Today, Strasburg veteran head coach Bud Weisgarber will lead the Tigers into the state softball tournament for the 16th time in program history.
It may be the most rewarding.
The No. 3-ranked Tigers (22-5) have had to overcome plenty of adversity as they go up against Defiance Tinora (17-6) in a Division IV state semifinal at Akron's Firestone Stadium with the first pitch set for 3 p.m.
"It's very possible," said Weisgarber when asked if this was the most rewarding team he has ever coached. He has been the only head coach in the 34-year history of the program.
"I know it means a lot to me and it means a lot to the kids. They had to start to believe in themselves and when they did, everything pulled together."
The adversity began in October when longtime assistant coach Rick Clark passed away from cancer.
Not long after that, Weisgarber had open heart surgery and lost part of leg, foot and fingers after suffering an allergic reaction to medicine.
All told, he was hospitalized until February.
He vowed to return to coaching and did so when the 2018 season kicked off in March.
Throw in inclement weather for the first half of the season, which added to the Tigers tough start and a trip to the final four looked unlikely.
But Strasburg players banded together and started to play like a typical Tiger team, and here they are on the cusp of an eighth state championship.
"We've had to deal with a lot of adversity this year," said Weisgarber. "Rick was just the kind of guy everybody loved and we miss him. And then I had my problems when I went into the hospital in October and didn't come out until February. It took awhile for the kids to acclimate themselves to me and my handicaps and for me to accept it myself. When I finally started accepting everything, I started to be the SOB I've always been."
"The kids have dealt with the challenges really well," Weisgarber added. "Emma Clark (Rick's daughter) is having a supurb year with 11 home runs and batting .460."
Weisgarber pinpointed the game in which the Tigers started to turn things around.
"The switch came on at the Wendy's Classic against Miamisburg," recalled Weisgarber. "We were down big the whole game and came back and won. At that point, they started believing in themselves. They just keep fighting. They don't quit. They're going to fight for seven innings."
And maybe double that.
Strasburg outlasted regional nemesis Portsmouth Clay 5-4 in 15 innings last week to reach the regional title tilt.
"That was an incredible game," said Weisgarber. "Like I said before, those kids don't quit fighting."
The Tigers will face a Defiance Tinora team that will be playing in the state tournament for the first time in the history of the school founded in 1965.
"They're gonna be pumped up," Weisgarber said of the Rams. "We don't know a whole lot about them since they are so far away, but when you get to this level there aren't any bad teams."
Defiance Tinora head coach Gary Rodenberger admits that he doesn't know that much about the 2018 Strasburg team, but said he knows the Tigers' reputation.
"They are a traditional final four team," said Rodenberger. "I think they hold the record in D-4 for appearances (16)."
The Tigers are also third all-time across all divisions with seven titles. Only Akron Springfield (nine) and North Canton Hoover (eight) have more.
"They have a longtime coach who has done an outstanding job there, an outstanding pitcher (Zoey Thomas) and they can hit the ball," said Rodenberger. "We don't see teams from that area often, but we respect them and we just want to compete the best we can."
"We've worked our way to this point, and we're very excited and honored to be going to the state tournament," said Rodenberger. "We're going to approach it like any other game. It's just going be a long away game. Hopefully, we'll come out on the right end."
The Rams have won their last three tournament games in one-run affairs, so they are battle tested.
"Our girls understand we only need one more run than our opponent at the end of the day," said Rodenberger. "As coach, you'd like more, but these girls have shown that if you persevere and play to the last out you can get it done with one run and that's what we've done."
The Tigers or Rams will face No. 1 Hillsdale or No. 10 Bradford Saturday at 4 p.m. for a state championship in Akron.
Reach Roger at 330-364-8427 or
roger.metzger@timesreporter.com
On Twitter: @TRSportsguy