Cameron Juhasz and his fellow Northwood seniors came a long way in four years.

Juhasz started at first base as a freshman for the Rangers' baseball team in 2008, but that season didn't go exactly as planned.

“When we started off, we didn't have good chemistry and our record clearly showed that,” Juhasz recalled.

Times have changed.

The Rangers won a share of their second straight Toledo Area Athletic Conference title on Tuesday, while fourth-year coach Dave Russell was named the TAAC Coach of the Year. Northwood finished 19-5 and tied Toledo Christian for the conference championship.

Northwood senior Cameron Juhasz pitched a no-hitter in the title deciding game versus Toledo Christian Wednesday, but lost. If Northwood won the game, they would have won the TAAC title outright, but now share the championship. (Press photo by Don Thompson/picasweb.google.com/donrachael)

“These seven seniors have stuck with us the whole way through,” Russell said. “They bought into the system and worked hard during the season and in the offseason, and they really set the bar high for the kids coming up behind them. Their freshman year, we were horrible. Now they've won back-to-back titles and I don't think that's happened here since the mid-1980s.”

The Rangers clinched a share of the title with Tuesday's 3-2 win at Ottawa Hills. They played Toledo Christian for a chance to win it outright, but the host Eagles pulled out a 4-1 victory on Wednesday despite Juhasz's second career no-hitter.

Senior Jake Pressley (4-0, 1.04 ERA) earned the win over Ottawa Hills after pitching a six-hitter with three strikeouts and four walks.

“Jake pitched probably his best game of the year,” Russell said. “He really brought his 'A' game. I think they were expecting Juhasz, but I sat down with our pitching coach and said let's pitch Jake. He throws hard and we thought a good fastball hitter would give them trouble.”

Juhasz played a huge role defensively, robbing the Green Bears' Kyle Jarecki of a home run with the score tied 2-2 in the bottom of the sixth. Juhasz went over the top of the fence in left field to snag the fly ball.

“It stayed way up in the air and I thought it was gone,” Juhasz said. “I was lucky. It went in slow motion for me. That was a huge catch and it felt really good because I helped out my team and my pitcher.”

Northwood scored the game-winning run in the seventh when Nick Russell walked and later scored on a double by fellow sophomore John Segura.

The Rangers got behind early against Toledo Christian as Juhasz (3-2, 1.75 ERA), struggled with the strike zone. The left-hander finished with 13 strikeouts, but he had a season-high six walks including four in the first inning.

“He was having problems with the mound,” coach Russell said. “He couldn't get his footing. He came back and obviously pitched well.”

Northwood scored its only run in the first inning, when Nick Russell led off with a base hit, stole second and scored on a single by Segura.

“They have a good pitcher, (senior) Anthony Dodd, who pitched well,” coach Russell said. “He's a strong lefty who kept us on our front foot a little bit. When we hit it, we hit it right at people.”

Russell said the Rangers' demeanor was “subdued” after the loss, knowing they had to share the TAAC title with the Eagles.

“It was a two-step process this week and we got the first step down (on Tuesday),” the coach said. “We didn't want to share it. We didn't play real well (Wednesday). It was just one of those days. Cam pitched lights-out, but that first inning just killed us. We packed up our gear and went back to the school to let it sink in. We sat in the locker room for about 20 minutes and got their focus off the last game.”

Juhasz, who hit .381 with 18 RBI this season, said he wanted to win the title outright, “but sharing it with a good team like Toledo Christian doesn't bother me too much.”

“It's a great league and winning it two times in a row shows how good of a program we are and how far we've come,” Juhasz said. “I was hoping for a 20-win season, but I can't complain with how we did this year.”

Dave Russell thanked his players and assistant coaches, Rob Rohrs and John Segura Sr., for his being named TAAC Coach of the Year.

“It's great to get that honor,” he said. “I'm not really out for individual-type stuff. It's nice that your peers respect you, but I put that (award) on our program. That's a testament to them and their hard work and listening to what we tell them. I have one of the best staffs around. I can't ask for any more out of them.”

Nick Russell, a shortstop, earned first-team All-TAAC honors along with Juhasz. Russell batted .450 with two home runs and 18 RBI and led the team in doubles (9) and runs (35).

Sophomore right fielder John Segura batted a team-high .478 with 20 RBI, senior third baseman Tyler Johnson hit .415 and sophomore infielder Justin Rohrs hit .373 with four homers and a team-high 23 RBI. Senior DH Ben Wilson, who missed seven games due to an arm injury, also hit four home runs.

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