Brackets are set for postseason play

The baseball tournament brackets are set and Marissa McNees breaks down who plays whom and where. Plus the Top of the Crop and statistical leaders.

The postseason brackets are set as the tournament draw took place April 30 before sectionals officially begin May 6.

Here is a breakdown of each division and how the brackets shaped up for area teams:

DIVISION I, LORAIN DISTRICT

Amherst received the No. 1 seed in Division I’s Lorain District and elected to take a bye to the sectional finals May 12, facing the winner of No. 9 WestlakeNo. 8 North Olmsted. The Comets beat Avon in the Lorain District finals last season before falling in a regional semifinal to Anthony Wayne.

No. 5 Elyria and No. 4 Midview round out the top half of the bracket and will square off May 12 in a sectional final.

In the bottom half, No. 2 Avon and No. 3 Berea-Midpark also took byes to the sectional finals, with Avon facing the winner of No. 10 Lorain-No. 7 Olmsted Falls and Berea-Midpark facing the winner of No. 11 North Ridgeville-No. 6 Avon Lake.

The Lorain District semifinals and final will take place at The Pipe Yard May 17 and 18.

DIVISION II, PARMA DISTRICT

PAC Stars Division leader Keystone (19-1) is the No. 1 seed in Division II’s Parma District and has a firstround bye before hosting the winner of No. 9 Brookside-No. 8 Buckeye May 9 in a sectional final. No. 5 Bay will travel to No. 4 Firelands for another sectional final May 9, rounding out the top half of the bracket.

On the other side, No. 2 Padua will host the winner of No. 10 Rocky RiverNo. 7 Fairview in a May 9 sectional final, while No. 3 Holy Name will host the winner of No. 11 CloverleafNo. 6 Clearview.

The Parma District semifinals and final will take

place at Cuyahoga Community College West May 15 and 16.

DIVISION II, HEIDELBERG DISTRICT

>> In one of the larger brackets in the area, Shelby received the No. 1 seed while Vermilion (16-3) is seeded second. The Sailors will face No. 15 Fostoria and, with a win, will advance to a sectional final where they will host the winner of No. 10 Kenton-No. 7 Ontario.

The Heidelberg District semifinals and final will take place at Heidelberg University May 18 and 20.

DIVISION III, LAKEWOOD

DISTRICT >> Elyria Catholic is Division III’s Lakewood District No. 1 seed and will host the winner of No. 9 Villa Angela-St. JosephNo. 8 Beachwood in a sectional final.

THE PANTHERS BEAT BEACHWOOD

IN THE LAKEWOOD DISTRICT FINAL LAST SEASON BEFORE FALLING TO APPLE CREEK WAYNEDALE IN THE D-III REGIONAL FINAL.

No. 4 Lutheran West will host No. 13 Horizon Science Academy May 9 and No. 12 Oberlin will travel to No. 5 Olmsted Falls 9-10 Crop comments: The top two teams remain at the top this week heading into a showdown May 3 at Sprenger Stadium. Amherst will travel to Avon, and with a win, can clinch at least a share of the Southwestern Conference title, while an Avon win would keep the Eagles in the hunt . ... Elyria Catholic jumps Vermilion this week simply because the Panthers have played a game, a 5-3 win over Valley Forge, while the Sailors have been off all week . ... The only other movement comes at the bottom of the Crop . ... Firelands jumps to No. 8 after going 3-0 on the week and Lake Ridge makes its first appearance this season, going 4-0 this week, including wins over Clearview, Oberlin and NEO Prep . ... Elyria falls to No. 10 after going 1-3. Note: Records as of May 1.

Gilmour.

In the bottom half of the bracket, No. 6 Wellington will host No. 11 Independence in a sectional semifinal May 9.

The Lakewood District semifinals and final will take place at Lakewood High School May 16 and 17.

DIVISION IV, MEDINA DISTRICT

>> In Division IV, Hillsdale was seeded first in the Medina District and will host the winner of No. 9 Columbia-No. 8 Central Christian May 11 in a sectional final.

No. 4 Lake Ridge will host the winner of No. 12 Open Door-No. 5 Mogadore May 11 in a sectional final, rounding out the top half of the bracket.

No. 2 Lake Center Christian leads the bottom half of the bracket, followed by No. 3 Cuyahoga Heights.

The Medina District semifinals and finals will take place at Medina High School May 17 and 18.

Coaching milestone

Amherst coach Matt Rositano reached a milestone this week when the Comets beat North Olmsted, 7-2, on May 1.

The win marked Rositano’s 100th win in five years as head coach for Amherst, and the Comets are on the brink of a Southwestern Conference championship.

Xavier Moore (7-1) got the win on the mound as the Ohio State commit threw five innings with zero earned runs, two hits and 10 strikeouts while Chad Jones led the offense with a double and two RBI.

OHSBCA poll

Six area teams are represented in the latest Ohio High School Baseball Coaches Association poll.

In D-I, Amherst (19-4) moves up to No. 3 with 124 points while Avon (16-3) is ranked 10th. The teams will meet May 3 at Sprenger Stadium with the Southwestern Conference title on the line.

Vermilion (16-3) is No. 9 in D-II with 67 points as it continues to fight for its first Sandusky Bay Conference championship.

Keystone (19-1) makes its first appearance in the top 20 this season as DII’s 10th-ranked team with 54 points. The Wildcats are looking to wrap up the PAC Stars Division title this week with a game May 4 at Fairview and May 5 vs. Wellington.

Elyria Catholic (15-3) moves to No. 4 in D-III with 195 points, including two first-place votes. The Panthers clinched at least a share of the Great Lakes Conference championship for the second straight season with a 3-2 win over Bay on May 2.

Lake Ridge (14-4) is another area team making its first appearance in the poll this season, coming in at No. 12 in D-IV with 29 points.

The Royals lead the Lake Effect Conference and have nabbed nonconference wins over Trinity, Wellington, Clearview, Oberlin, Max Hayes and Open Door.