The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
High school baseball watch list
PLAYERS TO WATCH
(in alphabetical order) C Matthew Cassaro, Kenston: Senior second team all-district choice hit .422 with a home run, 12 doubles and 33 RBI. OF Matt Carney, Cardinal:
Junior hit .476 for the Huskies with 10 RBI and 11 runs to earn third team NewsHerald all-star distinction.
P Squire Chapman, Mentor: Senior commit to Tiffin University went 3-3 with a 3.00 ERA. Struck out 46 hitters in 37 1⁄3 innings. Chapman takes over as the Cardinals’ No. 1 starter and is an eager competitor in crucial moments.
OF/P Jimmy Clark,
Hawken: First team all-district selection returns after compiling one of the area’s best offensive seasons. Clark batted .457, hit three home runs, recorded 28 RBI, scored 33 runs and stole 16 bases. As a senior, Clark will anchor another dangerous Hawken lineup.
OF/P Ben Connor, Beachwood: Hit .366 with 18 RBI and 22 runs to earn All-Ohio honorable mention for the Bison. While new coach Andy Pohl lays the foundation for his program, he’ll have a cornerstone for this season in Connor.
3B/P Steven D’Eusanio,
South: D’Eusanio was one of the area’s top two-way players as a junior. At the plate, he batted .385 with a home run, 11 doubles and 35 RBI. On the mound, D’Eusanio went 3-3 with a 2.36 ERA and struck out 32 in 29 2⁄3 innings for the Rebels.
1B/P Joe DiMattio, NDCL:
Senior will anchor the Lions from the mound and the batter’s box. At the plate, DiMattio hit .271 with two home runs, five doubles and 20 RBI as a junior. On the mound, he went 4-1 with a 2.73 ERA and notched 32 strikeouts against 12 walks.
P Dom DiPippo, Mayfield:
First team News-Herald allstar went 8-0 with a 1.13 ERA as a junior. Struck out 49 in 55 2⁄3 innings pitched to earn second team AllDistrict honors. CF Josh Martin, Perry:
First team News-Herald all-star batted .459 with 12 stolen bases and 20 runs for Perry as a junior. Second team all-district selection. SS/P Myles Metz, Chardon: Metz will take on a larger role for the Hilltoppers after a successful junior season. Metz batted .347 with 17 RBI and 16 runs scored last season. On the mound, he went 1-1 with a 1.68 ERA.
C David Moreno, Harvey:
Junior hit .389 with 12 RBI, scored 10 runs and caught 12 runners stealing. Moreno leads a young Harvey team that played numerous freshmen last season.
C Cole Newbauer, Chagrin
Falls: Second team All-Ohio selection at catcher set the Ohio state record with 26 hit-by-pitches last season. Batted .364 with 22 RBI, 34 stolen bases and 36 runs scored.
RF/1B Connor O’Donnell,
Benedictine: Junior batted .333 and led the Bengals with three home runs, 17 RBI, seven doubles and a .975 OPS last season.
SS Kenny Streb, North:
One of the area’s most dynamic leadoff hitters, Streb hit .464 with 23 RBI, 37 runs and 25 stolen bases for the Rangers as a junior.
P Erik Wilson, Chagrin
Falls: The defending News-Herald Player of the Year returns for a senior season that will cap one of the area’s best high school baseball careers. Wilson went 10-1 with a 0.50 ERA after he began his junior year with a 42 consecutive scoreless innings. At the
plate, Wilson batted .348 with 19 RBI. A captain for the second straight year, Wilson looks to lead the Tigers beyond the regional qualifications they earned in each of the past two seasons.
P Tom Yuras, Lake Catholic: Cougars’ senior struck out 47 batters and compiled a 1.50 ERA during his junior regular season.
TEAMS TO WATCH
Chagrin Falls: After backto-back regional berths, the Tigers enter 2018 primed to advance to a state berth. Chagrin Falls is talented and experienced. The Tigers return eight of nine starters in the field, namely senior captains and three-year starters Erik Wilson, Adam Bencko and Cole Newbauer.
Chardon: Coach Brian Long maintains the Hilltoppers’ sights on competing for conference and district crowns despite the loss of key players from a season ago. Shortstop Myles Metz will anchor the infield and be counted on for reliable innings from the mound. Dakota Baldwin and Luke Callahan give Chardon a pair of cornerstones in the outfield after they batted .333 and .317, respectively, last season.
Hawken: The Hawks graduated one senior from last year’s 21-5 team and again figure to be the class of the CVC Valley. Coach Aaron Brandt has plenty of starting experience in his seniorladen lineup, led by Charles Winans, Jimmy Clark, Eli Ehrbar, Quinn Orloff and Will Rowley.
Lake Catholic: Coach Dennis Woods is tasked with replacing eight starting position players from last year’s district runner-up team. One thing in the Cougars’ favor is a wealth of pitching experience, led by senior Tom Yuras and junior Sam Melnyk.
Kenston: The Bombers return eight starters from last year’s 21-win roster, including three players who batted .300 or better. The offense will be led by catcher Matthew Cassaro and outfielder Matthew Pecoraro, who hit .422 and .372, respectively last year. Two of Kenston’s top starters, Patrick Persichetti (2.82 ERA) and Ryan Kammer (1.27 ERA), lead a group of six pitchers who own varsity experience.
Mayfield: The defending Western Reserve Conference champions will require production from a host of new faces to remain in their usual spot near the top of the league table. Mayfield returns only two starting position players, but shortstop Joe Trivison and outfielder Sam Guerrini are a pair of solid building blocks. Pitching should be a strength for the Wildcats, where Dom DiPippo, Mark Manfredi and Kevin Spehar give coach D.J. Rapposelli a formidable three-man rotation that can ease stress on a lineup filled with new contributors.
Mentor: The Cardinals made the deepest playoff run of any area team last season. Mentor advanced to the Division I Canton Regional final where the Cardinals fell to No. 1-ranked Massillon Jackson, the eventual state champion. Similar to last season, coach Jeff Haase will look for Mentor to peak in the postseason as the Cardinals work new contributors into starting roles. Mentor will be tested during the regular season as the Cardinals compete in the Greater Cleveland Conference, which includes state runner-up Strongsville, regional runner-up Medina and district runners-up Solon and Brunswick.
NDCL: The defending Ashtabula District champions, Notre Dame-Cathedral Latin lost three starters from last year’s infield who helped anchor the Lions’ offense. Coach Jim Clark has a pair of top-flight pitchers in Brenden Hofacre and Joe DiMattio, alongside battery-mate Julian Mangelluzzi’s powerful bat at catcher. Dan Liberatore, Jack Graycar, Josh Szabo and Kyle Medves bring valuable starting experience in the outfield.
Perry: Perry won just nine games last season, but the Pirates are a dark horse to become one of the area’s top teams this season. Coach John Grdina’s lineup is filled with talent and experience. Senior center fielder Josh Martin enters the season as one of the area’s top players and he’s surrounded by a deep, powerful lineup. Spencer Kane’s impending return from injury will bolster a pitching staff that goes six-deep.
GAMES TO WATCH
(Dates and locations subject to change)
April 9: Lake Catholic at Benedictine, South at Chardon
April 12: North at Mayfield, Benedictine at Gilmour, Lake Catholic at Perry
April 13: Geneva at Chagrin Falls, St. Edward at Mentor
April 14: Chardon at Geneva
April 16: Mayfield at South April 17: Strongsville at Mentor, Chardon at Kenston, University at Hawken April 18: Cardinal at Kirtland
April 19: West Geauga at Chagrin Falls, South at Kenston
April 20: Chagrin Falls vs. Revere at Progressive Field, Lake Catholic at Mentor, Gilmour at NDCL
April 23: Kenston at North, Wickliffe at Fairport
April 26: Mayfield at Chardon, North at South, University at Beachwood
April 28: South vs. North at Classic Park, NDCL at Mayfield
April 29: Kirtland vs. Wickliffe at Classic Park April 30: NDCL at Lake Catholic, Brush at Cornerstone Christian May 1: Lake Catholic at NDCL
May 5: VASJ at Euclid May 7: Madison at Geneva May 15: Mentor at NDCL