2024 Spring Team Preview: Chagrin Falls Tigers

January 30, 2024
Dylan Hefflinger and PBR Ohio Staff
PBR Ohio Editor in Chief/NW Scout

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With 2023 now in the past, PBR Ohio is eagerly anticipating bringing the Buckeye state the best high school coverage that can be found anywhere in 2024. Starting in February, we began releasing team previews for squads across the state. Ahead, we will have Preseason All-State Teams as well as the Preseason State Rankings coming your way.

To view the full list of 2024 Team Previews that we have already completed, please click here.

If you are a coach and haven't filled out your 2024 Team Preview, click here.

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2024 Spring Team Preview: Chagrin Falls Tigers

Team Name: Chagrin Falls Tigers
Head Coach: Michael Sweeney
Division: III
2023 Record: 18-11
2023 Tourney Finish: District Finals loss to Waynedale
Returning Starters/Pitchers: 8/3

Coach Outlook: "We have 9 players returning who started more than half the games for us. This includes players who only hit, pitched or played in the field. However, we have a lot of experience coming back to go with our #1 pitcher Will Graham. Our new players have learned quickly so we have a little more depth than we did last season. We will have a lot of flexibility in our line-up. I think the key to our success will be whether we can score runs consistently. Our guys have definitely gotten stronger and with a year of experience I think our guys could take a big step up offensively, but until we get outside and see live pitching, you never know."

2024 Team Strengths:

Work Ethic
Baseball IQ
Experience
Pitching

Top Returning Players:

Will Graham - P/OF - Senior, 6’0”, 175 lbs., R/R, 3 year letter winner Will had a phenomenal year on the mound last season even though he had back issues for most of the season which caused him to miss a few starts. Will went 4-2 with a 0.77 ERA. He only gave up 5 ER in 45.1 innings. He struck out 70 while walking 27 batters. Will could have been a top of the order hitter, but he was unable to hit most of the season due to his back. So far so good as he feels healthy this season. Will should lead the Tigers both on the mound and at the plate.
Charlie Reeder - P/3B - Senior, 6’, 165 lbs., R/R, 3 year letter winner Charlie started at 3B last season and gained some experience on the mound as well. Charlie hit .326 with 29 hits, 1 2B, 17 RBI and 23 R. Charlie stole 32 bases and should be a top of the order hitter this season. On the mound, Charlie threw 22.2 innings and had a 2-2 record. Charlie struck out 25 and walked 18 with an ERA of 2.47.
Sven Nielsen - 1B/P - Senior - 6’2”, 190 lbs., R/R, 3 year letter winner Sven will be in his 3rd year as a starting 1st baseman. He is an outstanding defensive 3rd baseman. He has worked hard in the off-season on all aspects of his game and could make significant contributions both at the plate and on the mound. He could be a middle of the order hitter.
Oliver Tepper - 2B/1B/OF/P - Senior - 6’2”, 180 lbs., R/R, 2 year letter winner Oliver has also worked hard in the off-season to improve his overall game. Last season Oliver started in RF. This season, he will transition to 2B. Oliver had 16 hits including 2 doubles last season to go along with 9 RBI and 12 runs. Oliver could make a big jump at the plate this season and possibly help us on the mound as well.
Aiden Cabic - 1B/DH - Senior - 6’, 245 lbs., L/L, 2 year letter winner Aiden showed flashes of power as he was the DH for many of the games last season. Aiden had 9 hits with 2 doubles and a triple. He also had 6 RBI and 5 runs. Aiden possesses a lot of power. The potential is there to put up some big power numbers if he can consistently put up good at bats.
Finn Johnson - C/SS/P - Junior - 5’9”, 140 lbs., R/R, 2 year letter winner Finn made huge improvements last year as he was one of our main catchers. By the end of the season he was a tremendous all around catcher. He was framing well, blocking everything and throwing out runners. This year Finn may get some time at shortstop as well as pitching. He also should help us at the plate this season as he has worked hard to improve his hitting.
Brandt Stevens - OF/P - Junior - 5’10”, 160 lbs., L/R, 2 year letter winner Brandt worked extremely hard last season to get into the line-up. Once he got in, he never left. Brandt hit .283 with 13 hits including a 2B. Brandt had 12 RBI and scored 6 runs. He has improved his outfield play immensely since the start of last year. Brandt could also find himself on the mound for us this season.
Henry Cimperman - OF - Sophomore - 5’11”, 150 lbs., L/R, 2 year letter winner Henry started off hot once he got inserted into the line-up last season. He struggled a little bit after that, but he should have plenty of confidence going into this season after having a year of Varsity baseball under his belt. Henry had 16 hits, 1 2B, 4 RBI and 12 runs. He also stole 7 bases. Henry did an outstanding job defensively last season.
Jack Watson - P/C/3B/SS - Sophomore - 6’1”, 170 lbs., L/R, 2 year letter winner Jack had a solid freshmen season - especially on the mound and defensively. Jack had 12 hits at the plate with 14 RBI and 6 runs scored. On the mound, he had a 3-1 record with 3 saves. He threw 34.1 innings and struck out 28 while walking only 8. He had an ERA of 2.24. I expect Jack to take a step forward with all aspects of his game.
Drew Blair - OF - Senior - 5’10”, 175 lbs., R/R, 2 year letter winner Drew was injured at the beginning of the season in a scrimmage and was unable to play last season. Drew will give us depth in the outfield and challenge for playing time. He has worked hard to get back on the field.