Bowerston, OH- Heading into the 2023/24 college baseball season, the Kent State Tuscarawas Golden Eagles were experiencing an identity crisis. Coming off a 2-7 season with only 11 players on the roster, KSU needed to find some consistency. Enter Cole Morozek, a serial winner and program developer at the high school, travel, and collegiate levels.

Even before Morozek began coaching, his baseball prowess was clear. According to the Kent State Tuscarawas athletic website, he received offers from 56 different colleges to play baseball. In the end, the call from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, was too strong to ignore, prompting Morozek to commit to play for LSU. However, an ACL tear derailed his career not just with the Tigers, but also with Mercyhurst and Herkimer Community College.

For many, this would be the end of the road in baseball. However, Morozek decided to pave his own path in the sport. At the high school level, he guided Cuyahoga Falls to its first-ever sectional title. Beyond that, he was the mastermind behind two travel baseball organizations, the Summit County Gamecocks and the Ohio Tigers.

In four years with the Gamecoks, Morozek guided the organization to 151 total wins. Five tournament championships and six semifinals later, it is safe to say success was synonymous with the Summit County organization. In 2016, the Ohio Tigers came into existence. During the organization’s lifetime, it had plenty of success in the Ohio Prospects League, including a near-perfect 2024 season, which saw its lone loss come in the championship game against Premier Ohio Anderson 16U.

Before making his way to Tuscarawas County, Morozek coached Ohio State at Mansfield. Starting as an associate coach, he worked his way up to becoming the head coach. During his time at OSU, he oversaw a group with a .345 batting average and a .961 fielding percentage.

“I feel like I’ve always been what’s called a program builder,” remarked Morozek following a double-header win over Penn State Fayette during the 2025/26 season.

The program building he referred to began in year one with the Golden Eagles. From 2-7 to 9-19, a seven-game improvement for KSU. Fast-forward to this season, Braydon Maine, Caleb Salgado, and Caleb Campbell are the only three players left on the roster from that group. To take it a step further, Campbell is the only player currently rostered who was on the 2-9 team.

Looking into the recruitment, Coach Morozek hasn’t been afraid to leave the state of Ohio. Nevada, Maryland, Tennessee, Florida, Idaho, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Texas all have representation on the roster. Beyond the United States, the Netherlands had representation on last year’s roster. Still, Coach Morozek knows it is a tough task to get players down to KSU Tuscarawas, stating,

“It’s not easy getting people down to Tuscarawas County, but the vision is coming along nicely.”

One of the biggest additions from the 2024/25 season was Jeremy Patchett. After two seasons with Delaware Technical Community College, Patchett opted for a change of scenery. This began with the 2024 Western Reserve Collegiate League season. The WRCL, a summer league based in Northeast Ohio, has been a staple among college baseball players in the area for a couple of decades. Patchett played his only season in the league for a long time under Premier Ohio coach Dan Wisniewski. In part, this was set up by Coach Morozek.

Fast forward to the end of his junior season, Patchett would be named an honorable mention All-American. With a .390 average, 26 RBI’s, and 3 HR’s, his inclusion as an All-American was a no-brainer.

Heading to Texas, the saying goes that everything is bigger there. The impacts of Cayden Castillo and Wyatt Bohannon more than validate this. In the wins over Penn State Fayette at home on March 8th, the two Texans took home ‘SmeeSports Player of the Game’ honors.

In game one, Castillo pitched six innings, allowing one earned run on three hits and 10 strikeouts en route to his first win of the year. This was only the second time in his young career that he had double-digit strikeouts. The first time? March 8th, 2024.

“Very simple, Cayden Castillo can play this game for as long as he wants,” remarked Coach Morozek. “He’s a tremendous kid.”

With performances like this, the sophomore has become a fan-favorite in Tuscarawas County. So far this season, Castillo has a 6.75 ERA. Compared to last year’s 9.55 ERA, he is on the right track.

As for Bohannon, the freshman from Alvarado, Texas, has been the muscle of the offense. So far, he has hit four home runs while batting .400. Beyond that, he has driven in 19 runs and is currently on a six-game hit streak. Bohannon is thriving in Tuscarawas, and the culture around the Golden Eagles has helped. In his words, he said:

“We really love each other and are for each other. We all want each other to win, and it’s just an absolute culture. It’s what we’ve been building during the offseason, and now, this is just the fun part. We grind every day for practice, so coming out here [to play] is the easy part. This is what we live for.”

That absolute culture Bohannon talked about doesn’t stop with the team; it extends to the fans. If there is a home game at Conotton Valley, the fans are there. If they play on the road, the fans are there. Plain and simple, the parents support their kids and have created a great fanbase around KSU Tuscarawas.

It speaks volumes that the parents not only fed the players and coaches of the Golden Eagles, but also those of Penn State Fayette between games on March 8th. In fact, they fed our on-site crew as well.

Kent State Tuscarawas (11-9) begins a four-game home stretch on Saturday, hosting Penn State Beaver at 12 PM and 3 PM. Then, Penn State Shenango comes to Bowerston on Tuesday for a doubleheader at 11 AM and 1 PM.

To take a 2-7 team and create a group that can compete against anyone on any given day is impressive. Beyond that, this team set a program record, scoring 28 runs in their 28-6 win over Ohio Valley Community College. That is exactly what Coach Morozek has done. From transfers to strong recruiting, the core is in place for the Golden Eagles.

Every baseball season, a new team tends to stand out as a ‘story of the season.’ Last Spring, Tri-C’s 41-game win streak put them on the map. In the Summer, John Carter’s Cleveland Baseball Federation took the 17U and 18U tournament circuits by storm. Now, this Spring, it is Kent State Tuscarawas’ turn to put themselves and USCAA on the map.

Watch KSU Tuscarawas Vs Penn State Shenango Game 1: https://www.youtube.com/live/aJonjJ7eVEA?si=aIYOvd8ZKksZjVzb

Watch KSU Tuscarawas Vs Penn State Shenango Game 2: https://www.youtube.com/live/NHOJFqfYuXo?si=2fxCGtoAXHrNhFRt

Rewatch KSU Tuscarawas Vs OVCC: https://www.youtube.com/live/gPUi2-4KMWY?si=_BbuFQlrzs267T2d