OHSAA State Tourney Wrapup

June 4, 2018
Bruce Hefflinger
PBR Ohio Senior Writer

To view game stories from state, click below:
Division I
+ State Championship - Olentangy Liberty-Anthony Wayne
+ Semifinal - Olentangy Liberty-Medina Highland
+ Semifinal - Anthony Wayne-Mason
Division II
+ State Championship - Chaminade Julienne-Wapakoneta
+ Semifinal - Chaminade Julienne-Tallmadge
+ Semifinal - Wapakoneta-Circleville
Division III
+ State Championship - South Range-Coldwater
+ Semifinal - South Range-Madeira
+ Semifinal - Coldwater-Minford
Division IV
+ State Championship - Fort Loramie-Hicksville
+ Semifinal - Fort Loramie-Trinity
+ Semifinal - Hicksville-Whiteoak

OHSAA STATE Tourney Wrapup

COLUMBUS - What was not to like about the 2018 high school baseball state tournament?

Three days of watching 16 teams play 12 games at one of the best ballparks around makes for plenty of memories, even if it means 14-hour “work days” for those at Prep Baseball Report and the Huntington Park crew.

As we wait with anticipation of where the 2019 tournament will be played after the one-week extension to the tourney - reportedly the Columbus Clippers have home games scheduled when the OHSAA state games are slated June 6-8 - let’s take one final look at the 2018 tourney.

RECORDS?: There were six games in which a pitcher threw a complete game and did not allow an earned run and another in which the starter went 6.2 innings of shutout ball. While no records are kept on that, the thought here is that would have to be close to, if not, a record. .. There were four games in which the winning pitcher permitted one run but it was unearned. Now that has to be a record.

LOW NUMBERS: The total runs by the 12 teams that lost was a remarkable low number of 14. That is a record for the fewest number of combined runs by losing teams since the four-division format was established. The previous low number was 16 done on two occasions, 2014 and 2017. Is it the bats or the pitchers?

PICKOFF ISSUES: The pickoff play is a great one when it works. But this year at state it backfired on way too many occasions. Only twice was a runner picked off first base during the 12 games and one of those managed to reach second safely turning it into a stolen base. The other was for the final out of a run-rule game. In contrast, there were six throwing errors committed on pickoff attempts.

RUN-RULES: Speaking of run-rules, there is no problem in my mind with having one, even at the state tournament. But seeing it come to fruition at state in two of the eight semifinal games was tough to swallow. All the hard work to get to Columbus and then … Ouch. A quick check of history found that since the state tournament went to the four-division format in 1991, the only previous times there were two games with a difference of 10 runs or more in a state tournament took place in 2013, 2010, 1998 and 1993. And that includes the era with fewer bat regulations.

FREE PASSES: Command issues usually speel doom for pitchers but that was not always the case at this year’s event. Out of the 12 games, the team with the pitchers that allowed the most free passes still won four times. In fact, Anthony Wayne (semifinals) and Coldwater (finals) both surrendered eight in winning games. Effectively wild, as they say.

MORE ON CONTROL: In close losses, however, those free passes can come back to haunt you. That was the case for Wapakoneta, which led Chaminade 1-0 heading to the seventh in the Division II finals before CJ scored three times, two by players that walked, to win. It hurt Trinity in the Division IV semifinals, with Fort Loramie’s winning run in the seventh coming thanks to a one-out hit-by-pitch, with that player eventually scoring.

BEST PLAYER: The interest in seeing Mason’s Nick Northcutt swing is still there. Considered the best in Ohio, the senior walked in all four trips to the plate in the 1-0 semifinal loss to Anthony Wayne. If nothing else, it shows that discipline at the plate is part of his game.

M IS THE WORD: It was not a good year for teams beginning with the letter M. Minford, Madeira and Mason were all shut out in losing semifinal games. Taking that one step further, Mowrystown Whiteoak scored just one run in a semifinal loss while Medina Highland had two in a run-rule defeat in the semis.

TOP PERFORMANCES: With so many low-scoring games, this honor has to go to a pitcher. The five best performances were: 1) Hicksville’s Jake Greer with the top fastball of the tourney at 91, firing a two-hitter with one walk and 12 strikeouts while not giving up an earned run and holding Whiteoak to its lowest run output of the season. 2) Wapakoneta’s Gage Schenk tossing a three-hitter with one walk and 10 strikeouts, touching 90 mph while not permitting an earned run against Circleville. 3) South Range freshman Jake Gehring shutting out Madeira on six hits and one walk with six strikeouts. 4) Anthony Wayne’s Brock Nartker tossing 6.2 innings of two-hit shutout ball against powerhouse Mason, throwing in seven walks along the way. 5) Chaminade’s Ryan Peltier firing a two-hitter in a revenge win over Tallmadge.

PITCH COUNT: For the first time at state, the pitch-count rule that came into effect last year may have had an impact on an outcome in the finals. In years past, pitchers could throw 10 innings over a three-day stretch which meant teams could bring a pitcher back in the finals after throwing in the semifinals. But with the new rule, that is not the case with the number of pitches the determining factor now. Clinging to a 4-0 lead heading to the fifth, Hicksville's Jake Greer was not available to throw in the finals after a 94-pitch outing on Thursday, unlike the old days when he would have had three innings left to pitch on Saturday. Under the old rules, Greer would certainly have been summoned in at some point in the eight-run fifth by Fort Loramie, but whether it would have made a difference is only speculation at this point.

BEST GAME: Despite the fact that four games were decided by one run, the top game of the tournament was saved for last. Scoreless through five, Wapakoneta scored in the bottom of the sixth only to see Chaminade Julienne counter with three in the top of the seventh, with the eventual game-winner coming on a two-out, 1-2 pitch. It was high school baseball excitement at its best.

FINAL THOUGHT: And lastly, a big thanks goes out to all the coaches of participating teams. From getting us here at PBR information for previews leading up to the event, to their willingness to talk after games - even in defeat. It is all so much appreciated from everyone here, the hard-working interns at PBR all the way up to the top. We look forward to doing it again in 2019. Also a big shoutout to all the communities, fans and parents ... We all know all too well how fast high school can come and go ... Seeing the emotion in the stands during and after games was a site to see.

#6 @OLHS_Baseball with a 5-inning 12-2 win over #43 @Hornet_Baseball ... @OhioState_BASE commit @mitchmilheim22 is our postgame interview. Win on the mound in last performance for the Patriots on hill, also collected 3 RBIs
????this is what HS sports is all about! ❤️ ✊? pic.twitter.com/0R1LTGffZ9
— PBR Ohio (@PBR_Ohio) June 1, 2018

OHSAA State Tourney Wrapup

OHSAA STATE Tourney Wrapup

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