High school baseball: David Wrice elevated to head coaching job at Open Door

When Open Door conducted its search for the school's next baseball coach it realized it didn't have far to look. Earlier this week the Patriots announced that David Wrice, Open Door's former middle school baseball coach, will take over the varsity program. "David started with us last year coaching middle school basketball and baseball," Patriots athletic director Jayson Arrell said. "He's a phenomenal guy and when this position came open he expressed a lot of interest in it. We interviewed a couple of different people, but David really stood out and we're excited for him to take over the program." Wrice, a 2001 Admiral King grad, was a three-sport standout for the Admirals, playing football and basketball in addition to baseball. He also played baseball at Lorain County Community College. "I played baseball most of my life and never really thought about being a head coach," Wrice said. "But this opportunity presented itself and I'm very grateful the Lord put me in the position that Open Door was able to hire me for the job." Wrice is also in his first year as a full-time teacher at the school. "As I got older I wanted to be in a position to help youth, not just in sports but in life in general," Wrice said. "That was a big part of it and the love of sports make it a lot easier to offer life lessons and help young men reach new heights." Although the Patriots struggled to a 3-19 record last spring, Open Door's baseball program has been one of the most consistent in the area with just that one non-winning season this decade. "The program has been really steady the last number of years," Arrell said. "To get someone in here where we don't have to take any steps back and we keep building was essential. David is going to do a great job of that. Because of the relationships he has with some of the guys from the classroom plus he coached some of the incoming freshman at the middle school level, he's already built some of that culture that he wants." The culture Wrice hopes to build will focus on preparing young men for battles on and off the diamond. "It about the culture and letting the kids know what comes first, and that is God and then their teammates and then the game," Wrice said. "We're going to build upon what they've learned in the past and help them put it to use and improve their skills. "I may not have gone as far as I would have liked in baseball as a player but I'm excited to be able to share my knowledge of baseball and help mold young players into men beyond high school. And hopefully we win some games, too." Contact Todd Shapiro at (440) 329-7135 or ctsports@chroniclet.com.