Richland Source will select one student athlete to be recognized as the Park National Bank Athlete of the Month during the 2023-24 school year. Nominations for Athlete of the Month are accepted from Athletic Directors and Coaches, but are ultimately chosen by Richland Source and are based on the student’s exceptional athletic performance, effective teamwork and achievement in their communities. Park National Bank is proud to support this initiative and is giving the athletic department of each school $1,000 in honor of each athlete chosen.
BELLVILLE — Everything Clear Fork baseball coach Gabe Kennedy already knew about Luke Schlosser was reaffirmed late last week.
The Colts had just been swept by Highland in a critical two-game Mid-Ohio Athletic Conference series, so Kennedy ordered a mandatory off-day to allow his players to clear their minds
It didn’t go as planned.
“I told our guys to take last Thursday off because they needed a mental day,” Kennedy said after Monday’s 2-1 win at Madison. “I had a teacher send me a text message and it said, ‘I just want to let you know every single one of your kids is hitting in the batting cage.’ Those are the type of kids we have and that is the type of kid Luke is.
“Luke is a dude who shows up every single day.”
The Colts (17-4, 8-4) are in the hunt for the MOAC title thanks in no small part to Schlosser. The hard-throwing left-hander is 6-1 with 67 strikeouts in 39 innings of work and boasts a team-best 1.62 earned run average. Offensively, he’s hitting .381 with six doubles, 24 runs scored and 14 runs batted in.
“I like hitting more, but I like pitching also because I can control more of the game,” Schlosser said. “I feel like I’m always going to give me team a chance to win.
His presence in the clubhouse is every bit as important as his production on the hill and at the plate.
“He’s a leader, on and off the field,” Kennedy said. “He doesn’t take days off.”
Three-Sport Standout
Schlosser’s work ethic extends well beyond the baseball diamond, where he was a Division II All-Ohio honorable mention selection as a utility player last spring. He batted .465 with 29 runs scored and 17 RBIs and was 4-0 with 53 strikeouts and a 3.42 ERA.
He was a two-time medalist at the Division II state wrestling tournament, finishing fourth at 165 pounds as a junior and sixth as a senior. He fashioned a career record of 136-50.
In addition to his baseball and wrestling exploits, Schlosser was an All-Ohio linebacker for the Colts as a junior after leading the team with 61 tackles. Clear Fork won an outright MOAC championship and reached the second round of the Division IV playoffs in 2022.
His senior season was cut short by a leg injury that required surgery and delayed the start of his wrestling season. He wasn’t able to get on the mat until mid-January, but still managed to reach the state podium for a second time.
“He had an unfortunate foot injury during the football season and finally was able to battle back from that injury and get into wrestling,” Kennedy said. “Then he places at the state wrestling tournament on a Sunday and the very next day he shows up at baseball practice. We told him he could take a day or two off, but he refused.
“As a coach what I’m most happy about is guys like Luke are setting the culture tone with attitude, effort and production.”
While football is widely considered the ultimate team sport, wrestling is largely an individual endeavor. Baseball, with its individual battles set in a team context, falls somewhere in between.
Do lessons learned in one sport translate to the others?
“For sure,” Schlosser said. “Mental preparation carries over. Just locking in.
“No matter what I’m doing, my goal is to be the best at it.”
Next Chapter
With high school graduation less than three weeks away, Schlosser already is looking to the future. He will wrestle at Campbellsville University, an NAIA school located in Campbellsville, Kentucky.
“They saw me at the state tournament and they hit me up. I went on a visit. I liked it a lot and they gave me a good offer so I took them up on it,” Schlosser said. “It felt very similar to where I’m at now and I kind of wanted to get away for college and be by myself.”
Campbellsville finished sixth at the NAIA Championships in March. Four Tigers earned All-America honors, including Willard High School graduate Shad Slone.
“The campus is great,” Schlosser said. “The coaches are great. The people on the team are great. They have a special program.”
Schlosser plans to major in business administration. He completed his high school requirements after his junior year at Clear Fork and was a full-time college student at Mount Vernon Nazarene University this year.
“I’ll be a sophomore when I get to Campbellsville,” he said.
Swan Song
Before he heads for Kentucky, Schlosser would like to put an exclamation point on his high school baseball career. The Colts are the No. 1 seed at the Division II Bluffton district and open tournament play at home May 17 against either Lima Bath or Elida.
Clear Fork was the top seed at the Fremont district last spring but fell to Bellevue in the sectional final.
“It kicked everyone in the butt,” Schlosser said of last year’s early postseason exit.
Seven of the 11 teams in the Bluffton district had records of .500 or better at the time of Sunday’s tournament draw.
“Everyone in our district is tough,” Kennedy said. “We’ve got to be ready to go.”
Is this a team that could make a run at a district title? Schlosser thinks so.
“This is one of the best teams I’ve been a part of with the attitude and effort,” Schlosser said. “I think the team is coming together.”
