Follow @PBR Ohio 

By Dylan Hefflinger
Editor in Chief/NW Scout

Ohio Spring baseball always seems to fly by and in 2017 that is most definitely evident with the fact we are in Regionals Week. That means the 16 best teams in each division will battle it out to see who is deserving of a trip to beautiful Huntington Park in Columbus.

Below we have the 16-Team Preview for Division II all the teams across the Buckeye State.

To view the Final Team Rankings, click below:
+ Division I
+ Division II
+ Division III
+ Division IV

To view the 2017 Preseason All-State Selections, click below:
+ Division I
+ Division II
+ Division III
+ Division IV

Interested in nominating someone for the 2017 All-State Teams, please click here.

To see in-game video, scouting notes and much more, visit the 2017 Scout Blog.

Interested in attending a PBR Ohio event? Check out our schedule by clicking here.

To discuss the 2017 OHSAA Tournament as well as any sort of high school baseball talk, visit our partner JJHuddle.

2017 OHSAA  Baseball Tournament - Regional Preview: Division II

Team Rankings based on the Final Team Rankings

Division II

Division II, Region 5 - Hudson 

Region Overview:
Team Previews:

NDCL

Record: 17-11
Final Ranking: No. 19
Preseason Ranking: NR
Highest Ranking: No. 19 - Final
Postseason History:

Top Players:

• Sam Frontino
• Nick Cipriani
• Jake Marut
• Jake Butler

Tallmadge

Record: 21-7
Final Ranking: No. 17
Preseason Ranking: No. 16
Highest Ranking: No. 13 - Week 1
Postseason History: In coach Kenny Linn's 14 years at Tallmadge, they have played in 10 District Title games and have played in it 6 of last 7 years, winning it 4 times. Each year we lost in Regional Semi to Hoban in 2011, Mentor Lake 2012, Poland Seminary in 2015, all 3 won the Regional. Won the State Title in 2002.

Top Players:

• Junior Seth Gergely OF: .481 AVG, 22 RBIs, 10 SB
• Junior Phil Glasser SS: .402 AVG, 20 RBIs, 35 R
• Junior Zach Boyd RHP/1B: 48 IP, 4-2, 2.45 ERA, 40 K. .360 AVG, 22 RBIs
• Jared Burick: 47 IP, 8-1, 2.60 ERA, 44 K
• Senior Josh Taylor RHP: 4-1, 3.27 ERA. .333 AVG
• Mikah Mcglaughlin and Scott Seeker (21 RBIs)
• Sophmores Catcher Rich Eyre, Sam Seeker have been solid underclassmen and Junior 2b Jake Rensel been part of a double play combo that’s turned 4 in the last 2  weeks. Rensel also had 3 hits in 2 days in District Semi and Finals

Coaches Thoughts:

PBR: Talk about your team's development from last summer, winter or the beginning of the season to now in late May.
Kenny: We had an up and down year last year upset by Norton in District Semis finishing the season at 14-13. Our guys have worked hard all year coming back and having a real nice year with 21 wins and getting back to the Regionals again

PBR: Thoughts on your program advancing to regionals.
Kenny: We expected to get back to the Regionals if we worked hard and stayed focused. We are excited about another opportunity to advance to the Final Four.

PBR: Talk about the leaders on your team and what they have meant.
Kenny: All our Guys have stepped up this year in many different ways. Can't really just talk about a couple guys as leaders. We have had a Great year because we are a solid team.

PBR: Thoughts on your regional field.
Kenny: NDCL is year in and year out a state contender, Canfield has had its share of Regional appearances and has made it to Columbus and Chagrin Falls is back in the Regionals again after a great year last year. We all are good and will have to play really good to win 2 games to win this Regional.

Chagrin Falls

Record: 24-6
Final Ranking: No. 7
Preseason Ranking: NR
Highest Ranking: No. 7 - Week 3
Postseason History:

Team Stats:

• .338 AVG, 241 R
• 2.63 ERA, 150 K

Top Players:

• Erik Wilson: .352 AVG, 1 2B, 19 RBIs, 22 R, 10 SB. 63 IP, 10-0, 0.33 ERA, 45 K
• Colin Kennedy: .348 AVG, 4 2B, 1 3B, 23 RBIs, 17 R. 39 IP, 6-2, 2.69 ERA, 38 K
• Cole Newbauer: .369 AVG, 5 2B, 1 3B, 22 RBI, 36 R, 33 SB
• Kyle Zaluski: .400 AVG, 3 2B, 1 3B, 1 HR, 30 RBIs, 20 R
• Jack Amendola: .337 AVG, 2 3B, 18 RBIs, 43 R, 49 SB
• Andrew Kwasny:.412 AVG, 4 2B, 6 RBIs, 15 R. 48.1 IP, 5-1, 4.20 ERA, 35 K

Coaches Thoughts:

PBR: Talk about your team's development from last summer, winter or the beginning of the season to now in late May.
Michael: We had 5 returning starters from last year’s Regional Finalist team, along with some other players who gained valuable experience, so we entered the year with high expectations. We also returned the majority of our pitching staff. Many of our kids played a lot of baseball this past summer and improved a lot as most of our starters this year are juniors and sophomores. Since we had some young players playing in their 1st season of Varsity baseball, it took us a while to get going offensively. We were very good defensively and had a very good pitching staff, but our offense was a little behind. However, by the middle of the season, we started swinging the bats well and really started to play great baseball in all facets of the game.

PBR: Thoughts on your program advancing to regionals.
Michael: It is the 1st time in school history that we have advanced to the Regional 2 years in a row. Last year, it was kind of unexpected. This year, it definitely was a goal that we thought was very attainable. We all thought that if we continued to work hard, stay focused and basically play to our potential, we could get there again. It is a great accomplishment and we don’t take it lightly as it is extremely tough to get to the Regional.

PBR: Talk about the leaders on your team and what they have meant.
Michael: We had tremendous leaders on the team last year and I think that was a major reason our team advanced as far as they did. I believe that our players from this year learned a lot from last year’s experience and last year’s leaders. I was a little nervous about the leadership lost from last year, but our guys have responded and we have had great leadership this season. Our 4 captains, led by senior Andrew Kwasny and juniors Adam Bencko, Cole Newbauer and Erik Wilson have been tremendous. They have led by example, voice and have tremendous character. There is no doubt that we are where we are in large part due to the leadership that the 4 captains have provided.  

PBR: Thoughts on your regional field.
Michael: I think our regional is wide open. There is no doubt that any of the 4 teams could be going to Columbus. All of the teams are talented and all of the teams have established programs with great traditions of baseball. 

PBR: Is there anything of interest worth mentioning about your tournament run thus far (no-hitters, key hits, outstanding performances, comebacks etc)?
Michael: We have scored 10 runs in each of the 1st 3 games. Our offense hits 1-9 as you can see by our stats. Our 9 starters have all been over .300 for most of the season. There are no dead spots in our line-up as they can all hit.

PBR: Anything else you would like to add?
Michael:

• Erik Wilson is the ace of the staff as he is 10-0 with 7 shutouts and 10 complete games. He has a 0.33 ERA. 
• Jack Amendola has 49 steals on the season and Cole Newbauer has 33. 
• Cole Newbauer has been hit 24 times this season - an OHSAA record. 
• Our team fielding % is .961 which is a team record. 
• I was fortunate to pick up my 300^th win when we won the District Championship. 

Canfield

Record: 17-7
Final Ranking: No. 8
Preseason Ranking: NR
Highest Ranking: No. 8 - Final
Postseason History: Canfield is making their 5th regional appearance since 2006, winning a state championship in 2007 and regional runner up in  2012.

Coaches Thoughts:

PBR: Thoughts on your program advancing to regionals.
Matt: Advancing to the regional tournament has been a great accomplishment for the program because our main rival, Poland Seminary, has dominated our district for the past three years. Getting past that hurdle came with great satisfaction.

PBR: Talk about the leaders on your team and what they have meant.
Matt: This team (18 players) is made up of mostly juniors (12) but have received great leadership from two seniors--SS Mark Wittmann and 2B Anthony Vross (La Roche commit). They have grown into a very competitive team that came into the season with a lot of question marks and inexperience. The two seniors have meant a great deal to our program in leadership skills this season. They took it upon themselves to do extra sets, extra reps, and push the younger players to work hard in all aspects of baseball and school. 

PBR: Thoughts on your regional field.
Matt: The entire field at this regional is loaded and all four teams have a chance.

PBR: Is there anything of interest worth mentioning about your tournament run thus far (no-hitters, key hits, outstanding performances, comebacks etc)?
Matt: The schedule that we play has definitely prepared us for the tournament and after winning the Mingo Bay Tournament in Myrtle Beach, SC, we focused on making a run in the Ohio state tournament.  Playing teams like Poland, Boardman, Akron St. Vincent, Austintown Fitch, Howland, Waccamaw, SC, and East Rutherford, NC have forced us to raise the level of our game. 

Division II, Region 6 - Bowling Green 

Region Overview:
Team Previews:

Lexington

Record: 18-9
Final Ranking: NR
Preseason Ranking: No. 25
Highest Ranking: No. 15 - Week 2
Postseason History:

Team Stats:

• Under 1.51 ERA
  

Top Players:

• Austin Eifrid: 5-1, 1.5 ERA, 28 K. .356 AVG, 32 R, 21 K
• Jared Strickler: 7-1, 0.85 ERA, 38 K
• Ben Vore: .290 AVG
• Josh Aiello: .358 AVG, 22 RBIs
• Hunter Biddle: .250 AVG

Coaches Thoughts:

PBR: Talk about your team's development from last summer, winter or the beginning of the season to now in late May.
Kevin: We had a lot of momentum building off last year's District championship but our All Ohio pitcher and 3rd basemen became ill the beginning of the season and then hurt his arm so he became a DH and was not as effective.  We have filled our pitching ranks with 2 more under-classmen.

PBR: Thoughts on your program advancing to regionals.
Kevin: Our district is a meat grinder. We benefited on being a 4 seed and also the #1 and #2 seeds fell during sectional finals.

PBR: Talk about the leaders on your team and what they have meant.
Kevin: We have been led by senior all district 3 year lettermen Austin Eifrid who has been lockdon solid on the mound at Short and led us in many offensive categoried like runs and stolen bases. Jared Strickler is a junior who has emerged as our #1 pitcher and led the team in hits and RBI. Josh Aiello a sophomore DH was second on the team in RBI.  We also have one of the smartest and rock solid catchers in Jacob odson who calls a lot of our pitches.

PBR: Thoughts on your regional field.
Kevin: Regionals are always tough but #1 Wapakoneta and Defiance are not here this year.

PBR: Is there anything of interest worth mentioning about your tournament run thus far (no-hitters, key hits, outstanding performances, comebacks etc)?
Kevin: We over came a key missing starter in the sectional finals to advance.  We also had an 11 inning thriller with Kenton in district semi finished by a walkoff hit by sophomore Ben Vore.

PBR: Anything else you would like to add?
Kevin: Ben Vore has become a serious weapon.  Only a sophomore but he has a ton of tools and has really started to climb up the lineup to clean up spot and also be our #2 pitcher.

Jonathan Alder

Record: 21-6
Final Ranking: No. 15
Preseason Ranking: NR
Highest Ranking: No. 3 - Week 4
Postseason History:

Top Players

• Preston Eisnaugle
• Ian Gehres
• Cal Duckworth
• Hunter Maynard

Padua Franciscan

Record: 16-9
Final Ranking: No. 38
Preseason Ranking: No. 9
Highest Ranking: No. 9 - Preseason
Postseason History: 14th district championship in school history

Top Players:

• Alex Ludwick
• Kyle Wisniewski
• Justin Beckwith
• Henry Neuman
• Tommy Whitely
• Bogi Kazimoureach

Coaches Thoughts:

PBR: Talk about your team's development from last summer, winter or the beginning of the season to now in late May.
Ken: Big change from last years Regional Team.  Last years team was a very powerful offensive team. This years team is heavily dependent on pitching and defense while embracing situational hitting to manufacture runs. We have bee more and more consistent with our efforts late in this year that has put us into this current position.

PBR: Thoughts on your program advancing to regionals.
Ken: The experience this year, coupled with the experience last year, has solidified the goals set forth 4 years ago. Padua has given the staff the support that we needed to build upon the past successes of the program and taking the next steps in consistently performing on the field.

PBR: Talk about the leaders on your team and what they have meant.
Ken: Our pitching and defense has been solid all season,  Kyle Wisniewsky our 6'5" right hander comes into the regionals with a 7-0 record and a 1.48 ERA 46 Ks and 10 BB's (signed by Shawnee State). Our Catcher senior Nick Pilin batting .377 with 26RBI and the clear leader of this team. Now, Senior SS Alex Ludwick is one of the areas most talented players in our conference (North Coast League). A great combination of Speed, gap to gap power, special defensive skills with a power arm that allows him to make difficult plays look routine. 

PBR: Thoughts on your regional field.
Ken: All teams have proven their resolve in reaching the regionals. Congrats to all for getting here. With all due respects my main concern will remain on Maumee until Thursday. They knocked off the #1 seed to reach the regionals so we are very excited to be able to play them. With very good pitching and solid overall play the will be a force to be reckoned with.

PBR: Is there anything of interest worth mentioning about your tournament run thus far (no-hitters, key hits, outstanding performances, comebacks etc)?
Ken: WELL, if you haven’t heard yet our district semi game vs HN was one I have never experienced!!!!! We were NO HIT and still came out ahead 1-0  in the 2nd Alex Ludwick walks. Justin Beckwith bunts to 3rd for the sac and by the time Holy Name realizes it Alex ran the wheel to perfection and slides safely into 3rd.  With One out Tom Whitely sends a medium fly ball to right center for our only run of the game. Kyle Wisniewsky our ace proceeds to throw a shutout for the win, WOW!!!

PBR: Anything else you would like to add?
Ken: On a sad note … Alex Ludwick was dealt a very bad hand this week when his Father passed away while spending his last days in hospice. The boys have rallied around Alex and his family. In trying to lead these young men and hopefully allowing them to learn a bit more than baseball and life lessons through sports, LIFE has dealt our community the harshest of realities reminding us what truly is important. We will continue to reach for our goals this weeks and hopefully throughout the rest of these playoffs while rallying together and making our new Guardian Angel proud of not only Alex but his extended Baseball Family.

Maumee

Record: 20-8
Final Ranking: NR
Preseason Ranking: NR
Highest Ranking: NR

Top Players:

• Tyler Archambeau
• Justin Studenka
• Jordan Key
• Blake Adams
• Matt Burkett
• Caleb Brown
• Devon Cleghorn
• John Henry
• Matt LeCron
• Zach Marvin

Coaches Thoughts:

PBR: Talk about your team's development from last summer, winter or the beginning of the season to now in late May.
Cam: Our team has worked hard since last year to be ready for the season. All of our players either played on summer teams or attended our 10 days of practice. We also had training opportunities in the summer, fall, and winter. The biggest improvement we have seen with our team is a huge improvement in our leadership. We select a leadership counsel and have leadership training throughout the winter, and we meet during the season to discuss positives and concerns with the program.

PBR: Thoughts on your program advancing to regionals.
Cam: This group has worked hard on fundamentals and competing in everything we do. They have taken an approach that we need to win one pitch at a time, and with that mentality, we have been able to play at a high enough level to win the district championship. With quality pitching, fundamentally sound defense, and execution on both sides of the ball, we will continue to win.

PBR: Talk about the leaders on your team and what they have meant.
Cam: Our leadership has been outstanding this year! It all starts with the seniors, whether they are part of the leadership counsel or not. I'm very proud of the way our seniors have led this year!

PBR: Thoughts on your regional field.
Cam: Carter Park is a great venue and it's a great environment to play in. We have played there several times in big games and look forward to going back to have an opportunity to advance to state vs some stiff competition.

PBR: Is there anything of interest worth mentioning about your tournament run thus far (no-hitters, key hits, outstanding performances, comebacks etc)?
Cam: We have played against outstanding competition in our league and the tournament so far. In the tournament, we have beaten Toledo Central Catholic, Bryan, Defiance (back-to-back defending state champs and ranked #10 in D-II), and Wapakoneta (ranked #1 in D-II). Our district is full of outstanding coaches and players, and we went through a tough course to get to where we are.

Division II, Region 7 - Zanesville 

Region Overview:
Team Previews:

Marietta

Record: 24-3
Final Ranking: No. 2
Preseason Ranking: NR
Highest Ranking: No. 2 - Week 5
Postseason History:

Team Stats:

• .337 AVG, 183 Runs

Top Players:

• Brandon Schamp: 9-1, 0.88 ERA
• Trent Dawson: 7-0, 1.53 ERA
• Turner Hill: .452 AVG, 35 R, 20 SB
• Brandon Neville, .369 AVG, 4 3B, 29 RBIs
• Isaac Danford
• Derek Duckworth
• Zach Deskins

Athens

Record: 23-3
Final Ranking: No. 18
Preseason Ranking: NR
Highest Ranking: No. 18 - Final
Postseason History:

Top Players:

• Brendan Sano: .529 AVG, 6 2B, 4 3B, 31 RBIs, 31 R. 15.1 IP, 1-0, 0.59 ERA, 30 K
• Joseph Thomas: .390 AVG, 6 2B, 1 3B, 17 RBIs, 24 R
• Brock Stewart: .352 AVG, 8 2B, 21 RBIs, 26 R
• Andy Kostival: .333 AVG, 3 2B, 10 RBIs, 34 R
• Cameron Kasler: .329 AVG, 5 2B, 2 HR, 30 RBIs, 12 R. 30 IP, 5-1, 1.40 ERA, 16 K
• Brody Rodgers: .319 AVG, 6 2B, 5 HR, 30 RBIs, 17 R. 44.2 IP, 7-0, 3.13 ERA, 58 K
• Rece Lonas: .323 AVG, 3 2B, 11 RBIs, 9 R
• Waylon Bradbury: 38 IP, 6-1, 1.47 ERA, 33 K

Coaches Thoughts:

PBR: Talk about your team's development from last summer, winter or the beginning of the season to now in late May.
Chris: This has been one of the most dedicated teams I have ever coached. We had terrific participation in off-season workouts. Our strength and conditioning program during the winter months was 6AM before school on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and the energy level was always very positive. That character and attitude continued right into the pre-season training in February. Our team came into this season with high expectations placed on them from the success they finished with last season. They met every challenge thus far, and I am extremely proud of them.

PBR: Thoughts on your program advancing to regionals.
Chris: It was a goal that we expected to accomplish, and therefore I am very glad to be here. The past few years the Southeast District has fielded a number of very competitive teams, any of which have the capability of knocking off a higher seeded team. In our first game of the sectional, as a #2 seed, we had to play a #7 seeded team that had won their conference. There have been no games along the way that could be taken for granted. We feel very blessed to have been able to advance to the regionals for a second time in two years.

PBR: Talk about the leaders on your team and what they have meant.
Chris: I feel like I could write a book about these guys. We have a core of 11 seniors, a good portion of which have been best friends and teammates ever since 7U coach pitch ball. The bond they have together is more than just chemistry. It is a brotherhood that is built around love. And this is what drives our team’s leadership, in my opinion. It’s this kind of relationship that causes teammates who have spent most of their time on the bench keeping charts to be determined to be the best chart-keepers they can be; or one who chases down out-of-play foul balls to do it with pride and understanding that he’s accomplishing a role on the team that is just as important for keeping focused on the game. There is so much I could say about what each player has meant to the team.

PBR: Thoughts on your regional field.
Chris: There are very few secrets among us and the team we play in the semifinal round. We’ve played each other a lot over the years, and the core of these teams have been playing against each other ever since 8U and 9U youth ball. If someone were to track the records over the years the number would probably be close to even. They are solid from top to bottom, in all phases of the game. The same can be said for the two teams on the other side of the bracket. We know that we will need to come to play.

PBR: Is there anything of interest worth mentioning about your tournament run thus far (no-hitters, key hits, outstanding performances, comebacks etc)?
Chris: Perhaps the most interesting story, at least in our local area, has been that we have had a number of pitchers step into a greater role this season than they had anticipated having to fill. One of our starters who was extremely effective in leading our tournament run in 2016 was unable to pitch for the first 20 games of the regular season due to rehabbing an injury. So we have been extremely pleased at how the other guys in the rotation took on a “next man up” mentality and led the way for our team to have a successful season.

Steubenville

Record: 26-4
Final Ranking: No. 5
Preseason Ranking: No. 2
Highest Ranking: No. 2 - Preseason
Postseason History:

Team Stats:

• .353 Avg 
• 1.88 ERA

Top Players:

• Nicky Zorne: 46.2 IP, 8-0, 1.20 ERA, 62 K
• Michael Pierro: .474 AVG, 33 RBIs. 4-1, 1.37 ERA
• Johnny Agresta: .433 AVG, 36 RBIs
• Nick Scott: .422 AVG, 39 RBIs
• Calvin Bickerstaff: 5-3, 1.44 ERA

Indian Valley

Record: 17-9
Final Ranking: NR
Preseason Ranking: NR
Highest Ranking: NR
Postseason History: 2009 State Champions - D-III

Team Stats:

• .290 Team Avg, 165 R
• 2.37 ERA

Top Players:

• Cade Williams: .407 AVG, 6 2B, 1 HR, 15 RBIs, 25 R. 59.2 IP, 5-4, 1.64 ERA, 31 K
• Jarrett Helter: .325 AVG, 4 2B, 16 RBIs, 22 R
• Colbey McBeth: .325 AVG, 5 2B, 23 RBIs, 11 R
• Braeden Lehigh: .275 AVG, 7 2B, 1 3B, 16 RBIs, 17 R
• Evan Miller: 43 IP, 5-2, 1.47 ERA, 34 K
• Wyatt Garabrandt: 38.2 IP, 5-1, 2.90 ERA, 16 K

Coaches Thoughts:

PBR: Talk about your team's development from last summer, winter or the beginning of the season to now in late May.
Shannon: We returned experience from last season, but it was young experience. We consistently started 5-6 sophomores and 2 other first year varsity players. The players worked throughout the season to improve in all aspects of the game. We hit a rough patch mid season, but they have turned it around and are now finding ways to win games we were losing earlier in the year.

PBR: Thoughts on your program advancing to regionals.
Shannon: It has been a few years since we have advanced to the regional. It’s great to be back, especially for the players. It’s the first time this group has advanced this far and they are enjoying each step. They aren’t satisfied with getting just to the regional. They’ve put in a good few days of practice and are ready to play on Thursday.

PBR: Talk about the leaders on your team and what they have meant.
Shannon: We only have 3 seniors on our roster, but we have a good mix of underclassmen to go with them. Each player has accepted their role and they understand what is expected of them. It’s great that these seniors finally get to experience this long tourney run and it’s going to be a driving force for the underclassmen in the next couple of years.

PBR: Thoughts on your regional field.
Shannon: It’s a very strong regional field. Athens and Marietta are both strong programs and Steubenville is having another outstanding season. Our game with Steubenville will actually be a rematch of last year’s district final game.

PBR: Is there anything of interest worth mentioning about your tournament run thus far (no-hitters, key hits, outstanding performances, comebacks etc)?
Shannon: We won our first 2 tournament games by identical 1-0 scores.

Division II, Region 8 - Mason 

Region Overview:
Team Previews:

Waynesville

Record: 23-6
Final Ranking: No. 22
Preseason Ranking: No. 5
Highest Ranking: No. 5 - Preseason
Postseason History:

Team Stats:

• .355 AVG, 221 Runs
• 3.13 ERA, 196 K

Top Players:

• Cory Clark: .444 AVG, 7 2B, 1 3B, 20 RBIs, 37 R, 11 SB
• Kyle Leis: .420 AVG, 15 2B, 2 3B, 27 RBIs, 27 R
• Micah Spille: .395 AVG, 2 2B, 12 RBIs, 11 R
• Tommy Isaacs: .392 AVG, 10 2B, 1 3B, 32 RBIs, 18 R
• Cameron Anderson: .357 AVG, 4 2B, 18 RBIs, 14 R
• Drake Stiles: .346 AVG, 2 2B, 1 3B, 1 HR, 16 RBIs, 32 R
• Hunt Doepel: .344 AVG, 8 2B, 2 HR, 15 RBIs, 18 R. 37.1 IP, 7-1, 3.56 ERA, 51 K
• Mason Callahan: .329 AVG, 1 2B, 17 RBIs, 17 R, 13 SB. 44.2 IP, 3-1, 4.08 ERA, 28 K
• Brady Stone: 41.2 IP, 7-3, 1.68 ERA, 7-3

Coaches Thoughts:

PBR: Talk about your team's development from last summer, winter or the beginning of the season to now in late May.
Ryan: Players have bought into the concept of taking the emotions out of the game and trusting the process. They have a grind it out mentality that has been proven with numerous come from behind wins in the past few seasons.

PBR: Thoughts on your program advancing to regionals.
Ryan: This trip is a testament and reward for a group of guys that have put the group ahead of the individual, especially over the last few weeks. It has been extremely rewarding to see their growth on a seemingly day to day basis.

PBR: Talk about the leaders on your team and what they have meant.
Ryan: We have a group of 9 seniors, each of which has a vital role in our success. Some are vocal guys; others lead by example. We are always looking to be selfless, accountable, and competitive (SAC), the driving concepts of our program. Their willingness to buy into these concepts means the foundation is set (and continued from previous success) for the program in the years to come.

PBR: Thoughts on your regional field.
Ryan: At this point, I think any regional field is full of quality programs and pitching. DeSales is historically a strong program who’s been here before. Ross and Chaminade Julienne have both had outstanding years with a couple of really good arms leading the way. With this kind of quality talent, I think the game still comes down to who can throw the most strikes, handle the ball defensively, and get jobs done offensively.

PBR: Is there anything of interest worth mentioning about your tournament run thus far (no-hitters, key hits, outstanding performances, comebacks etc)?
Ryan: We had two really good comebacks in our first two postseason games coming from a 6-2 deficit in the 6th against a young Bellbrook team and an early 5-0 2nd inning hole against Middletown Madison. We continue to model a grind it out, trust the process kind of approach.

PBR: Anything else you would like to add?
Ryan: We’ve got to first send thanks to our community, parents, administration, our student body, and all the support they’ve given us year in and year out. We constantly have great crowds and fans that are incredible. We’d like to specifically thank our bus drivers and trainers for the help they provide. Lastly, to our team. From players and coaches to J-Man our manager, this has and continues to be a very humbling ride to be a part of. Thanks to all for your efforts and support of the #SpartanBats!

Chaminade Julienne

Record: 20-4
Final Ranking: No. 13
Preseason Ranking: No. 11
Highest Ranking: No. 6 - Week 6
Postseason History:

Team Stats:

• .294 AVG, 157 Runs
• 2.08 ERA, 147 K

Top Players:

• Garrett Wissman: .507 AVG, 10 2B, 4 3B, 28 RBIs, 23 R, 10 SB. 31.2 IP, 3-0, 1.33 ERA, 46 K
• Ryan Peltier: .333 AVG, 6 2B, 1 3B, 1 HR, 20 RBIs, 25 R, 13 SB. 45 IP, 8-0, 1.09 ERA, 43 K
• Cameron Benoit: .311 AVG, 13 RBIs, 27 R, 22 SB
• Mark Barhorst: .306 AVG, 3 2B, 15 WBIs, 28 R, 19 SB
• Nick Wissman: .290 AVG, 1 2B, 12 RBIs, 12 R. 22.1 IP, 2-1, 1.57 ERA, 20 K
• Daniel Slaybaugh: 38.1 IP, 4-2, 2.74 ERA, 28 K

Coaches Thoughts:

PBR: Talk about your team's development from last summer, winter or the beginning of the season to now in late May.
Mike: The guys put a lot of time into training this offseason, especially with the Complete Hitter system that Brian Harrison (Head Coach of Baldwin Wallace) created.  They were all committed to getting back to a Regional after being there in 2014, and losing in the District Championship last season to Tipp City.

PBR: Thoughts on your program advancing to regionals.
Mike: It has been a heck of a ride all year, and having the opportunity to make another Regional Appearance is really exciting!

PBR: Talk about the leaders on your team and what they have meant.
Mike: Garrett Wissman and Mark Barhorst are our captains for a reason.  They are both four year varsity starters, that have helped set the foundation for what this CJ program is becoming. 

PBR: Thoughts on your regional field.
Mike: This Regional Field is loaded like every year! Waynesville is a familiar foe, as we have faced them in the playoffs multiple times in the last couple years. We know Hamilton Ross has had a great year, with exceptional pitching. Columbus De Sales is the most established program of the four here at the Regional, obviously they are back for the second straight year and have had success as a program for many years!

PBR: Is there anything of interest worth mentioning about your tournament run thus far (no-hitters, key hits, outstanding performances, comebacks etc)?
Mike: We have had a lot of excitement this tournament. We had a 7th Inning walk off win in the Sectional Final against Badin, by Mark Barhorst. Then beat Taylor 2-0 in the District Championship in 10 innings, behind the best pitching performance I have ever seen by a high school player. Garrett Wissman went 9.1 innings of 2 hit and no run baseball, while striking out 16 batters. To make it better, his younger brother Nick Wissman got the game winning hit in the top of the 10th inning.

Hamilton Ross

Record: 25-5
Final Ranking: No. 6
Preseason Ranking: NR
Highest Ranking: No. 6 - Final
Postseason History:

Team Stats:

• .313 AVG, 204 Runs
• 2.14 ERA, 274 K

Top Players:

• Thomas House: 57.1 IP, 8-0, 0.98 ERA, 105 K
• Zack Arno: .407 AVG, 6 2B, 5 3B, 5 HR, 29 RBIs, 31 R, 11 SB
• Drew Huffman: .363 AVG, 5 2B, 1 3B, 28 RBIs, 9 R. 51 IP, 6-1, 1.37 ERA, 68 K
• Brennan Morton: .354 AVG, 5 2B, 10 RBI, 15 R
• Tyler Flick: .354 AVG, 7 2B, 1 3B, 20 RBIs, 29 R, 13 SB
• Brock Tatum: .316 AVG, 2 2B, 8 RBIs, 16 R
• Montana Allgaier: 22.1 IP, 3-0, 1.57 ERA, 15 K

 Coaches Thoughts:

PBR: Talk about your team's development from last summer, winter or the beginning of the season to now in late May.
Jason: Unbelievably proud of this group. We have 14 Seniors. 8 of them were on varsity as sophomores and we took our lumps. This group is the pure definition of hard work. The majority of these seniors have played together since they were 9. Up until this year they have always struggled. They just were never able to put it together. Probably the hardest working group I have ever had in terms of off-season commitment and work ethic. It’s cliché, but hard work gets it done.

PBR: Thoughts on your program advancing to regionals.
Jason: Going into the season our goals were a conference championship and a state birth. Our baseball program has never been to State so it’s probably a crazy goal. This is the 3rd Regional appearance in school history (95, 01). We have played a very tough schedule. I believe we have played 14 D1 teams. We beat a team that just won their D3 district (CHCA) and a team that won their D1 district (St. X). Our conference has some very solid D1 teams that have prepared us well and our weekend schedule has done the same. DeSales is outstanding but we will be prepared and tested. Talk about the leaders on your team and what they have meant. With 14 seniors, we have a lot of leaders. We have a lot of guys that do little things that add up to big things. Zach Evans and Tyler Flick are our day in and day out leaders on the field. Sam Stepaniak ran our off-season conditioning. Thomas House is our leader on the mound. We have a lot of guys that lead in different areas. Our leadership is one of our strengths.

PBR: Thoughts on your regional field?
Jason: DeSales is a storied program. They were just here last year. They have a lot of tradition. From a baseball standpoint, we don’t know much about them other than they are pretty darn good. CJ and Waynesville are both from our Sectional draw. Our 20 team Sectional out of Dayton is/was loaded. Lots of very good baseball teams in terms of tradition, State rankings and quality clubs. Three teams from the Dayton Sectionals still alive is pretty impressive.

PBR: Is there anything of interest worth mentioning about your tournament run thus far (no-hitters, key hits, outstanding performances, comebacks etc)?
Jason: We had a bye first round and then won 1-0 over a very good Eaton team (with a Kent St commit on the mound). In the Sectional Final we got a chance to play Clinton Massie who ousted us last year from the tourney and won 9-0. In the District Final we were down 5-0, then 5-2. We then scored 9 runs in the 5th inning to take the lead. We have seen a little of everything. Thomas House has thrown 14 innings of shutout baseball the postseason. Zach Arno has been on fire at the plate. In the last 2 weeks he has 4 HRs and a TR to lead our offense. Outside of one inning of play, our defense has been outstanding.

PBR: Anything else you would like to add?
Jason: I have the best coaching staff. Their hard work and commitment to these young men is unbelievable. I enjoy coming to baseball everyday to coach this group and worth with these coaches. Our community has given us unbelievable support at each game along the way. The crowds have been amazing and the kids have fed off their energy. I also have the best wife in the world who lets me spend all this time doing something I love.

Columbus St. Francis DeSales

Record: 17-11
Final Ranking: NR
Preseason Ranking: No. 6
Highest Ranking: No. 5 - Week 2
Postseason History:

Top Players:

• Greg Gilbert
• Luke Barber
• Jarod Jones
• Chris McNally
• Ryan Corkrean
• Joey Velazquez
• Drew McLuckie