CINCINNATI — The Harrison High School baseball team is in uncharted territory.
With a win over Anderson last week, the Wildcats claimed the first regional championship in program history.
"This is one of the coolest moments I've ever experienced," head coach Ben Toerner said moments after the win.
Prior to the season, the letters 'DJ' were stitched into all of Harrison's baseball hats. Those letters represent the initials of a man who spent decades coaching, teaching and impacting lives in the Harrison community: Don Jostworth.
Jostworth died in August 2025 at the age of 74. His oldest grandson, Nicholas Hrnyak, is a junior on Harrison's baseball team.
"He's touched so many people's lives and helped so many people," said Hrnyak. "Whether he was a principal or a coach, he's just helped so many people."
WATCH: How the Harrison baseball team went on an improbable run
This season was the first one without Jostworth in the stands.
"I knew if I had a bad game, he'd be there to help me through it, tell me what I was doing wrong," said Hrnyak. "If I had a good game, he'd be there to celebrate with me."
Tucker Ward is a senior on the baseball team and good friends with Hrnyak. He was also close with Jostworth.
Ward reached out to Toerner before the season, asking if they could honor Jostworth this season.
"I kind of broke down a little bit when the idea came into my head," Ward said. "He meant more to me than I knew, until he wasn't here anymore."
Toerner quickly agreed that they should honor him.
"I wanted to make sure that, no matter what we did this year — even if we lost in the first round, or didn’t win a single game — he was with us," said Ward.
Harrison's regular season record was 10-10, not the type of season that typically leads to a deep postseason run. But that didn't stop them.
In the regional championship game against Anderson, Harrison trailed 2-1 in the fifth inning.
Hrnyak stood on second base, representing the go-ahead run.
Anderson nearly pulled off a double-play to end the inning, but couldn't complete it. Instead, the ball got loose, and Hrnyak took off toward home plate.
"It happened fast, but it felt like it was slow motion," Toerner said.
Hrnyak stepped on home plate, giving Harrison a 3-2 lead. The Wildcats went on to win 6-3.
"He's definitely watching. It's crazy," said Ward.
It's the first regional title in program history.
"All of the guys in that dugout, wearing 'DJ' on their hat, watched Nicholas cross the plate," Toerner said.
The grandson of the man whose initials they wear scored the go-ahead run in the regional final.
"You can say what you want about that — whether you believe it's something extra or not — but we think it is," Hrnyak said.
Harrison will play a state semifinal game Friday at 4 p.m. in Canton. It will be the first state semifinal appearance in program history.
