Columbus-area players to watch this season
From Vanderbilt commit Matt Wolfe at Olentangy Orange in Division I to Louisville commit and top MLB draft prospect Jacob Miller at Liberty Union in Division III, there is no shortage of baseball talent in central Ohio this spring.
Here are some of the names to keep an eye on. Players listed in alphabetical order.
Ohio Capital Conference
Cole Cahill, Olentangy Orange, junior 1B/P – Cahill, a Toledo commit, was named honorable mention All-ohio last year and hit .396 with 26 RBIS and 17 runs. On the mound, he went 7-1 with a 1.84 ERA and 69 strikeouts in 57 innings.
Oliver Cush, New Albany, senior OF – Cush hit .449 with seven doubles, six triples, two home runs, 35 RBIS and 11 stolen bases for the Eagles as they won the Division I state championship.
Zade Fusselman, Canal Winchester, senior OF – Fusselman, a Wright State commit, hit .430 last year with 37 hits, four home runs and 38 RBIS.
Kyle Garber, Lancaster, senior SS/2B – Garber was the co-player of the year in the Occ-buckeye division last year as Lancaster finished the season in a regional semifinal.
Drew Gaskins, Big Walnut, junior SS/P – Gaskins, an Oakland commit, was named to Prep Baseball Report's preseason all-star team for Ohio's central and southeast regions.
Keegan Holmstrom, Grove City, sophomore P/1B – Holmstrom was named honorable mention All-ohio last year as a freshman.
Marquise Loring, Central Crossing, senior SS/P – Loring was named Occbuckeye co-player of the year last year alongside Garber. He batted .418 with 20 RBIS, 12 doubles, 23 runs and 14 stolen bases. On the mound, he went 6-3 with a 3.56 ERA, 54 strikeouts and 22 walks in 61 innings.
Mason Onate, Olentangy Liberty, junior SS/2B – Onate, a Tulane commit, hit .500 last year with 11 doubles, four triples, 31 runs, 30 RBIS and 13 stolen bases. He was named to the Prep Baseball Report preseason Elite 25 team.
Dennis Ritlinger-nirider, Grove City, senior OF/P – Ritlinger-nirider was named honorable mention All-ohio last season.
Caden Robinson, New Albany, senior P – Robinson, a Memphis recruit, missed nearly the entire 2021 season with an injury, though he was able to play in the state championship game and help the Eagles to the state title.
Austin Sizemore, Olentangy, senior 3B/P – Sizemore hit .493 last season with nine doubles, two triples, 24 runs and 16 RBIS.
Mckay Whitaker, Worthington Kilbourne, senior 1B/OF – Whitaker, an Indiana commit, and was selected to Prep Baseball Report's preseason Elite 25 team.
Matt Wolfe, Olentangy Orange, senior SS/P – Wolfe was named secondteam All-ohio last year and batted .419 with two home runs, 25 RBIS, 31 runs and 19 stole bases.
Mid-state League
CJ Carmichael, Bloom-carroll, senior SS/P - Carmichael, a Penn State commit and one of the key players for the Division II state runner-up last year, hit .433 with two home runs, 35 runs, 15 RBIS and 18 stolen bases.
Nick Dolci, Fisher Catholic, junior P/1B – Dolci hit .430 last season with six doubles, 31 runs and 19 RBIS.
Tyler Hall, Millersport, senior IF – Hall, selected by Prep Baseball Report to the preseason All-ohio first team in Division IV, hit .534 last season with 12 doubles, four home runs, 35 runs, 49 RBIS and 36 stolen bases.
Matthew Keener, Fairfield Christian, junior OF – Keener earned secondteam All-ohio honors last year as he hit .508 with four doubles, three triples, 41 runs, 11 RBIS, 22 walks and 40 stolen bases.
Mason Kurtz, Buckeye Valley, senior 2B/OF – Kurtz, selected by Prep Baseball Report to the preseason All-ohio first team in Division II, hit .451 last year with three home runs, 43 runs, 29 RBIS and 25 stolen bases.
Michael Levacy, Millersport, junior OF/P – Levacy was named honorable mention All-ohio last year as he hit .529 with 12 doubles, seven triples two home runs, 29 runs and 30 RBIS. As a pitcher, he posted a 1.47 ERA and 54 strikeouts.
Jacob Miller, Liberty Union, senior P – Miller, a Louisville commit and the No. 56 prospect in the 2022 MLB draft, was the Division III Central District player of the year last year as he went 9-1 with 143 strikeouts and a 0.70 ERA. He allowed just six earned runs across the season.
Dylan Winkler, Berne Union, senior P – Winkler pitched 41.2 innings last year, with a 5-2 record, 57 strikeouts and an ERA of 0.85.
Licking County League
Bryan Mcanally, Newark Catholic, sophomore OF/3B – Mcanally hit .386 as a freshman with eight doubles, a home run and 19 RBIS.
Sam Muetzel, Newark Catholic, senior SS/P – Muetzel was an All-ohio honorable mention last year after batting .486 with two home runs, 28 runs, 27 RBIS and five stolen bases.
Nate Younker, Watkins Memorial, senior OF – Younker, a Capital football commit, was named second-team Allohio last year, Lcl-buckeye player of the year and hit .451 with two home runs and 31 RBIS.
Central Catholic League
Emmett Gillies, Hartley, senior P/OF – Gillies pitched 47 innings last season with a 4-2 record, a 3.27 ERA and 57 strikeouts. At the plate, he hit .392 with three doubles, a home run, 25 runs and 16 RBIS.