‘The hit’: Talawanda senior breaks school’s career hit record

When he reached the dugout, his teammates congratulated him on his significant hit.

Tanner, who knew he was close to breaking the school’s career hit record, didn’t realize that hit broke the record.

“It was like, ‘What is happening here,’” he said. “It didn’t seem possible that I broke the record already.”

His teammate told him: “That was ‘the hit.’”

His coach, Matt Lykins, said when a pitcher is tossing a no-hitter, you leave them alone. No one mentions a possible no-hitter.

Same with breaking a school record.

“Just wanted him to focus on what he needed to focus on,” said Lykins, named the head coach in 2019.

With his triple, Tanner, a four-year starter, collected his 98th career hit, breaking the record set in 2013 by Nate Lynch.

Tanner started his senior season with 92 hits, then struggled in Florida during the five games the Braves lost to stiff competition, his coach said.

Talawanda has won three of the last four games and Tanner, a career .366 hitter, has returned to spraying the ball to all fields and using his speed to beat out infield hits.

“Really quick hands and a great eye,” is how Lykins described his No. 2 hitter. “He just always works on it. He hits after every game and all winter.”

Lykins, an English teach at Talawanda, remembers a conversation he had with Tanner his freshman year. He asked his coach what he had to do to start as a freshman.

“Keeping working hard,” Lykins told Tanner.

Now, Lykins admits “there never was a question” Tanner would play as a freshman. He played first base, then switched to shortstop the last three seasons.

The coach said he has known Tanner for several years, even before high school baseball. The coach’s son, Spencer, also is a senior on the team.

Tanner was introduced to athletics by his father, Ed. Tanner also played soccer and basketball, then concentrated on baseball.

“Nothing else fit,” he said.

He comes from an athletic family. His father played sports at Hamilton High School and his younger brother, Will, and sister, Sarah, play different sports.

He was asked whether he emulates his style of play after any Major League Baseball player. That brought a laugh on the other end of the phone.

“I’m my favorite baseball player,” he said. “I try to just be me. I can’t be Mike Trout (Los Angeles Angels all-star). I have to be Eddie Tanner.”

Hitting is a science that comes with more failures than successes, Tanner said. When he struggles at the plate, he reminds himself “to push through” and keep “grinding” at-bats.

He will continue his baseball career at Cedarville University, a private Christian school. He looks forward to attending daily chapel and not playing games on Sundays, two of the many religious principles at Cedarville.

“My faith is No. 1,” he said.

After going through the recruiting process, when some college coaches lied to him, Tanner said he felt comfortable at Cedarville and with the coaching staff.

Lykins believes that if Tanner’s baseball skills continue to improve he may get Division I offers after one or two seasons at Cedarville, a Division II school.

Even if that doesn’t happen, and Tanner graduates from Cedarville and pursues a career as a firefighter, “the world is going to be a good place with him in it,” his coach said.