The umpire gave Miller a brand new ball because he thought Miller's outing deserved a memento.

Reno looked around Lou Berliner Sports Park in Columbus on the morning of the final day of the event, and it felt like he had the best team.

"We're going to mess around and win this," he said. "I saw the look in the boys' eyes. It's the best we've played all year. We won three big ones Sunday. We know what they did; the coaches know. They don't. They came together and bonded, and they had each other's back and picked each other up.

"They don't realize what a state championship means and how big the state is with these Columbus and Cincinnati teams. They're 10; they don't grasp that. They just played baseball, and everything came together."

The Hitmen, however, finished much better than they started. They lost 13-2 by run rule in the first pool play matchup.

"The boys were ready, but the game started and there was no life," Reno said. "I told them, 'If that's the effort, why am I here?' They took that message to the hotel, and they were a totally different team."

The Hitmen roster includes Brooks Opelt (Fremont), Benjamin Riggs (Old Fort), Bentley Hill (Fremont), Erik Keaton (Genoa), Daxton Reno (Helena) and Xavier Hartsel (Old Fort).

Reno appreciates the support he gets when players are at home.

"It takes all 11 families involved in this team to buy in and trust the coaching staff," he said. "All it takes is one parent to say something negative, and that can get into the dugout and spread quickly and destroy the team chemistry and create division.

"A lot of credit has to go out to these parents for not only raising great young men but trusting the coaches even when we make mistakes. We have nothing but top-notch families involved in this team."

The Ohio Five Tool event is the largest state tournament in the U.S., drawing hundreds of teams. There are dozens of teams in single age brackets (ranging from 8U to 18U) across multiple divisions. They've had a month or so to prepare as the weather warms.

"You show up with the best teams in the state, and you know you have to take care of business," Reno said. "It's something the boys will always remember. They're starting to get it. Discipline and hard work and listening to coaches; they see the benefits.

"The goal is to turn them into good men one day."

mhorn@gannett.com

This article originally appeared on Fremont News-Messenger: Ohio Hitmen win biggest state baseball tourney in nation