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Division I Team Of The Week: Badin

HAMILTON - After losing 13 seniors to graduation, a dozen that went on to play college baseball, expectations were admittedly curtailed at the start of this season at perennial state power Hamilton Badin.

Twenty games in, Badin is 18-2 and the Ohio Prep Baseball Report Division I Team of the Week.

“The younger guys' attitudes and effort has been outstanding,” pointed out Badin coach Brian Treadway, whose squad is ranked fourth in the state in D-I. “You never know what you’re going to get when guys get their first taste of varsity baseball and how they’ll react. But we’ve had some younger guys that have jumped in and are having fun playing with their buddies.”

One major attribute stands out to the Badin mentor.

“This is the most selfless team I’ve ever coached.” Treadway said.

It doesn’t hurt to have a pitching staff anchored by a pair of junior Division I commits. Cade Boxrucker (Video), a 6-2 180-pound right-hander ranked 26th in the state’s 2020 class, is 5-0 with a 1.16 ERA. The Campbell recruit is joined at the top of the rotation by Spencer Giesting, the top-ranked junior left-hander in Ohio. The 6-3 185-pound Charlotte commit, rated 32nd overall in the 2020 class, has a 1.38 ERA with a 2-2 record.

“We have a team ERA of 1.71,” Treadway noted. “Our pitchers are doing a great job of giving us a shot.”

Seniors Chase Hopewell, a 6-3 190-pound righty ranked 253th in his class, and Shawn Osborne, a 6-0 175-pound right-hander, give Badin additional arms. Hopewell, a Findlay commit, has a 4-0 record with a 2.50 ERA while Osborne stands 1-0 with two saves and a 2.40 ERA.

“Those four have done an outstanding job of keeping us in ballgames,” Treadway said.

While solid pitching was expected, the strong hitting displayed thus far has been a little surprising for a team that owns wins over the likes of St. Edward’s, Somerset, Ky and sophomore Louisville commit Kade Grundy, Fairfield, CHCA and Chaminade-Julienne.

“The most impressive thing is that nobody’s been carrying us,” explained Treadway, whose Rams have lost only to Chaminade-Julienne (No. 1 D-II) and Elder.

Instead, it has been a lineup from top to bottom doing their part.

Sophomore AJ Enginger, a versatile infielder who plays at second base the most, is batting .450 with 27 hits, 21 runs scored and just three strikeouts. Junior lefty Josh Hegemann leads off and averages .354 while also playing center field

“The surprise is how quickly they’ve adapted to the speed of the game,” Treadway said about the two key newcomers.

Sophomore shortstop Ryan Kirkendall, junior catcher Dylan Ballauer and junior outfielder Alex Barger are others making big contributions. Kirkendall, ranked 98th in his class, is batting .321, Ballauer .300 and Barger, a left-handed hitter, .326 while topping the team in RBIs with 20.

Junior first baseman Kaden Kimbrell is also playing a huge role while averaging .254.

“He’s stepped up as a leader,” Treadway said of Kimbrell. “He has three years of varsity experience and is very instrumental in showing the guys how we do things and holding them accountable.”

Sergio DeCello, a sophomore who has committed to Charlotte, will be an added bonus, most likely at DH, now that the 13th-ranked 2021 in Ohio is back from an injury.

“The culture on this team,” Treadway said about what has been key to the start. “The guys are just working hard and truly enjoying playing the game. There’s no talk about winning the conference or about winning in the tournament, they’re just trying to do their best today and get ready for the tournament. They’re accustomed to winning. There’s no one guy carrying us, they’re all in it for each other. It’s a lot of fun to watch.”