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2015 OHSAA Division I State Final Four Preview

June 3, 2015

By Dylan Hefflinger
Ohio Editor in Chief/NW Scout

PBR Ohio has all of your high school baseball coverage across the state covered.

The 2015 season has been a great one in the Buckeye State. The regular season showcased some dominant teams throughout the year, but as always the OHSAA Tournament brings out the best in all teams. During the 2015 tournament we have seen numerous upsets including all four State Champions from 2014 getting knocked off along the way, meaning we will be crowning four new State Champions this year at Huntington Park.

To view the other divisions in-depth preview click on the division below:
Division II
Division III
Division IV

To view the Regional Brackets please click on the division below:
Division I
Division II
Division III
Division IV
Entire Tournament Bracket

Take a look at the 2014 State Final Four Roundup:
Division I
Division II
Division III
Division IV

Visit our scout blog, which includes velocity, pop times and in-depth scouting reports. The blog will be updated throughout the entire spring, with information on top prospects and top performances, click here.

To view the 2015 Team Rankings, click here.

To view the 2015 Preseason All-State Teams, click here.

To discuss this game, please visit our partner JJHuddle.

Interested in attending a PBR Ohio event? Check out our schedule by clicking here.

Division I State Final Four Preview


Team Name: Aurora High School
Coaches Name/overall record: Michael Brancazio, 22-5
Team Record: 22-5
Final Regular Season Ranking: #22
Preseason Rank: NR

Postseason History:

  • 2nd Division 1 State Appearance (2013, 2015)
  • 2013, 2014, & 2015 Struthers Division 1 District Champions

Tournament Trail:

The Greenmen of Aurora have gotten stellar pitching throughout the tournament trail. Aurora has allowed just one run in five tourney games while outscoring their opposition 17-1. The Greenmen defeated Kenston 5-0 to claim a sectional championship. At districts, Aurora blanked Boardman 2-0 and Twinsburg 5-0 to claim a district title. At regionals, #12 Willoughby South scored a run on the Greenmen, but ultimately fell 2-1 in 8 innings. In the regional finals, Aurora defeated 2014 state champion #11 Massillon Jackson 3-0.

Quotes from the head coach Michael Brancazio:


PBR: Talk about your team advancing to state (from the regular season to the tournament run).

Coach Brancazio: ???I am very proud of our players, coaching staff, administration, and this wonderful community. The players have continuously played the game the proper way. Overall, I feel very confident as we head into the State Playoffs. We are in this position because of outstanding pitching, defense, and timely hitting. The team has persevered against very good competition, including defeating last year???s Division 1 State Champion #10 Massillon Jackson in the Canton Regional Finals.???

PBR: What has stood out along the way about this team (maybe a turning point in the season or something you saw in the offseason)?

Coach Brancazio: ???We have been successful and have earned a spot in the Division 1 State playoffs based on outstanding pitching and defense accompanied by timely hitting. Throughout the offseason and during the season, our players and coaches knew we had the talent and overall will to get to this point. Our goal now is to take the next step and play our game to win the state championship. We know it will be a challenge but our entire program and community are prepared for this task.???

PBR: What does this mean to your school, community and city?

Coach Brancazio: ???It is exciting for our community and school district, especially when you realize that Aurora is one of the smallest Division 1 baseball programs based on enrollment. Our players continuously do the right thing in the classroom, community, and on the field which makes this State Playoff appearance even more special.???

PBR: Anything else you would like to add?

Coach Brancazio: ???In 2013 we had the opportunity to face Cincinnati Moeller in the State Semifinals and we could not prevail. Our goal is to keep playing our style of baseball and play with an ???edge??? against a quality opponent in Cincinnati Moeller again.???

Projected Lineup for the Greenmen

The Greenmen's offense is solid from 1-9 with seven of the nine hitters batting .319 or better including three over .426. Aurora has two D-I commits in their lineup and as well as a D-II commit.

Defensively the Greenmen feature a solid double play combo of Andy Weber (Virginia commit) and Matt Carpenter (Ohio State commit).

The Greenmen also feature four solid underclassmen, including Ben Stawicki (pictured right) and Bubba Arslanian.

  1. Matt Carpenter (Ohio State commit), SR, SS, .426 BA
  2. Ben Stawicki, Soph, RF, .319 BA, ranked 59th in the 2017 class
  3. Andy Weber (Virginia commit), SR, 2B, .433 BA, ranked 17th in 2015 class
  4. Nick Ely (Notre Dame College commit), SR, 3B, .381 BA
  5. Devin Bradley (Unsigned senior), SR, LF, .319 BA
  6. Josh Andexler, SR, 1B, .442 BA
  7. Bubba Arslanian, Soph, C, .254 BA, ranked 12th in the 2017 class
  8. Evan Fromwiller, FR, DH, .228 BA
  9. Jonathan Blue, Soph, CF, .328 BA


Other Key Contributors:

  • Ryan Gambatesa, SR, could be used as a pinch-hitter
  • Michael Durkin, SR, could be used as a pinch-hitter

Top Arms for the Greenmen

Most high school programs are looking to a solid 1-2 punch on the hill. For Aurora, however, there is a solid 1-2-3 punch in AJ Kimes (pictured right), Adam Long and Carter Semancik. The trio has combined to go 19-1 on the season while throwing 122.2 innings with a combined ERA around 1.00.

  • AJ Kimes, JR, LHP, 7-1, 52 IP, 37 K, 25 BB, 0.81 ERA, ranked 104th in 2016 class
  • Adam Long, JR, RHP, 6-0, 36.2 IP, 25 K, 17 BB, 1.53 ERA
  • Carter Semancik (John Carroll commit), SR, RHP, 6-0, 34 IP, 16 K, 17 BB, 1.24 ERA

Team Name: Cincinnati Archbishop Moeller High School
Coaches Name/overall record: Tim Held, 212-34
Team Record: 29-3
Final Regular Season Ranking: #1
Preseason Rank: #1

Postseason History:

  • 12th state appearance (2014, 2013, 2012, 2010, 2009, 2008, 2004, 2000, 1993, 1989, 1972)
  • 7-time state champion (2013, 2012, 2009, 2004, 1993, 1989, 1972)
  • 12-straight district titles

Tournament Trail:


The perennial power in the state of Ohio, the Archbishop Moeller Crusaders, ran through the tournament without any hiccup and are poised and confident about bringing home their 8th state championship. On the tournament run so far the Crusaders have outscored their opponents 32-6. Moeller claimed a sectional title with the blanking of Middletown 7-0. At districts, the Crusaders defeated Fairfield 7-2 before blanking #49 Beavercreek 6-0. At regionals, Moeller would have to face two very talented teams in #4 Lakota West and #15 Cincinnati Elder. Same song and dance for the Crusaders as they cruised past Lakota West 5-0 before hanging on to defeat Elder 7-4.

Quotes from the head coach Tim Held:


PBR: Talk about your team advancing to state (from the regular season to the tournament run).

Coach Held: "This is a great accomplishment for our team. We feel very fortunate to survive the Cincinnati regional with all the great teams that were in it."

PBR: What has stood out along the way about this team (maybe a turning point in the season or something you saw in the offseason)?

Coach Held: "This group has not cared about who gets the credit at any point during the season. They work hard at every lifting session and every practice."

PBR: What does this mean to your school, community and city?

Coach Held: "This means a lot to our school???Moeller has a strong athletic following and our players were doing everything they could to add to the tradition."

Projected Lineup for the Crusaders

The Crusaders are hitting .333 as a team, with 7 out of their 9 hitters batting .304 or better. Moeller has scored 239 runs on the season while holding their opponents to 83 runs. One thing that Moeller has done extremely well this season is run the bases with 142 steals on the year.

  1. Kyle Dockus (Wright State commit), SS, .392 BA, 9 2B, 34 R, 25 RBIs, 27 SB, ranked 84th in the 2015 class.
  2. Josh Hollander (Kent State commit), 2B, .371 BA, 11 2B, 2 3B, 1 HR, 28 R, 17 RBIs, 13 SB, ranked 30th in the 2015 class.
  3. Grant Macciocchi (Missouri commit, pictured right), 1B, .407 BA, 3 2B, 2 3B, 14 R, 13 RBIs, 8 SB, ranked 7th in the 2015 class.
  4. Patrick Mullinger, DH, .348 BA, 7 2B, 3 3B, 1 HR, 20 R, 25 RBIs, 8 SB, ranked 37th in the 2016 class.
  5. Kyle Butz, RF, 304 BA, 2 2B, 2 3B, 2 HR, 29 R, 25 RBIs, 22 SB, ranked 36th in the 2016 class.
  6. Eric Conner (Walsh commit), LF, .355 BA, 8 2B, 4 3B, 20 R, 22 RBIs, 8 SB, ranked 157th in the 2015 class.
  7. Mitch Meece, 3B, .313 BA, 5 2B, 2 3B, 18 R, 16 RBIs, 6 SB, ranked 176th in the 2015 class.
  8. Jordan Ramey (Cincinnati commit), CF, .267 BA, 3 2B, 20 R, 11 RBIs, 23 SB, ranked 65th in 2015 class.
  9. Bailey Montoya (Dayton commit), C, .255 BA, 1 2B, 1 3B, 5 R, 5 RBIs, ranked 105th in the 2015 class.


Other Key Contributors:

  • Alec Graves, will play 3B when Grant Macciocchi pitches. Graves, .353 BA, 2 2B, 1 3B, 14 R, 8 RBIs, ranked 71st in the 2016 class.

Top Arms for the Crusaders

Moeller is always known for having top notch pitching and in 2015 the Crusader staff is no different. As a staff they have a 2.00 ERA while striking out 216 in 213 innings. Moeller has a legit 1-2 punch in Louisville commit Nick Bennett (pictured right) and Missouri commit Grant Macciocchi. They have combined for 117 Ks in 107.1 innings pitched while having a combined record of 15-1.

  • Nick Bennett, LHP, 2016, 6-1, 0.89 ERA, 47.1 IP, 45 Ks, ranked 3rd in 2016 class.
  • Grant Macciocchi, RHP, 2015, 9-0, 1.05 ERA, 60 IP, 72 Ks
  • Mitchell Bault (Ohio Dominican commit), RHP, 2015, 4-1, 0.97 ERA, 29 IP, 30 Ks, ranked 145th in 2015 class.
  • Joe Vranesic (Kent State commit), RHP, 2015, 2-1, 20.2 IP, 17 Ks, ranked 20th in 2015 class.
  • Cam Junker (Notre Dame commit), RHP, 2016, 4-0, 18.1 IP, 21 Ks, ranked 13th in 2016 class.

Team Name: Westerville Central High School
Coaches Name/overall record: Jeff Keifer
Team Record: 24-4
Final Regular Season Ranking: #7
Preseason Rank: #3

Postseason History:

  • 1st appearance at state
  • 4 district final appearances in last 5 year, winning 2 of them

Tournament Trail:


The Warhawks of Westerville Central have dominated the competition throughout their tournament run, outscoring opponents 33-7 (including 3 shutouts). To claim a sectional championship the Warhawks blanked Logan 5-0. In the districts, Westerville Central shut out Teays Valley and Newark 5-0 apiece. On to regionals with confidence, the Warhawks had to face two quality opponents in #45 Pickerington North and #10 Olentangy Liberty. Westerville Central defeated Pickerington North 4-1 before capturing a regional title by defeating Liberty 9-6.

Team Notes:

The Warhawks are on a roll as they won their first three tournament games by shutout, including Gavin Lyon's (Ohio State commit, ranked 17th in 2016 class) one-hit, 12 strikeout performance against Newark (5-0), Nick Buchanan's (Florida Southern commit, ranked 114th in 2015 class) two-hit, 14-strikeout effort in a 5-0 semifinal win over Teays Valley as well as Lyon and Buchanan's combined no-hitter in a 10-0, five-inning win over Logan.

The Central district title was the first since 2011 where they defeated Reynoldsburg 12-7 before losing to Grove City 10-3 in a regional final.

On the season, Lyon is 8-0 with a 0.27 ERA, striking out 99 in 52 innings while Buchanan is 6-1 with a 1.43 ERA, striking out 81 in 46 innings.

Offensive leaders include:

  • Jeremiah Clarke (Toledo commit): .457 BA, 28 RBIs, ranked 45th in 2016 class.
  • Noah West (Ohio State commit, pictured right): .419 BA, 41 runs scored, ranked 23rd in 2015 class.
  • Austin Kondratick: .407 BA, 21 RBIs
  • Daniel Kreuzer (Wright State commit): .402 BA, 31 RBIs, ranked 38th in 2016 class.


Team Name: Cleveland St. Ignatius
Coaches Name/overall record: Brad Ganor
Team Record: 26-5
Final Regular Season Ranking: #9
Preseason Rank: #9

Postseason History:

  • 12th state appearance (2013, 2009, 2008, 2007, 2004, 2002, 2000, 1997, 1995, 1993, 1954)
  • 1 state championship (2002)
  • 3-time runner-up (2013, 2008, 2000)

Tournament Trail:


The St. Ignatius Wildcats have pitched their way to Huntington Park in Columbus as Iggy has outscored their opponents 18-3 on the tournament run. St. Ignatius won a sectional title with a 7-0 blanking of Cleveland Rhodes. At districts, the Wildcats had a tough time with North Royalton, but prevailed 3-2 in 8 innings before blanking Berea-Midpark 3-0. To capture a regional title, the Wildcats had to defeat Lakewood St. Edward and Toledo St. Francis and did so 2-0 and 3-1, respectively.

Season Notes:

St. Ignatius has two no--hitters this year, one was combined between Connor Adams and Murphy O???Brien vs Willoughby South and the other was from Adams in the District Final vs Berea-Midpark. Iggy also beat defending champion Massillon Jackson 3-2, Walsh Jesuit 4-1 and defending Illinois State Champion Lemont, 2-1. Head coach Brad Ganor was an assistant for 6 seasons prior to becoming head coach and was a part of the school's only state championship in baseball in 2002.

Team Notes:

The St. Ignatius Wildcats are a perennial power in the state and with a 26-5 record in 2015 have showed they are a team to watch out for in the tournament. The Wildcats have outscored their opponents 192-64 on the season.

Offensively the Wildcats have a .309 team batting average and are led by the following:

  • Dylan Smolen: .413 BA, 10 SBs in limited appearances
  • Sam Fuller: .411 BA, 8 2B, 5 3B, 25 R, 19 RBIs, 23 SBs
  • Dennis Grosel: .383 BA, 6 2B, 2 HR, 20 R, 18 RBIs
  • James Zajaczkowski: .379 BA in limited appearances
  • Ryan Jacobs: .361 BA, 5 2B, 1 3B, 15 R, 10 RBIs
  • Dylan Welch (pictured right): .311 BA
  • Mullen Socha: .333 BA, 6 2B, 1 3B, 21 R, 11 RBIs
  • Kurt Mantes: .303 BA in limited appearances
  • Kevin Mingus: .284 BA, 9 2B, 14 R, 14 RBIs
  • Alex Panstares (Williams College commit): .253 BA, 14 R, 15 RBIs
  • Jake Kucia: .236 BA, 14 R, 8 RBIs

On the mound St. Ignatius has been stellar, with a team ERA of 1.47 while striking out 180 in 212 innings. The Wildcats are led by:

  • Connor Adams: 7-0, 0.69 ERA, 41 Ks
  • M.J. Nara: 6-1, 1.12 ERA, 47 Ks
  • Luke Diggs: 4-2, 1.07 ERA, 27 Ks
  • Nick Freund: 4-1, 3.20 ERA, 9 Ks
  • Murphy O'Brien (pictured right): 0.00 ERA, 24 Ks, 10 saves
  • Jacob Bangert: 4.00 ERA, 9 Ks
  • Brandan Adler: 0.00 ERA, 9 Ks

 

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