The Standard That Endures

VANDALIA — There is a phrase posted around the Butler baseball program this season.

Work Wins.

It is not flashy. It is not provocative. And inside the Butler program, it is not a slogan as much as it is a reminder — of how things have been done here for a long time.

Before the Aviators became an annual fixture among the area’s elite, before records and rankings and championship conversations, the work came first. The kind of work that doesn’t always show up on a scoreboard. The kind that happens in workouts, practices, constructive conversations, and quiet repetition.

That work is the responsibility of the coaching staff. And at Butler, it runs deep.

Across the Varsity, JV-A, and JV-B teams, Butler has assembled one of the most experienced, cohesive, and respected coaching staffs in the region. It is a group built not on turnover or convenience, but on commitment — to the program, to the players, and to each other.

“It is a phenomenal group of talented coaches,” head coach Trent Dues said.

This winter, that work is being recognized beyond the Aviators’ dugout. Long time assistant coach Mike “Bardo” Bardonaro will be honored as the Phoenix Bats OHSBCA Assistant Coach of the Year at the Ohio High School Baseball Coaches Clinic in Columbus on January 22nd.

Matt Roberts is being recognized as the Miami Valley Baseball Coaches Association Assistant Coach of the Year on February 1st in Fairborn. Last year, Mike Schilling was inducted into the Miami Valley Coaches Hall of Fame.

Those honors reflect individual excellence. But inside the Butler baseball program, they are viewed as something larger — affirmation of a standard that has been upheld daily, often without outside attention.

“We are very lucky to have this veteran quality of coaching on our staff,” Dues said.

That experience anchors the program. Schilling’s Hall of Fame career speaks to a lifetime spent teaching the game the right way. Bardonaro and Roberts have become synonymous with preparation, accountability, and detail — the traits that turn talented teams into contending ones.

Around them is a group that continues to grow the program forward. Varsity assistants John Myers, Dusty Lewis, and Shawn Grider bring energy and perspective to a staff that values both tradition and evolution.

“We are also blessed to have quality younger coaches to round out our varsity staff,” said Dues.

That same balance extends throughout Butler baseball. Veteran coaches Taylor Fisher and Doug Herzog guide the JV-A team, while younger coaches Bitty Hendricks and Derek Whip lead JV-B.

Development is not an afterthought here. It is part of the design.

Professional player Damon Dues adds another layer, spending his offseason sharing his experience with Butler players — reinforcing that learning never stops, regardless of level.

“I can’t imagine a better staff of coaches at the high school level,” Dues said.

What makes the group special is not just the resumes, or even the awards. It is in the passion and the time. The hours. The consistency. The shared understanding of what Butler baseball is supposed to be.

“These guys put countless hours into our program and is a huge reason for the success we have had,” Dues said. “Not only that but we are a band of brothers that makes our time together even more special.”

That bond shows itself in small ways — in how practices are run, in how players respond to instruction, in how success is handled without excess. It is the product of a staff that values work over recognition.

“I could never thank this staff enough for their time, energy and the great bond we have created,” Dues said.

Work Wins may read like a simple phrase. At Butler, it is a reflection of a coaching staff that has spent decades proving it true — one practice, one player, and one season at a time.