The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
High school baseball watch list
PLAYERS TO WATCH
(in alphabetical order) Sebastian Alexander, Sr.,
OF/P, Mayfield: Alexander hit .456 and led the area with four home runs last year to go with 10doubles, a triple, 35RBI, 30 runs and 20stolen bases. One of the top two-way talents in Northeast Ohio, the right-hander went 6-2with a 2.14ERA and struck out 55in 521⁄3 innings last year. Noah Arkenburg, Sr., P, NDCL:
Marshall commit won five games and struck out 48for the Lions last year. One of the best arms in the area, Arkenburg’s presence on the mound makes NDCL competitive in any game. Joe Barcikoski, Sr., 2B, Berkshire: Sparkplug atop the Badgers’ lineup hit .402 with two home runs, five doubles, two triples and 12RBI last year. Stole 21bags and scored 32runs. Ethan Brown, Jr., 1B, Riverside: Brown had a breakout sophomore year for the Beavers as one of the area’s top runproducers. Brown will be one of the WRC’s top hitters after posting 30RBI last season. Brendan Collins, Sr., 3B, North: Toledo commit will play a key role atop the Rangers’ lineup and on the mound, after he posted a 1.66ERA and 51strikeouts in 42 innings a year ago. Mitchell Cormiea, Sr., P, Chardon: Hilltoppers’ ace went 5-2with a 1.54ERA and 67 strikeouts over 542⁄3 innings last season. Finished the year hitting .321with a double, eight RBI and 12 runs as a junior. Matt Christopher, Sr., 2B/SS, Gilmour: Christopher hit first for the Lancers last year and ranked among the area’s top players with a .388average, two home runs, nine double and 26 RBI. He
sets the table for the Lancers at the top of their lineup. Ben DeMell, Jr., P/SS, Gilmour: Penn State commit is the returning News-Herald Player of the Year after he went 11-0with a 0.28ERA and struck out 105 over 74 2⁄3 innings. At the plate, DeMell hit .463 with two home runs and 44RBI as he helped lead Gilmour to the D-II state final. Andrew Jones, So., SS, Brush:
Ohio State commit is poised to harness more of his immense potential after a standout freshman season for the Arcs. Andrew Kirkpatrick, So., 1B, Chagrin Falls: Kirkpatrick earned playing time as a freshman on a veteran team last year and worked his way into the cleanup spot, where he finished the season tied for sixth in the area with 32 RBI. Tyler Mintz, Sr., CF, Kenston:
One of the top leadoff men in the area, Mintz stole 18bases and drove in 14runs for the Bombers last year. Chad Rogers, Sr., P, Mentor: Penn State signee returned from Tommy John surgery during a junior season in which he gained form throughout the year. Now fully healthy and coming off an excellent offseason, Rogers is poised for a dominant senior year. He’s a bona fide No. 1 starter for a Mentor team seeking a return to the D-I state title game. Finished the year 4-1 with a 2.21ERA and 39strikeouts in 31 2⁄3 innings. Ronnie Schultz, Jr., P/2B, Benedictine: Won six games with a 2.37ERA for the Bengals last year, helping them advance to a regional final. After the graduation of a deep senior class, Coach John Ellis will count on Schultz for added production and leadership this season.
Matt Stauffer, Sr., SS, Benedictine: Returning shortstop from last year’s regional finalist, Stauffer will team with Schultz at the top of Benedictine’s lineup this season. Mason Sullivan, Jr., P, Kirtland: Power pitcher won six games and posted a 1.14ERA for the Hornets last year and finished second in the area with three home runs. John Susnik, Sr., C, South:
Hard-hitting catcher will anchor Coach Brian Pellegrini’s team from the behind the plate and be counted on to help the offense produce runs. Ricardo Valadez, Jr., 3B/P, Harvey: Hit .413to rank among the area’s hitting leaders as a sophomore. Andrew Witte, Sr., SS, Mentor: Mount Union commit anchors the Cardinals in the field and led the team with a .381average.
He’s a linchpin in a lineup filled with returning talent from last year’s D-I state runner-up group. Cole Zak, Sr., CF/P, Mayfield:
Pitt signee has one of the purest swings in Northeast Ohio and is one of the region’s top players overall. Zak hit .414 with two home runs and 25 RBI while stealing 19bases as a junior. On the mound, went 5-1with a 3.28 ERA and struck out 48in 32 innings. Kyle Zaluski, Sr., SS, Chagrin Falls: Zaluski enters his fourth year as a starter for the Tigers after he hit .390with a home run, six doubles, four triples and 25RBI as a junior. Scored 40 runs and stole 25bags to earn honorable mention All-Ohio.
BATTING PRACTICE
• Mentor made a run to the 2019 D-I state championship game, where the Cardinals fell to St. Ignatius in extra innings. Coach Jeff Haase returns most of his core from the group, led by Rogers, Witte, Noah Gladish, Eric Coode and Hal Walker Jr., while others like Charlie Hawley and Aiden Limtury are prepared to assume greater roles. Mentor burns to win one more game than it did a year ago and has the pieces to accomplish that goal. • Gilmour fell to Chaminade Julienne in last year’s D-II state final and is also equipped to return to Canal Park. DeMell and Christopher are joined by a host of contributors from last year’s core, including Joey Hollis, Garrett Olsen, Marco Costabile, Ty Plucinsky and Vinny Bandwen. The Lancers went through a coaching change after Jay Fowler stepped down, but John Murphy has 26 years of experience in the program, and the transition should be seamless. The only question mark for Gilmour is at catcher, a position anchored by Nick Christopher the past few years before he graduated and walked on at Bucknell.
• Mayfield is motivated to return to the Euclid District final, where the Wildcats have fallen to Mentor the past three years. Alexander, Zak and Gannon Rose lead a strong team that has Coach DJ Rapposelli confident Mayfield can end the Cardinals’ dominance at the district. • Benedictine won its first district title since 1986last year but graduated a senior class led by Daniel Keenan, Connor O’Donnell, Max Monachino, Billy Boehlke and John Bufford. Ronnie Schultz and Matt Stauffer played key roles for the Bengals last year and will be counted for leadership by Coach John Ellis as Benedictine tries to replace the Class of 2019’s production and personality.
• Chagrin Falls fell in a district semifinal last year but returns a talented group led by Zaluski, Kirkpatrick, Hank Weiss, Dawson Pierce and Jack McMullen. The Tigers will vie for a return to the regional level.
• While Mayfield is the class of the Western Reserve Conference, the league figures to be deep and competitive again. Chardon, North, Kenston, South and Riverside all have talent while Brush continues to improve under Coach Brett Munn. At Madison, the Blue Streaks won a playoff game last season and are always well-coached under BJ Titman.
• Kirtland graduated much of its talent from last year’s district champion, namely Joey Torok and Seann McGill. Sullivan and Mike Alfieri return, but Coach Luke Smrdel will need a handful of new contributors to step up for the Hornets.
• VASJ took major steps forward in its first year under Coach Dennis Woods, advancing to a district final before falling to Kirtland. The Vikings’ development in their second season of Woods’ program merits attention.