Division III Team Of The Week: Week 5 - Eastwood

May 2, 2023
Bruce Hefflinger
PBR Ohio Senior Writer

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Division III Team Of The Week: Week 5 - Eastwood

PEMBERVILLE - Kevin Leady puts it simply when characterizing the objectives of his Eastwood baseball team

“Honestly our team goal is to go 1-0 each day,” related the head coach of the Prep Baseball Report Division III Team of the Week.

The goal continues to be met.

“We often speak about taking everything one day at a time,” pointed out Leady, whose team is now 16-0 on the season and one of three unbeatens remaining in Ohio. “”We know we are going to take the best shot of a lot of teams and we just want to show up each day and play to our capabilities. We just try to control what we can control, the rest will take care of itself.”

Three wins last week featured some stellar pitching performances. There was a 2-0 victory over Otsego in which Ethan Rapp struck out 10 in throwing a shutout. In a 9-0 blanking of Sandusky Perkins, Andrew Badenhop and senior Jarod Bonfiglio combined on a no-hitter. In between, Jackson Bauer went all five innings in a 12-2 run-rule win over Elmwood.

Rapp and Bauer are both commits to Owens with Rapp, the team ace with a 4-0 record and 36 Ks in 23 innings, rated 77th in the state among senior right-handed pitchers. Bauer, the 47th-ranked 2023 outfielder in Ohio, is 3-0 in 16.1 frames of work while leading the Eagles in batting average with a .472 mark.

Badenhop tops the team in wins with five throwing a team-high 25.2 frames on the mound. In addition, the 31st-ranked junior shortstop in the state is batting .392.

Case Boos, a Northwood football signee who is rated the 31st best 2023 shortstop in Ohio, has scored 31 runs while hitting .468 out of the leadoff position in the order.

Senior center fielder Tristan Schuerman, senior first baseman Jordan Pickerel and junior catcher Xander Greulich along with sophomores Kadyn Donnell in right field and Colton Woodward at second base are other key contributors this season for Eastwood, which finished 26-2 a year ago, winning the Northern Buckeye Conference for the first time since 2018.

“A league title and deep tournament run,” are aspirations that Badenhop has with this year’s squad, which is currently rated first in the state in Division III and eighth in the Prep Baseball Report Team Power Rankings for every team in Ohio.

“We need to stay hungry and keep playing the way we are capable,” explained Leady, whose Eagles - the defending league champions - lead the Northern Buckeye Conference with a 7-0 record heading into NBC games this week with Genoa on Wednesday, Woodmore on Thursday and Lake on Friday. A non-league matchup versus Liberty Center is slated for Saturday. There are also two games ahead against Rossford, which is second in the NBC at 5-1.

“The one day at a time approach is important to keep us focused!” Leady concluded.