Division IV Team Of The Week: Week 7 - Fort Loramie

May 16, 2023
Bruce Hefflinger
PBR Ohio Senior Writer

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Division IV Team Of The Week: Week 7 - Fort Loramie

FORT LORAMIE - While there have been bumps in the road before and during this season, Fort Loramie still managed to win the Shelby County Athletic League this year.

A 4-1 win over defending state champion Russia on Thursday capped off a perfect 12-0 SCAL season for the Prep Baseball Report Division IV Team of the Week.

“It’s always very difficult to beat those guys, so that was the highlight of the past week,” explained head coach Jeff Sanders, whose Redskins led Berne Union 9-4 in the third inning a night later only to have the game washed out. “That would’ve been a nice win, considering Berne Union’s a talented team.”

The Redskins were edged by Arcanaum 6-4 in 10 innings on Monday.

“It was a deflating loss for us because we had our chances,” Sanders admitted.

Still, the Fort Loramie coach is happy with the performance of his squad this season.

“I’m pleased that we’ve been able to put together a 19-5 record,” Sanders noted. “I wasn’t sure how well we’d replaced last year’s regional final team, we lost seven starters from that team and we lost almost all of our pitching with that. Then two of our seniors tore ACL’s in football and are not able to play this year, Isaac Raterman and Nate Boerger. As a result, there was a lot of uncertainty about how 2023 would play out for us.

“What’s stood out so far is that we’ve gotten key contributions from many players and there seems to be a different hero every game. Additionally, our pitching has done a great job of keeping us in games and giving us a chance. Our defense hasn’t always been stellar, but we have made many great plays in the field throughout the season.”

There were highlights made this past week.

“Calvin Hoying hit a home run this week against New Bremen, making it the first home run of the season for our team,” Sanders said in reference to the senior catcher. “Christian McGee (LHP, 2023) had a nice pitching performance against Russia. He also no-hit Minster earlier in the season. Mavrick Grudich (SS/P, 2024) also pitched a great game against Russia earlier in the season.”

At the plate senior pitcher/infielder Dylan Sanders and junior third baseman Roger Hoying “have had some good clutch hits” and carry the top averages to date for a squad that has a .309 team batting average.

“Dylan Sanders is looking to play somewhere after high school, but no commitment yet,” noted the Fort Loramie head coach.

Other players have also come through this season for a Redskin squad that has a team ERA of 1.99.

“Many players that played JV last year have really stepped up and have had great seasons thus far,” noted Sanders, pointing to senior outfielders Max Cotner and Darren Eilerman along with senior second baseman Colling Lessing. “Additionally, our returning starting center fielder, Logan Eilerman, has continued to play great defense and has improved his hitting from last year, batting near .300.

“We also have a couple young pitchers, two sophomores, that have pitched excellent games for us, Gabe Hart and Louis Hart.”

With a league championship in the bag, the Redskins are looking to make another strong tournament run starting on Wednesday when Fort Loramie hosts Sidney Lehman.

“We were voted the number one seed, and we have to play to the expectations that come with that,” Sanders said. “Like with any season, we need timely hits, good pitching and good defense.”