Beloved Cambridge American Legion baseball coach Ron Antill dies at 78

CAMBRIDGE — Guernsey County lost one of its true treasures with the passing of Ron Antill on Friday, November 28, 2025 at the age of 78 after a brief illness.

Antill has been the heartbeat of local baseball in Guernsey County for the last 37 years, having positively impacting countless young people by volunteering his time coaching various leagues from Biddy League, Little League, Babe Ruth and then spearheaded keeping American Legion baseball alive in Guernsey County.

Last summer the American Legion baseball program celebrated its 70th anniversary of being offered to young ball players in Guernsey County. And as part of the celebration the two community minded men in Antill and the late Don Coss who started the Cambridge American Legion baseball program received some well-deserved recognition.

For the first 35 years, it was Coss who spearheaded the local program and got it started in the area. And for the next 35 years Antill carried the heavy load of keeping the program going strong.

To recognize a major sponsorship the Cambridge Post 84 team received a name change to Cambridge/Belle Valley Post 84/641.

Then during pregame ceremony before last season's home opener, Don Coss Field received a name update to recognize and honor Antill's hard work and dedication to keep the program going strong.

Cambridge mayor Tom Orr, who helped start the project, was in attendance last year to announce the new name of the facility which will now be known as Don Coss Field at Ron Antill Stadium to fittingly honor the two Cambridge baseball icons.

More: Long-time Legion manager Ron Antill recognized for years of service

Antill started on his Post 84 career back in 1989 as a member of his good friend the late Don Coss's coaching staff, before being handed the reigns from Coss the next season in 1990.

Antill remained at the helm of the Post 84 program up to the present day with a career record of 831-519 (1990-2023) entering last season as manager of Cambridge Post 84. Included in that total is five District 11 championships with five berths to the Ohio American Legion State tournament (1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2013). The 2000 squad collected a pair of wins in the state tournament, finishing in sixth place with a 36-12 final record and setting a record for most wins in a season in Post 84 history.

Antill's many contributions to the youth of the Cambridge community along with his wife of 55 years Judy, son Jimmy and the entire Antill family will be greatly missed.

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This article originally appeared on The Daily Jeffersonian: Guernsey County, Cambridge baseball icon Ron Antill dies at 78