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2015 OHSAA Division II 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 I
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: Defiance High School
Coaches Name/overall record: Tom Held, 638-143 (435-70 at Defiance)
Team Record: 26-5
Final Regular Season Ranking: #3
Preseason Rank: #2

Postseason History:

  • 5th state appearance (1992, 2002, 2010, 2013, 2015)
  • 2-time State Champions (1992, 2013)

Tournament Trail:


The Bulldogs got off to a quick start, defeating Toledo Rogers 16-0 to claim a sectional title. Defiance then headed to the Archbold district which featured some talented teams. The Bulldogs defeated Maumee 5-4 (down 4-1 at one point in the game) and then rival #2 Bryan 5-1 to claim a district championship. Defiance headed to a new location for regionals in 2015, Carter Park in Bowling Green, and were treated well as the Carter Park staff had an outstanding field, hospitality and amenities at the facility. On the field the Bulldogs defeated WBL foe Lima Bath 3-1 before blanking #17 Bellevue 8-0.

Quotes from the head coach Tom Held:


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

Coach Held: "We went through a stretch of losing 3 out of 4 and also had our worst finish in the WBL since 1996 (7-2, 3rd), so for our seniors to get the season turned around and get to Columbus is a remarkable job on their part. Also we had to get past some very good teams in the District, so we are very happy to be playing in the Final Four."

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: "We really struggled at 3B the first 15-20 games and we moved (unsigned) senior Boo Sierra (pictured right) to 3B and Ty Castillo to 2B. Since then, we have played very good baseball."

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

Coach Held: "We have been fortunate to get down there 3 of the last 6 years and win it all in 2013, but the turnaround we had this year has made this very special. Our basketball team won the State Championship this past winter so our community is very proud of our athletes at Defiance."

Projected Lineup for the Bulldogs

The Bulldog's offense is hitting .327 as a team and 8 out of its 9 starters are hitting above .303. Defiance has shown some good pop in their bats, with 54 doubles, 5 triples and 8 home runs as a team while also showcasing their wheels on the bases with 77 stolen bases.

During its tournament run, the Bulldogs have outscored its opponents 37-6.

  1. Boo Sierra, Unsigned SR, 3B,.385 BA, 10 2B, 2 HR, 37 R, 20 RBIs, 7 SB, ranked 237th in 2015 class. One of the top unsigned seniors in the state.
  2. Wes Detter, SR, RF,.303 BA, 3 2B, 13 R, 11 RBIs, 6 SB
  3. Shay Smiddy (Louisville commit), JR, SS/P, .367 BA, 4 2B, 1 3B, 3 HR, 25 R, 20 RBIs, 8 SB, ranked 15th in 2016 class.
  4. Tyler Weaver (Cuyahoga CC commit), SR, DH, .345 BA, 6 2B, 15 R, 28 RBIs, 4 SB
  5. Gage Cordray, SR, C, .306 BA, 8 2B, 22 R, 14 RBIs, 12 SB
  6. Jimmy Bauer, SR, 1B, .329 BA, 7 2B, 3 3B, 16 R, 21 RBIs, 7 SB, ranked 230th in 2015 class.
  7. Ty Castillo, SR, 2B, .265 BA, 3 2B, 1 3B, 1 HR, 9 R, 7 RBIs, 2 SB
  8. Bryce Borton (pictured above to the right), Soph, LF, .333 BA, 6 2B, 2 HR, 21 R, 15 RBIs, 10 SB, ranked 97th in 2017 class.
  9. Braden Frederick, Soph, CF, .356 BA, 23 R, 8 RBIs, 9 SB,, ranked 95th in 2017 class.


Other Key Contributors:

  • Alec Rivers, SR, could be used as a pinch-hitter.
  • Connor Stykemain, JR, will play shortstop when Shay Smiddy is pitching, ranked 185th in 2016 class.
  • Chris Gordon, SR, could be used as a pinch-runner

Top Arms for the Bulldogs

Defiance is known across the nation as always having a stable of quality arms and the 2015 staff is no different.

The Bulldogs boast a 1A-1B punch of RHP's Shay Smiddy (Louisville commit, pictured right) and Michael Hendricks (Miami, OH commit). Combined they are 16-2, a sub 0.70 ERA with 136 Ks in 117.2 innings. Hitters are hitting a combined .171 against the two future Division I college pitchers.

As a staff the Bulldogs have a combined ERA of 1.31 while striking out 210 in 213 innings.

  • Shay Smiddy, JR, RHP, 10-1, 62 IP, 0.45 ERA, 77 Ks
  • Michael Hendricks, SR, RHP, 6-1, 55.2 IP, 0.88 ERA, 59 Ks, ranked 37th in 2015 class.
  • Abram Smith, JR, LHP, 4-1, 30.2 IP, 1.60 ERA, 31 Ks 
  • Braden Frederick, SO, RHP, 2-1, 24.2 IP, 14 Ks
  • Boo Sierra, SR, RHP, 3-1 31.1 IP, 22 Ks

 


Team Name: Big Walnut High School
Coaches Name/overall record: Chris Holly
Team Record: 22-9
Final Regular Season Ranking: NR
Preseason Rank: NR

Postseason History:

  • 1st time at state

Tournament Trail:


The Golden Eagles have had a tournament run to remember. Coming in as the nine seed in the Lancaster 1 District, Big Walnut pounded their way through its first two games. The Golden Eagles run-ruled Whitehall-Yearling 12-2 before defeating Amanda-Clearcreek 10-4 to set up a match-up against the defending state champions and #1 ranked team in D-II Bloom-Carroll. B-C threw their #2, but it did not matter as the Golden Eagles shut the Bulldogs bats down in a 5-1 win. The Golden Eagles pitching continued to be strong in the district championship as they shut out Heath 6-0. Next up for Big Walnut was another surprise in the tournament, the #7 seed Pomeroy Meigs Marauders. The Golden Eagles pitching was strong again, this time for 8 innings, and Big Walnut advanced with a 1-0 win in extras. The Regional Final had the Golden Eagles going up against the Mustangs of Steubenville, and the game was out of reach early and late as Big Walnut cruised to a 10-4 regional championship.

Team Notes:

The Golden Eagles are hitting .306 as a team while their pitching staff has a combined ERA of 2.59 while striking out 200 in 201.1 innings. On the season the Golden Eagles have outscored their opponents 202-103.

Big Walnut won its first district title in school history. ... The Golden Eagles finished sixth out of eight teams in the Ohio Capital Conference with a 5-7 record. ... Brayden Shepherd threw a complete game and drove in a pair of runs in the regional championship win over Steubenville. ... Jakob Evans had an RBI single in the bottom of the eighth inning to beat Meigs, which left 15 runners on base. ... Tommy Fleser threw five no-hit innings to pick up the win against Bloom Carrol before walking the bases loaded in the sixth. Freshman Austin Becker (pictured right) came on in relief to pitch out of the jam before allowing the only BC run and hit in the seventh. ... Becker, who was the winning pitcher in sectionals against Amanda-Clearcreek, threw a two-hit shutout in the district finals against Heath, both hits coming in the first inning. ... The Golden Eagles won the longest game in state history during the season, beating New Albany 6-5 in a 22-inning contest that took three days over a two-week period.

Projected starters for the Golden Eagles:

  • Tommy Fleser, P, 2016, 4-3, 3.12 ERA, 54 Ks, 37 BB
  • Austin Becker, P, 2018, 9-0, 1.79 ERA, 42 Ks, 26 BB
  • Nick Green, C, 2016, .368 BA
  • Henry von Hollen, 1B, 2017
  • Brayden Shepherd, 2B, 2015
  • Jakob Evans, 3B, 2016
  • Matthew Tarney, SS, 2015, .351 BA
  • Michael Blackburn, LF, 2015
  • Nick Moser (pictured right), CF, 2016, .430 BA, currently 6th all time in Ohio for career steals with 122 (50 so far this year), ranked 91st in 2016 class.
  • Brandon Daniels, RF, 2015

Other Key Contributors:

  • Parker Imertreijs, 3B/C, 2017
  • Andrew Klamfoth, C, 2016
  • Chad Little, 2B, 2015
  • Connor Gerren, OF, 2018

Team Name: Bishop Watterson High School
Coaches Name/overall record: Scott Manahan, 566-246
Team Record: 24-8
Final Regular Season Ranking: #19
Preseason Rank: #10

Postseason History:

  • 7th state appearance (2001, 1997, 1995, 1991, 1988, 1973)
  • 3-time State Champions (1988, 1991, 1997)

Tournament Trail:


The Eagles of Bishop Watterson had some outstanding pitching while being tested throughout their tournament run. BW defeated #22 Granville 3-2 to claim a sectional title. In districts the Eagles defeated #11 Bexley 6-2 before defeating Licking Valley 2-1 in 8 innings to claim a district championship. At regionals, the Eagles blanked Archbishop McNicholas 1-0 and Bellbrook 14-3 for a regional championship.

Quotes from the head coach Scott Manahan:


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

Coach Manahan:  ???Excited for our 9 seniors who have made great sacrifices to put this team as #1 importance during the season and all of them being great leaders in their own way. To have Watterson Baseball back in the State Final Four is truly a blessing and am honored to coach this group of young men."

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 Manahan: "Great start of the season at Paints Stadium in Chillicothe vs Bloom Carroll and then facing Pickerington Central. We then headed directly to Myrtle Beach and played against some excellent competition while facing some early season adversity, coming back to Ohio with a record of 4-3. We then go undefeated in first round of league, stumble in round 2 and then finish 7-1, Central Catholic League Champs.

The District tournament was very tough with 2 of our 3 victories in extra innings. We continued to play well in the Wright State Regionals and now are honored to represent Bishop Watterson and the Central Catholic League in Columbus.

Turning point of the season was when my assistant coaches Mike Royer, Steve Hanners and Shane Swearingen took over our pregame routine with a couple of new routines and a set pregame schedule which has helped us immensely with being focused through the second half of the season."

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

Coach Manahan: "Means a lot to our school and baseball community. People have high expectations of a much storied program and have expectations yearly. Fun when people can jump on with the kids to root us on through the tournament."

Top Hitters for the Eagles

Bishop Watterson's top four hitters Avery Janning (pictured right), Jacob Bolton, Christian Kroger and Alex Gabel have combined to score 101 runs for the Eagles.

  • Avery Janning (Walsh commit), SR, .410 BA, 20 Runs, 24 RBIs, ranked 111th in 2015 class.
  • Jacob Bolton (Morehead State commit), SR, .386, BA 28 Runs, 28 RBIs, ranked 46th in 2015 class.
  • Christian Kroger, JR, .355 BA, 30 Runs, 24 RBIs, ranked 180th in 2016 class.
  • Alex Gabel, JR, .344 AVG, 23 Runs   

Top Arms for the Eagles

Bishop Watterson boasts a solid 1-2 punch with seniors Chris Slavik (pictured right) and Sam Rice who have combined to go 13-3 while striking out 136 on the season. Both seniors will be headed to play for coach John Schaly and the Ashland University Eagles. These two have been their bulldogs on the mound during their impressive tournament run which included wins over #7 Bexley 6-2, Archbishop McNicholas 1-0, Licking Valley 2-1 (8 innings), Granville 3-2 and Columbus South 30-0.

  • Chris Slavik (Ashland commit), SR, 7-1, 72 K, 1.5 ERA, ranked 120th in 2015 class.
  • Sam Rice (Ashland commit), SR, 6-2, 64 K, 1.4 ERA, ranked 107th in 2015 class.
  • Matt Dockman, Soph, 7-1, 41 K, 1.1 ERA, ranked 16th in 2017 class.
  • Avery Janning, SR, 3-3, 28 K, 2.25 ERA

Team Name: Poland Seminary
Coaches Name/overall record:  Rich Murray, 201-103
Team Record: 27-2
Final Regular Season Ranking: #2
Preseason Rank: NR

Postseason History:

  • 1st trip to state since 1983 (Head Coach Rich Murray pitched in the regional final game and in the state semi)
  • Back-to-back district champions

Tournament Trail:


The Bulldogs have hit their way to a regional championship, scoring 47 runs in the tournament. Poland defeated Ravenna Southeast 17-1 to claim a sectional title. The Bulldogs then blanked West Branch 4-0 before claiming a district title over Canfield 12-2. At regionals Poland defeated Tallmadge 6-4 and then knocked off #24 Canton South 8-4 to claim a regional title.

Quotes from the head coach Rich Murray:


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

Coach Murray:  "We were a very confident team from the start of the season and believed this could happen. After an early exit last year in the regional semis, the guys thought they had something to prove this year. Last year we were happy to get to regional, this year we knew we had to win 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 Murray: "The team leadership and relationships. I've never seen a closer group of kids who just enjoy being together playing baseball."

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

Coach Murray: "The community is very excited. It's nice to see people that you haven't seen in awhile come out and support these kids who have worked so hard since the winter to get themselves in position to bring something home for their town and community. These kids are so thankful for the parents and community that have contributed to their success from the days of tee-ball until now. They really want to reward everyone who contributed in the process. This is what builds a good program. Allowing young students of our district to see the work effort these kids have put in and the reward they get from it."

Projected Lineup for the Bulldogs

The Poland Seminary offense has been impressive all season, scoring 277 runs in their 29 games played. As a team the Bulldogs are hitting close to an outstanding .400 clip.

  1. Anthony Calcagni
  2. Marty Malenic
  3. Dom Lipari
  4. Ricky Svetlak (pictured right)
  5. Jared Burkert
  6. Jake Hawkins
  7. Andrew Kosco
  8. Nick Romeo
  9. Eric White


Other Key Contributors:

  • Matt Baker, Pinch-runner/Pinch-hitter and bullpen guy
  • Dan Klase , defensive replacement

Top Arms for the Bulldogs

Poland Seminary has an impressive 1-2 punch on the hill in junior righty Jared Burkert and senior righty Adam Knight. Combined the right-handed pitchers are 13-0 on the season, with both having ERAs below 2.00.

  • Jared Burkert, JR, RHP, 7-0
  • Adam Knight, SR, RHP, 9-0 (6 ER allowed all year)
  • Eric White, JR, RHP, 3-0
  • Matt Baker, JR, LHP, 4-0
  • Dan Klase, Soph, RHP

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