High school baseball: Columbia's Kody Hall has pitched his way into state record books

It took just 24 days for Columbia senior Kody Hall to accomplish the improbable when it comes to high school baseball. Hall etched his name into the state record books when he threw back-to-back no-hitters April 5 and April 10, then completed the hat trick by throwing a third no-hitter April 29. "He's actually got two records in the state of Ohio with the consecutive no-hitters and having the three (in one season)," Raiders coach Dan Durante said. "It's so freaking awesome. It's wild … no doubt about it." Hall began playing baseball at just 3 years old when his grandfather talked his mother into signing him up for T-ball. He continued to play in recreational leagues — enjoying both playing with his friends and winning multiple championships — and his love for the sport grew. The level of competition took a steep upward turn when he began playing school ball. "Oh, yeah, there were a bunch of struggles here and there and it was definitely more competitive," Hall said. "It was more of a grind and you wanted to show that you can be there for your team." Hall continued to improve as he played for Columbia. While he wasn't dishing out no-hitters every few turns on the mound, the potential he's reached as a senior was there the past few seasons. "The kid is freaking lights out and I knew it last year," Durante said. "Hell, even his sophomore year he was on the mound at Tri-C against Holy Name, and that year Holy Name was legit. The dude was dealing and he pitched eight innings and he was all over them. I'm like, 'This kid is going to be one, no doubt about it.' So he was dealing as a sophomore and we kind of knew that he was going to be the next one up and coming." While the skills on the mound have continued to sharpen over his high school career, it was during Hall's matchup in a preseason scrimmage a few months ago that showed Durante his ace had more than just physical prowess. "I kind of threw him to the wolves against Brunswick and they hit back-to-back home runs, and another kid hit one so he had three home runs hit on him in two innings," Durante said. "All I wanted to see was how he was going to handle it mentally. He did not flinch. I go, 'This is it. This is what I wanted to see.' I'm hoping that every one of my best players can go into an early game like that and get three home runs hit on them and I can see how they react. That's everything I want to see. The kid has the mental intangibles of being able to be rattled and be able to handle failure." With physical abilities and mental strength in tow, Hall started his remarkable run at Garfield Heights, where he shined on the mound as Columbia rolled to a 13-0 victory. Five days later, he was again untouchable as the Raiders blanked Lorain County League rival Wellington, 6-0. "I get fired up and like to have energy right out of the gate," Hall said. "In those games I was able to keep that same energy going and it just went from there. My team helped me in the field when I needed them to back me up. It was actually amazing. Just to get one (no-hitter) in high school is actually pretty sweet. I mean a lot of people have gotten them, but just to have one … it's kind of cool." A few weeks later, Hall found himself in a familiar position. Columbia was locked into a tight LCL matchup with Firelands and Hall was piling up innings while the Falcons were amassing zero hits. "I wasn't really thinking about (the no-hitter) much," Hall said. "None of my teammates came up to me to say I had one going on, possibly jinxing it, everyone kept their mouth shut and it just kept going. My teammates were once again there for me and my coaches were behind me to support me." Columbia ended up winning 1-0 and Hall had another no-hitter to add to his resume. "Going into the season, I didn't think I'd actually even have one," said Hall, who said they were the first three no-hitters of his career. "It actually blows my mind that I've had three this season. It shows how much work I've put in and my team, too — they've played a big role in helping me get those three this year." The postseason expectations are through the roof for Columbia and Hall, who wouldn't mind adding another big performance during the last few days of his high school career. "We're really looking forward to winning that sectional final," he said. "And getting back to the district semis … our goal is to win the district final. But first we have to get through one of our toughest conference opponents in Black River (in the Division III district semifinals) and they're pretty tough. So we're going to take it day by day and put in all the work we hopefully can to pull out the win." Durante again pointed to the mental toughness Hall has shown as one of the big reasons he has faith his senior will be able to step up and lift the Raiders during the toughest moments of the postseason. "He may get roughed up in a tournament game but he's going to be able to handle it and grind and know that nobody's better than I can put on the mound than him," the coach said. "Pretty much any situation — two guys on with nobody out, bases loaded, 3-0 counts — the dude is still locked in. That's what I want to see. That's how Columbia handles itself." The breakout season has also caught the eyes of college programs but Durante said Hall isn't really interested in that post-graduation route. The coach mentioned Local 38 several times when describing both Hall's grit and his decision to get to work right after high school. "As of right now, I'm just trying to start my life as an electrician," Hall said. "But it was a childhood dream of mine to play college baseball so if coaches reach out to me I'd listen to what they have to say and what they can offer me maybe, and maybe I could choose a path to play college baseball. I guess I'm open to anything." Contact Shaun Bennett at (440) 329-7137 or sbennett@chroniclet.com. Like him on Facebook and follow him @ShaunBennettct on X.