Former Bellefontaine, Marysville, and Lehman coach Mark Brunswick will be inducted into the OHSBCA hall of fame, class of 2026.
If you asked Mark Brunswick the right way he would tell you eventually that his best body of work is behind him…29 years as teacher and baseball coach at Bellefontaine High School
Then a brief tenure at Marysville High School.
And most recently, he served along with Dave King as the coach at Lehman High School while holding down the position of athletic director.
It takes patience…”My dad would stand out there for hours teaching kids the grip for the curve, or how to field a ground ball.” – former Lehman baseball coach, Mark Brunswick
He amassed in excess of 500 wins during that time, made appearances in the OHSAA state Final Four with his Bellefontaine team in 2004 and ’06, and frankly, should have been luckier along the way. Because, halls of fame are full of guys who were good at what they did; but they all tell you…you have to be lucky, too.
He had good players during his time at Bellefontaine, notably Chris Walden, a first team All-Ohio pitcher who went on to pitch in the Southeast Conference for Kentucky before transferring to Wright State.
And Brunswick’s teams were always technically sound, playing in a highly competitive Central Buckeye Conference during the height of competition from Kenton Ridge, Springfield Shawnee, and Tipp City.
He came by his technical bent honestly. Brunswick grew up in Coldwater, the son of hall of fame and five-time state champion Lou Brunswick, and was a fine catcher for the Cavaliers before being taken by the New York Mets in the third round of the 1984 draft.
He played four seasons as a catcher in the Mets organization before leaving professional baseball in 1987 to follow dad Lou as an educator and high school coach.
Would he consider going back to coaching?
“I miss it, but it would have to be the right job at the right time,” he said recently. He left Lehman as coach and AD at the end of the 2025 school year.
“It takes patience. My dad would stand out there for hours teaching kids the grip for the curve, or how to field a ground ball.”
And amateur baseball – high school baseball – needs coaches with his kind of pedigree, and that of his fellow inductees in next year’s OHSBCA class of 2026. They include: Tim Broskie (Columbus Whetstone), Brent Renollet (Defiance Tinora), John Sarver (Akron Buchtel, and Hoban), and Kevin Yoder (Berlin Hiland).
Our congratulations to Mark Brunswick as he suits up with the best team he’s ever been privileged to join.
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