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By Dylan Hefflinger and JD Heilmann
Ohio Editor in Chief/NW Scout and Ohio Director of Scouting

Top 12 Stories for The Year 2014

PBR Ohio started up on May 3rd, 2011 as seen here. From that day, Chris Valentine has had a goal to promote high school baseball in Ohio at the highest level possible. Chris has been able to do this thanks to the help of parents, coaches, and the talented players throughout the state of Ohio.

Chris has also built a staff that has the drive to make Ohio one of, if not the top viewed website for Prep Baseball Report as well as put on some of the best showcases in the nation to help promote the high school talent that resides in the Buckeye State.

Dylan Hefflinger, PBR Ohio Editor in Chief/NW Scout, along with JD Heilmann, PBR Ohio Director Scouting take a look back at the year in review and put together a list of the top stories for 2014.

To start off the countdown, we chose a piece that touches JD, the Midland Baseball Organization, and the city of Cincinnati at heart, as one of the most well respected men in all of baseball passed away this year.

To follow that up we look at "The Recruiting Trail" which updates where all the prospects across the state have been visiting, who they are getting attention from, and who they have committed to.

Each day we will reveal the next story on the list. A hint for the next story is the word "Varga".

A rundown of the stories: Note: We will be conducting a Twitter contest to vote on the top 12 stories for 2014 once the 12 stories have been posted.

• A Tribute to Papa Joe Hayden

The Ohio Recruiting Trail

Every week, we update the top prospects who have signed their letter of intent and committed to the school of their choice. Along with updating recent commitments, we highlight schools that players have been receiving interest from, visits they have lined up for the future, and visits that have already taken place.

In addition to the recruiting trail, we have also reached out to prospects through Q&A sessions to get a sense of where they stand, and how they have found the recruiting process to be so far. This allows players to compare the process with their peers, pass along information and little tips or reminders, as well let players compare themselves to other teammates or opponents across the province and see where they fit in from a college recruitment standpoint.

From the other side of the fence, college programs use the recruiting trail to make sure they haven’t missed out on a player. If there is a conference rival showing interest in a particular prospect, you can bet that the coach will look into to that player and see if he is a potential fit for his program. College baseball is a competitive world, and coaches these days are doing their homework and due diligence.

We encourage players to keep us at PBR updated on their recruitment process, as this benefits them since we have over 500 college and pro scouts constantly scouring our website trying to find a position of need.