Mike Shaheen, who has a deep Canton South background, is the high school’s new head baseball coach.
Shaheen, 42, was an outfielder and pitcher for the Wildcats when they set a school record for wins and captured a 6-5 thriller over Central Catholic in the 2002 OHSAA Division II district finals.
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Shaheen played for head coach Rocky Bourquin. His dad, Joe, played for Tim Miller, a program icon who spent 25 years as the Wildcats’ skipper.
Mike Shaheen suffered a serious injury in an outfield collision in his senior year of 2003 but came back to play for a South team that fell in the tournament to eventual state runner-up Central Catholic.
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His mom, Lori (Horst) Shaheen, was valedictorian of Canton South’s Class of 1974. His grandfather and great uncles operated an iconic Canton Township business, Bolivar Road Variety Store.
He has spent 18 years as a special education teacher in Akron Public Schools, and hopes to become a Canton Local faculty member at some point. He and his wife Meagan have maintained a residence in Canton Township with their sons Landon and Silas, who attend Canton Local Schools.
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Shaheen has worked as an assistant baseball coach in the Perry and Canton South systems and spent five seasons as head varsity coach at Akron Garfield.
He said the chance to be South’s head coach makes this an exciting time for his family.
Shaheen played in and is familiar with Canton South’s youth feeder program and said he will familiarize himself with the high school roster as he puts his program in place. The strong teams he played on regarded teammates as “brothers,” and he said he will strive to build a strong team culture.
“Canton South has always been home, and having the opportunity to lead the baseball program is truly special,” Shaheen said. “I’m excited to build a competitive program centered on hard work, accountability and Wildcat pride while helping our student-athletes grow both on and off the field.”
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In announcing Shaheen’s appointment, Canton South Athletic Director Joe Bogdan said in a statement:
“We are excited to welcome Coach Shaheen back. As a graduate, experienced coach and educator, he understands what it means to be a Wildcat. His commitment to developing young people and building a positive team culture makes him a great fit for our baseball program.”
The Canton Repository sports department can be contacted via email at sports@cantonrep.com.
This article originally appeared on The Repository: New Canton South baseball coach played for record-setting Wildcat team
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