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Division III Team Of The Week: Week 1 - Eastwood

PEMBERVILLE - There are dominating starts to the regular season and then there is what Eastwood did to open the 2024 campaign in earning recognition as the Prep Baseball Ohio Division III Team of the Week.

The Eagles began the year with a 10-0 blanking of Liberty Center and went on to outscore four opponents by a combined 39-0 total, beating Start 8-0, Northwood 11-0 and Bellevue 10-0.

“The most important aspect of the week that led us to be successful was our pitching and defense,” explained Eastwood head coach Kevin Leady. “Our pitchers worked ahead of hitters and pounded the zone allowing our defense to make plays. We had a good week only committing three errors in four games.”

Leady pointed to a pair of performances that stood out on the mound, aided by a 97 percent fielding percentage on the week. Andrew Badenhop, the 271st-ranked senior in Ohio, gave up just two hits in 5.2 innings against Liberty Center, striking out seven in the season opener. Paul Lautzenheizer, a 6-1 190-pound junior RHP, also permitted just a pair of hits in five frames on the mound against Start, fanning eight.

“If we continue to throw strikes and play clean D we have a great chance to be in any game late,” noted Leady.

There were also three hitters that had big weeks according to the head coach of the third-rated team in the state in the Prep Baseball Ohio Division III Preseason Power Rankings. Bluffton commit Xander Greulich, the catcher for the Eagles, led the way at the plate batting .429 with six hits, six RBIs and four runs scored. Colton Woodward, the 25th-rated junior shortstop in Ohio, contributed five hits while scoring seven runs and stealing seven bases, finishing with a .357 batting average while Brandon Falls hit .364 with a .529 OBP, totaling four hits, five runs and seven steals.

“The key to the season is being able to stay humble and just take it one day at a time,” Leady said. “We know how important each of the three phases of baseball are to be successful and win games. We have to have a great approach daily in practice because that will translate to the games. Our goal is just to get better on a daily basis and, hopefully, play our best baseball in the biggest moments.

“We look forward to the challenges as we navigate the season,” Leady concluded. “We like to focus on what we can control and be the best ‘Eastwood Baseball Team’ we can possibly be!”

A big weekend is ahead for the Eagles, with home games against Evergreen on Thursday and D-III 22nd-ranked Oak Harbor Saturday sandwiched around a road game at Elmwood on Friday.

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