MAY 28 — Four teams. Three games. Only one of these schools will win twice – once on Thursday and again on Friday – and that team punches its ticket to advance to Canal Park for the OHSAA Division IV state Semifinals and State Finals on June 8-9.
That prize, vying for a State Championship, is what the South Central Trojans, Hiland Hawks, (Reedsville) Eastern Eagles, and the (Leesburg) Fairfield Lions are all seeking as they arrive in Lancaster for the District 15, Division IV regional tournament on Thursday.
Reedsville Eastern, ranked #12, will oppose No. 1 ranked Hiland in the 3 p.m. contest at Beavers Field. Both teams come from accomplished programs and have made multiple trips to the Regionals in recent years. At the onset of the 2024 season, baseball prognosticators could have predicted that both the Hawks and the Eagles were likely squads to advance to the Regionals.
It’s a different story in the nightcap contest. At 6 p.m., unranked South Central takes on #15-ranked Leesburg Fairfield. Neither program has made a regional appearance in the last 15 years, both arriving in Lancaster via upset of higher-ranked teams.
Losers in both contests go home on Thursday. Winners of both games oppose each other on Friday at 6 p.m. for the District 15 championship and the right to advance to State Semifinals.
In this package of stories you will find:
- Rosters of all four baseball teams
- Summary of each team’s season thus far
- Link to obtaining tickets for the games from the OHSAA
- Information about Beavers Park
- Photographs of some players from all four teams
The information below is not affiliated with the Ohio High School Athletic Association or any school mentioned in the stories. Eyeoncleveland.com’s JOHN KEREZY is the content author.
Here are the rosters for all four teams:
GAME ONE
EASTERN (Reedsville)
RECORD: 21-6, 7-3 in the Tri-Valley Conference (second place)
Eastern HS is in Meigs County in Southeast Ohio, about 30 miles southeast of Athens. Perhaps the team’s biggest win of the season was a 3-2, 10-inning triumph over Trimble in the Sectional semifinal game back on May 18.
Peyton Buckley, a left-handed pitcher, is the only senior on the Eagles’ team. Alex Collins leads a very powerful hitting attack with a .413 batting average and team-high 31 hits and 27 RBIs. Ethan Edwards, a first baseman who also pitches, has a .357 average and 30 hits on the season. Outfielder Lance Hensler has a .338 mark and Caleb Abner has a.313 average to go with 26 hits and 22 RBIs.
Junior Brady Rockhold and Buckley are the mainstays of the pitching staff for Eastern. Rockhold has a 6-2 won-loss record with a 4.09 ERA. Buckley comes into the contest at 2-1 with a 2.1 ERA.
Eastern coach Chris Stewart is not a program alumnus, but he’s a veteran HS coach who led Athens HS’s baseball program following the retirement of Fred Gibson. Stewart left Athens in 2017, but came back to coach at Eastern in 2021. He’s pretty philosophical with his team when it comes to tournament games.
“Regardless of the level of play and the caliber of games you’re in, baseball will always come down to which team throws it and catches it the best,” he says. “Of course, we have to generate consistent offense and make our opponents field the ball and throw the ball. We know we will see plus pitching from here on out, and so we need to be prepared to fight in the batter’s box.”
Stewart also has an ‘everyone can be key’ approach to the Regionals. “…It’s going to be someone – maybe two or maybe three – who is going to make a big impact on this game,” he adds. “That’s why it’s important for all 18 of them (on the team) to be ready.”
HILAND HAWKS, BERLIN
Record: 23-5 11-2 (first, South Div.) Inter Valley Conference
It’s easy to lose sight of a simple fact: About 75 percent of the at-bats and more than half of the innings pitched from Hiland’s 2023 state championship team departed the squad last year due to graduation. But the Hawks, one of the best baseball programs in Ohio, simply reloaded and proceeded to play excellent baseball this season.
Ranked among the top teams in Ohio all season and seeded first in the East Region, Hiland survived a scare in its District final on May 22. It trailed Strasburg-Franklin 5-3 going into the bottom of the sixth, but rallied to score five runs and claim an 8-5 triumph, propelling them into the Region 15 tournament.
Hiland averages seven runs a game, and has a team batting average of .319. Leading the way is senior centerfielder Cody Yoder with a .483 average and an .828 slugging percentage. Cody tops the team with 42 hits, 3 triples, 3 home runs, and 31 RBIs. Some of the other top hitters include Caden Coblentz, .368 average; Colin Coblentz, .356 average; and Brady Yoder, .337 average
On the mound three Hiland pitchers have dominated their opponents. Junior Kaden Kandel, junior Caden Coblentz, and senior Finn Schneider have each pitched about 40 innings this season. Kandel has a .937 ERA, with Coblentz at a 1.5 ERA and Schneider with a 2.1 ERA. Kandel is 5-0; Coblentz 7-1; and Schneider at 5-1.
Junior Danny Hostetler has handled catching duties excellently, and shortstop Brady Yoder and centerfielder Cody Yoder head up a very strong Hawks defense.
Hiland is making its fourth consecutive appearance at the Regional tournament. But that doesn’t mean it’s taking anything for granted. “We will need to play clean defense and not give other teams extra outs,” Dages says. At this level all the teams will be able to put the ball in play consistently, so we just have to take advantage of outs they hit into.”
Dages, the coaching staff, and the players know that as defending state champs, other teams have the Hawks in their sights. “We’ve been playing with a target on our back all year,” Dages adds. ”These players relish the opportunity to compete against other teams best and don’t shrink from a challenge.”
GAME TWO
SOUTH CENTRAL (Greenwich)
Record: 17-8, 11-3 (Tied for first place in the Firelands Conference)
South Central HS is in Greenwich, in southern Huron County, about halfway between Norwalk and Ashland. The Trojans got into the Region 15 Tournament by defeating Seneca East 1-0 nail-biter on at the District Championship in Galion on May 24 (more below).
One of Coach Nick Kirk’s top players is his senior pitcher, Eric Sanders. Sanders has a 6-1 mark with a 2.40 ERA. He is also carrying a .408 batting average and 22 RBIs on offense. He is a Firelands Conference First Team All-Conference selection.
PHOTO CREDIT: James Simpson II, Times-Gazette
Right behind Sanders is junior teammate Aaron Hauler. A Second Team All Conference, Hauler has a 2.82 ERA and a 7-1 won-loss mark from the mound. He worked out of trouble repeatedly and allowed just three hits in hurling the complete-game (seven inning) 1-0 victory over Seneca East Friday for the District championship. This contest’s outcome came in a most unlikely manner, as South Central’s Bryan Chaffee came home from third base on an umpire’s balk call with one out in the fifth inning.
Hauler made that one run stand up, which is how South Central advanced to the Regionals. He is also a .309 hitter who’s notched 16 RBIs for the Trojans.
This is South Central’s first appearance in an OHSAA Regional Tournament since 2007.
FAIRFIELD (Leesburg)
Record: 20-4, 10-3 in the Southern Hills Athletic Conference (first place, small school division)
Leesburg’s conference teams are in Brown, Highland and Adams County in South Central Ohio. The school is about 50 miles southeast of Dayton, and 60 miles southwest of Columbus. This marks the third consecutive years that the Lions have won a conference championship. But it is the first Regional tourney appearance for the school since 2002. Its coach Kyle Zimmerman, a Fairfield alumnus himself, likes his senior leadership and his pitching corps.
Fairfield has two workhorse senior starting pitchers in Gabe Fouch (RHP, 44 innings pitched, 5-2, .477 ERA) and Cade Miller (RHP, 49 innings pitched, 6-1, .714 ERA). Junior Zane Matthews, another righty pitcher who possesses a .313 ERA, might see some action as well.
Hillsboro County Press Photos/Stephen Forsha
Zimmerman cites two important factors in the Lions’ mindset entering Regional tournament play.
“First, maturity. We are fortunate enough to have five seniors who lead. They set the exam, and behind that we have a strong underclass and the culture of family, a brotherhood,” he says.
“Second is the fact they understand that this is a game of redemption. Things will go wrong, and when they do they (need to manage) to play through them.”
Having had the opportunity to see South Central’s District game, Zimmerman also praises his opponent. “They are a gritty team, and they are going to be a force to be reckoned with,” he adds.
ABOUT REGIONAL TOURNAMENT TICKETS
The Ohio High School Athletic Association (OHSAA) handles ticket sales for all Regional tournaments, and for State Semi Finals and State Finals for all four baseball divisions.Tickets went on sale Saturday at 4 p.m., and are $12 apiece. Here is the link: https://www.ohsaa.org/tickets
On Tuesday, May 28, the OHSAA also announced that fans can now buy tickets at the door for the Region 15 tournament as well, and pay cash for the tickets.
ABOUT BEAVERS FIELD
Lancaster American Legion Post 11 operates Beavers Field. In recent times, the Ohio Sports Turf Managers Association and the High School Coaches Association have called it the Field of the Year. Beavers Field is a multi-purpose stadium which hosts a variety of high-profile events, including American Legion State Tournaments. It’s also home to the Ohio University – Lancaster Branch baseball team, and hosts 100+ high school and college games a year.
Beavers Field’s dimensions are 325 feet to the foul poles in Right and Left Fields, and 395 feet to the fence in Center Field.
The street address (for your GPS or Map) is. 1651 Granville Pike, Lancaster, OH 43130
The field’s website is: https://www.beaversfield.com/beaversfieldhome
CBS Sports’ Maxpreps website has produced preview stories of one of the Regional games. Here is a link to it:
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