Central Division
Last year’s standings
Division Overall
Centerville 8-2 19-6
Northmont 7-3 23-7
Fairmont 6-4 21-11
Beavercreek 4-6 13-11
Wayne 3-7 11-13
Springfield 2-8 13-14
Springfield
Head coach: Rob Cassell, second season.
Last season: Lost 14-13 to Piqua in first round of D-I sectional.
Returning players: Seniors — Trent Elliott, RHP/IF; Jordan Moore, LHP/CF (.488, 22 RBIs, 20 SBs); B.J. Bush, RHP/IF (.329); Austin Bailey, RHP/C (.275). Juniors — Trey DePriest, IF/OF (.439, 26 RBIs); Jimmy Powell, LHP/OF (.400, 26 RBIs). Sophomore – Titus Montgomery, LHP/OF (.250).
Newcomers: Seniors — Landon Prendergast, IF; Adam Cassada, OF; Tony Jones, OF. Juniors — Kenny Dixon, P/IF; Brandon Short, RHP/IF; Josh Buck, P/C/IF; Trent Davenport, RHP/IF; Jalen Wood, IF; Marcus Roberts, P/IF. Sophomore — L.J. Grayson, RHP/IF/OF.
FYI: Moore made the Springfield News-Sun All-Area First Team and was named Clark County Co-Player of the Year by the county coaches. He has signed with the United States Air Force Academy. ... Powell and DePriest made the All-Area Second Team.
Coach’s quote: “We lost five seniors to graduation last year and return six starters. I’m excited about all the new faces competing for starting positions right now. The competition in practice has been aggressive and enthusiastic. Our emphasis has been on defensive fundamentals, which should make us better for this upcoming season.”
Central Buckeye Conference
Kenton Trail Division
Last year’s standings
League Overall
Kenton Ridge 14-2 24-6
Tippecanoe 13-3 21-7
Bellefontaine 12-3 22-6
Tecumseh 7-9 11-16
Shawnee 6-10 10-16
Stebbins 2-13 2-18
Kenton Ridge
Head coach: Aaron Shaffer, third season.
Last season: Lost 8-2 to Franklin in D-II district final.
Returning players: Seniors — Derek Toadvine, SS/P (.343, 18 SBs); Brandon Payton, 3B (.355, 27 RBIs); Brandon Hube, RF (.444, 28 RBIs); Dalton Lingo, RHP (5-1, 2.68 ERA); Michael Bennett, OF; Andy Silvers, 1B; Jonathan McDuffie, RHP/1B (5-1, .305); Jake Lawson, OF. Junior — Luke Mamer, RHP/OF (6-2, 1.86 ERA, .333).
Newcomers: Juniors — John McKinney, C; Cory Evans, 2B; Kyle Powell, RHP/IF; Jeff Tiffner, OF; Drew Reynolds, C. Sophomore — Curtis Lininger, P.
FYI: The Cougars lost All-Area Player of the Year Randon McNeil to graduation. ... Mamer and Hube made All-Area First Team, and Toadvine made Second Team.
Coach’s quote: “We’ve got eight seniors coming back, and out of those eight, five or six have been three-year starters for us. As far as experience, we’ve got a veteran group coming back. We’ve got a lot of good leadership.”
Shawnee
Head coach: Andy DeWitt, second season.
Last season: Lost 5-1 to Bellefontaine in second round of D-II sectional.
Returning players: Seniors — Zach Flint, IF/RHP (.325, 14 RBIs); Cory McGinnis, IF/RHP; Sam Seibert, RHP/IF (3.36 ERA); Kedrick Schliep, LHP/OF. Juniors — Jordan Hellwig, OF/IF; Ben Rowland, OF/IF; Xavier Jordan, OF (.411, 19 RBIs); Trevor Brown, IF.
Newcomers: Juniors — David Dillahunt, IF; Eddie Hoecker, RHP/IF; Kyle Kenley, RHP/IF; Luke Gordin, RHP/OF. Sophomores — Michael Beedy, C; Ryan Fisher, RHP/IF, Nick Costa, IF; Deric Hellwig, P/OF. Freshman— Andrew Young, C/IF.
FYI: Jordan made the All-Area Second Team and finished third in the area in hitting.
Coach’s quote: “I am very happy with the attitudes and the hard work the guys have put in thus far. Pitching is definitely an area of concern. With only four seniors this year and a few early injuries, the door is open for some younger guys to step in and contribute.”
Tecumseh
Head coach: Roger Culbertson, second season.
Last season: Lost 10-0 to Fairmont in second round of Division I sectional.
Returning players: Seniors — Oliver Bicknell, C; Zach Schwartz, LHP/OF; Kyle Furlong, RHP/SS; Wes Henderson, OF; Jordan Trick, RHP/1B; Codee Arthur, OF; Jordan Crutchfield, OF; Cody Wright, OF; Drew Medley, RHP/3B.
Newcomers: Juniors — Adam Dixon, 1B/RHP; Josh Johnson, RHP/1B; Braxton Pearson, C. Sophomores — J.T. Brubaker, RHP/1B; Scott Snarr, IF; Chase Culbertson, IF; Trent Mead, OF. Freshman — Tony Evans, IF.
FYI: Schwartz made the All-Area Second Team, and Furlong received an All-CBC Special Mention.
Coach’s quote: “We’ve got some inexperienced players. We’re trying to find our identity and fight through some adversity.”
Mad River Division
Last year’s standings
League Overall
Benjamin Logan 13-3 25-4
Urbana 10-6 17-9
Indian Lake 5-11 14-13
Greenon 5-11 9-17
Northwestern 4-12 12-15
Graham 4-12 8-17
Graham
Head coach: Larry Bair, fourth season.
Last season: Lost 10-0 to Shawnee in first round of D-II sectional.
Returning players: Seniors — Ryan Kunkel, P/IB/OF; Dalton Spradlin, C/OF. Juniors — Collin Johnson, SS/OF; D.J. Snipes, IF/DH. Sophomores — Luke Black, P/1B/OF; Levi Holcomb, C/P/IF.
Newcomers: Seniors — Seth Purk, IF/OF; Tye Spellman, IF/OF; Garret Rowe, 1B. Juniors — Ben Coleman, P/IF; Brooklyn Hutchinson, OF/C; David Livingston, P/1B; Zach Shirk, P/IF. Sophomores — Alex Mossbarger, P/IF/C; Tyler Ohnmeiss, IF/P.
FYI: Snipes received an All-CBC honorable mention.
Coach’s quote: “We have about half of last year’s starting lineup returning with a year of varsity experience now. We hope to compete with the strong teams in the CBC.”
Greenon
Head coach: Mike Hoendorf, first season.
Last season: Lost 2-1 to Indian Lake in first round of D-II sectional.
Returning players: Seniors — Keenan Kozak, C/RHP (.300, 10 SBs, 3.39 ERA); Zach Hupp, 3B/RHP; Matt Thompson, OF. Juniors — Ross Brandon, RHP/IF (1-2, 3.71 ERA); Ryan Steiner, OF/RHP (.327, 11 SBs); Nick Andrews, IF/RHP (.314, 9 SBs). Sophomore — Brandon McNeil, RHP/IF (.278).
Newcomers: Juniors — Kyle Hosier, OF; Clay Robinson, 1B; Cody Caupp, OF/RHP; Tyler Devore, C/3B. Sophomores — Josh Bannick, 1B,RHP; Tyler Steiner, IF/OF/RHP; Collin Millar, OF; Braden Storck, LHP/OF; Tristen Ruef, RHP/OF; Jeff Godby, RHP/3B. Freshmen — Tyler Renk, RHP/C; Josh Boling, RHP/OF.
FYI: Kozak received an All-CBC Special Mention in 2009. ... Hoendorf is a Wright State graduate who coached at the University of Dayton last season and previously at his alma mater, Chaminade Julienne, and with various summer league teams. His assistant is Kory Twede, who played for two years at Wright State, and was the Horizon League tournament MVP in 2009.
Coach’s quote: “We are a young and inexperienced team this season with only five returners having significant experience, but we have many young newcomers that are excited to take on the challenge of building a successful program.”
Northwestern
Head coach: Brent Parke, fourth season.
Last season: Lost 11-1 to Dayton Carroll in first round of D-II sectional.
Returning players: Seniors — Ryan Pearson, P/IF (.474, 23 RBIs), Jadon Jenkins, P/IF (.347, 29 SBs), Luke Wildermuth, C (.318); Chase Corrello, P/OF; Andy Barger, P/IF (.338, 3 HRs). Juniors — Cody Kaffenbarger, 1B (.333), Austin Hurley, P. Sophomore — Jeremy Noffke, P/IF.
Newcomers: Juniors — Tanner Spencer, P/OF; Eli Worley, OF. Sophomores — Taylor Gannon, OF; Jordan Brewer, IF. Freshman — Jaden Cleland, C.
FYI: Pearson made the SNS All-Area First Team. He led the area in triples (four).
Coach’s quote: “We were very young last year and gained a lot of experience. Hopefully that experience will benefit us this season.”
Urbana
Head coach: Kevin Bowdle, 11th season.
Last season: Lost 15-6 to Benjamin Logan in second round of D-II sectional.
Returning players: Seniors — Braydon Gomes, RHP/OF (.387, 14 RBIs); Tyler Johnson, RHP/3B (.378, 14 RBIs); Christian Robbins, C/RHP: Jesse Robbins, LF/P/OF; Marc Salisbury, OF/C; Kurtis Watkins, RHP/IF. Junior — Clark Henson, SS/2B (.342, 18 RBIs).
Newcomers: Senior — Bay Ireland, OF. Juniors — Cole Winner, LHP/1B; Myer Runyan, 1B; Marcus Lingrell, OF/C; Milos Matic, OF. Sophomore — Bry Ireland, 2B/SS.
FYI: Urbana has added a freshman team this year. ... Gomes made the All-Area First Team. Johnson and Salisbury made the All-CBC First Team.
Coach’s quote: “We are a veteran team this year. We have good solid pitching, and we have moved the ball early in our scrimmages. We are looking to have a solid year.”
Ohio Heritage Conference
Last year’s standings
League Overall
Triad 13-1 19-6
West Liberty-Salem 11-2 21-6
Southeastern 9-5 15-11
Northeastern 9-5 10-18
Cedarville 5-9 9-12
Greeneview 3-8 6-14
Mechanicsburg 1-6 1-11
Catholic Central 1-24 0-12
Catholic Central
Head coach: Zach Raines, first season.
Last season: Lost 9-5 to Riverside in first round of D-IV sectional.
Returning players: Junior — Seth Beedy, 1B. Sophomores — Braden Hileman, P/OF; Dylan Besecker, P/Util.; Matt Garrity, OF.
Newcomers: Junior — Kyle Cooper, SS/P. Sophomores — Brian Kelly, P/OF; Dale Maloney, Util; Nathan Sowards, C. Freshmen — Dimitrious Dimitroff, P/2B; Mark Ellis, 3B/P; Matt Horner, OF; Aaron Cosby, 1B/OF; Joe Lynch, Util.
FYI: This is Raines’ first head coaching job. He takes over for Gary Anderson, who was the coach for two seasons. Raines was a varsity assistant last year at Central and also has been a varsity assistant at Alter and Greeneview. He is a 2002 Mechanicsburg graduate and he played baseball at Wittenberg.
Coach’s quote: “We’re very young. They’re eager to play. They want to change the tradition around.”
Cedarville
Head coach: Mark Gainer, first season.
Last season: Lost 6-1 to Southeastern in first round of D-IV sectional.
Returning players: Seniors — Cody Liming, IF/RHP (.328, 21 RBIs); Ray Kuriger, IF/RHP (67 IP, 55 Ks); Jarrett Sparks, OF/RHP; James Trame, IF/RHP; Zach McDaniel, IF/RHP. Juniors — Corey Shelton, C/IF; Anthony Satariano, OF/RHP (13 SBs); Kenny Synder, OF (.333); Seth Wright, IF/RHP. Sophomore – Robby Kuriger, IF/RHP
Newcomers: Junior — Josh Dalton, OF/C; Freshmen — Tim Waymire, IF/OF; Kyle Oldiges, IF/OF; Zach Chenoweth, C/RHP; Thomas Sizer, IF/RHP.
FYI: Gainer is a 2003 graduate of Northwestern High School and a 2007 grad of Cedarville University. He was an assistant last season under Scott Zaage, who coached for seven seasons.
Coach’s quote: “We have a nice mix of experienced players and young guys who have all been working very hard in practice to get better each day. As a team, we have set high goals for ourselves and know that the key to our success will be throwing strikes and playing solid defense and being aggressive on the offensive side of things.”
Greeneview
Head coach: Paul Thompson, sixth season.
Last season: Lost 5-0 to National Trail in first round of D-III sectional.
Returning players: Seniors — Tom Sandy, IF/RHP; Ethan Scott, OF/RHP. Juniors — Kris Partin, RHP/IF; Cody Reed, RHP/IF; Ryan Creamer, IF; Zach Raynor, RHP/OF; Brad Bornhorst, RHP/IF. Sophomore — Eric Green, LHP/OF.
Newcomers: Senior — Fred Garduno, RHP. Juniors — Chay DeMint, C; Charlie Roberts, 1B; Matt Johnson, OF. Sophomores — Derringer Ross, RHP/IF; Adam Elzey, RHP/IF; Craig Perry, IF; Caleb Carter, C. Freshman — Wyatt Erwin, IF.
FYI: Partin, Reed, Raynor and Sandy are the top four pitchers.
Coach’s quote: “I’m pretty hopeful. We lost six seniors, but I have a lot of returning guys and a lot of high expectations for this year’s team. I think we should definitely compete in our league. West Liberty-Salem and Triad are always at the top, and Southeastern is always solid, but I think we can compete.”
Mechanicsburg
Head coach: Jason Shultz, first season.
Last season: Lost 8-6 to Sidney Lehman Catholic in first round of D-IV sectional.
Returning players: Seniors — Tim Tull, 3B/OF; Joe Webb, CF/RHP. Sophomore — Derik Frost, 1B/RHP; Josh Rousculp, C/RHP; Dalton Boggs, 2B.
Newcomers: Senior — Josh Harsh, SS. Freshmen — Austin Black, OF/LHP; Ely Stapleton, 1B; Travis Rousculp, 2B; Austin Milledge, OF.
FYI: Shultz coached the team from 2005-07 and left the team for family reasons. When Rick Herring left after two seasons, Shultz said he jumped at the chance to coach again. ... Webb made the All-OHC team as a freshman but has not played the last two seasons. He will still run track this spring.
Coach’s quote: “The kids they work hard. They do what they’re told to do. They’re disciplined. We’ve just got to do the little stuff. We’re not going to overpower anybody.”
Northeastern
Head coach: Chris Kitchen, 21st season.
Last season: Lost to Versailles in second round of D-III sectional.
Returning players: Seniors — Damon Williams, RHP/IF (.341, 5-2); Aaron Smith, P/OF; John Hollingshead, P/IF (3.64 ERA); Cameron Thomas, IF; Phil Mowell, C. Juniors — Mike Orahood, IF; Zac Robbins, OF/LHP.
Newcomers: Seniors — Nick Jenkins, P; Dylan Karvin, OF/P. Juniors — Brian Mabry, P/IF; Darian Rossitto, OF; Ethan Ford, P/IF.
FYI: Northeastern’s third-place finish in the OHC last season was its best since the league formed. It was the only OHC team to beat Triad.
Coach’s quote: “With five returners, we should be very competitive, and hopefully, we’ll improve on last year’s finish.”
Southeastern
Head coach: Rick Woods, 24th season.
Last season: Lost 5-4 to Sidney Lehman Catholic in D-IV district final.
Returning players: Seniors — Travis Cain, RHP/C/Util (.333, 2.47 ERA); Hunter Mickens, RHP/IF (4.75 ERA, 4-2); Ryan Miller, LHP/OF. Juniors — Spencer Saunders, RHP/SS/2B; Brad Woods, RHP, 1B/3B/OF (.271, 4.20 ERA). Sophomores — Caleb Diamond, RHP/2B/SS/OF (.238); Jordan Hitt, RHP/1B/3B (.310, 2.43 ERA, 3-2).
Newcomers: Juniors — Joey Cooke, RHP/C/Util; Jacob Fent, RHP/2B/SS. Sophomores — Josh Black, LHP/OF/1B; Luke Pavlatos, RHP/C; Preston Snodgrass, RHP/CF/2B/SS/C. Freshmen — Cody Craft, RHP/C/Util.; Zane Grove, RHP/C/Util.; Duncan Mercer, RHP/1B/OF.
FYI: The Trojans have won three straight sectional titles. ... They will be without junior catcher Tyler Cooper all season. He had shoulder surgery after basketball season. ... Woods said all 15 varsity players are working as pitchers.
Coach’s quote: “We may have some growing pains early due to inexperience. I have been proud of their work ethic and dedication. The team chemistry will be a positive asset. This season’s success will be determined by the development of our mental approach to the game. Our program has low numbers this year: 22 players, fielding a varsity and JV team. We need to work to stay healthy and have some fun again this spring.”
Triad
Head coach: Will Nichols, 13th season.
Last season: Lost 2-1 to Sidney Lehman in second round of D-IV sectional.
Returning players: Seniors — Matt Watson, 3B/OF/RHP; Tyler Reisinger, 1B/OF/LHP; Nick Keeran, C/OF/RHP. Juniors — T.J. Teets, 1B/DH/RHP (.397, 13 2Bs, 33 RBIs; 6-1, 1.06 ERA, 67 Ks); Tyler Wilson, SS/2B (.351, 18 RBIs); Kaleb Deam, OF/RHP (.313); Bryce Williams, OF; Quinton Yocom, C/RHP/3B; Nick Marenberg, C/OF; Zach Ford, RHP/IF (.352); Frank Edwards, OF; Tyson Funderburgh, RHP.
Newcomer: Sophomore — Zach Propst, DH/IF.
FYI: Nichols’ career record is 214-117. ... Teets and graduated senior Ethan James made the All-Area First Team in 2009. Nichols was named Area Coach of the Year. ... Teets led the area in doubles (13) and ranked second in ERA (1.06).
Coach’s quote: “We want to compete for another league title and make a meaningful tournament run. The team is anxious and excited about the year. We want to prove we can compete in Division III come tournament time and want to improve our overall game.”
West Liberty-Salem
Head coach: Toby Smith, 13th season.
Last season: Lost 3-2 to Anna in D-III sectional final.
Returning players: Seniors — Ryan Ropp, IF (.390, 27 RBIs); Garrett Dallas, IF/P (.342, 26 RBIs); Chris White, OF (.351, 41 runs); Cody Allen, OF/C; Sean King, P/IF; Erik Thomas, OF/DH. Juniors — Tyler Cordell, OF (.338, 40 runs, 21 SBs); Brock Bahan, IF/P (.373, 35 RBIs, 7-1, 2.31 ERA); Levi Reed, C (.422, 31 RBIs). Sophomore — Zach Konkle, IF.
Newcomers: Seniors — Lucas Willis, P; Jeremy Wolfe, OF. Junior — Cannan Thornburg, P/OF. Sophomores — Greg White, P/OF; Brad Stengel, P/IF.
FYI: Smith’s career record is 254-71. ... Bahan and Reed made the All-Area First Team in 2009. ... Bahan led the area in RBIs. White led the area in runs scored.
Coach’s quote: “We have a lot of returning lettermen in the field but have to replace many innings on the mound. We will have to see how quickly the young guys adapt to the varsity game to see how successful we are.”
— David Jablonski
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