day-to-day basis next spring
during Ohio’s season.
Despite Southern Ohio’s absence from postseason play this year, Tom is optimistic about next season.
“I’m just excited to get the recruiting process started again,” Tom said. “Learn what we did well and what we didn’t do well, where we can make improvements and try to make next summer a success.”
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