Midway Panthers playing for Texas state title on the heels of coach’s 400th win

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WACO, Texas (KWTX) - Midway High School’s head baseball coach just recorded his 400th career win, but it’s victory number 403 that would be the biggest of Eddie Cornblum’s 25-year high school coaching career as the Midway Panthers play for a state title Saturday.

“I’m enjoying it,” Cornblum said. “I’m not going to lie about that.”

Cornblum, 54, is quick to credit his players for this year’s success as it would be Midway’s first baseball state title since 2005 and just second in program history. It would also be the first state title for a coach who has spent 25 years in high school dugouts across Central Texas.

“I get to say I’m going to Round Rock,” Cornblum told KWTX. “I’m excited but I try not to make this ever about me. It’s about these guys getting to do this but there’s a lot of emotional ties. I have a lot of friends who have been able to do this and just to say, maybe, I’m in the same company as them or share the same experiences is pretty cool for me.”

Cornblum grew up in San Diego where his college baseball career started before transferring to UMHB in Belton where he played catcher and outfield from 1992-1994.

He took his first coaching job in 1999 as an assistant baseball coach at Temple High School where he coached until 2003.

During this time, he also owned Homerun Alley in Temple and Hewitt, an indoor practice facility.

Cornblum’s next coaching stop was Belton High School where he started as an assistant in 2003.

In 2008, he became the head coach at Belton where he stayed until 2016, winning five district championships.

That same year, the head coaching job at Midway became available and Cornblum knew he’d love to be part of such a storied program.

He took the job with a goal in mind to keep on winning.

“They’ve been so good for long, so just keep it steady and bring excitement to the program,” Cornblum said. “Just win. I’ve always wanted to go somewhere where the expectation is to win and win at the highest level.”

His game plan fit right in with the Panthers.

Cornblum has won seven district titles at Midway and never missed the playoffs in his nine years at the helm, but he also had a hard time getting past that dreaded third round.

“Unfortunately, it’s not fun to talk about,” Cornblum said. “I have a couple of friends I’ve gone against in the third round. I won’t name the Rockwalls. I won’t talk about that. Yes, they got me. They owned me a little bit, but I can say now that’s in the past.”

This season, the Panthers beat Conroe to advance past the third round for the first time in Cornblum’s career at Midway.

That win led to Cornblum notching his 400th win against Klein Cane 9-8 in an extra inning at Baylor Ballpark May 23 in the next round.

The Panthers then beat Prosper to advance to the state title game Saturday.

Last year’s squad had 18 seniors and this year, 16.

Cornblum said no one was betting on them.

“To say that people thought this would happen, nobody counted on us,” he said. “We were not even mentioned as district champs. We were in no rankings at the beginning of the year. We started off 6-6 to start the season so we had a little bump the first games of district against Harker heights and that kind of propelled us into 20 something straight wins and a playoff run. So, it’s kind of been fun to watch.”

Cornblum says despite all the excitement he’s trying to step back a bit and let the players play the game adding it’s a special group unlike any he’s coached before.

“They’re unique. They are. I don’t know exactly what it is and why it’s different, but they are unique, and they have a passion to them and a fight to them that I’ve never been before in any group I’ve had, and I’ve had some good teams.”

The last time Midway won state, they were 4A.

The longtime coach says his players are ready and thrilled to be one game away from the first state title in two decades.

“How can you not be, right? You’re getting to play on the biggest stage and the final game,” Cornblum said. “I’m just happy to be in the dugout with them.”

Midway will take on Atascocita for the 6A Division 1 State Championship at Dell Diamond in Round Rock Saturday with the first pitch at 4 p.m.