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Division IV Team Of The Week: Week 1 - Berlin Hiland

BERLIN - A target on the back is expected at Berlin Hiland after claiming a state championship last season. But the Prep Baseball Ohio Division IV Team of the Week found little resistance to open the year, with 14-0 and 9-0 wins over Inter-Valley Conference foe Ridgewood to begin the season.

“We’ve been telling the guys all winter you have to work twice as hard with what’s coming at us this season,” pointed out head coach Chris Dages, whose team is led by seniors Brady Yoder (SS/RHP), Cody Yoder (CF) and Finn Schneider (RHP). “We’re playing one of the best schedules we’ve had in a number of years.”

Unfortunately, a doubleheader with defending Division II state champion Kenston on Saturday was canceled due to the weather.

“We’re trying to get at least one of them rescheduled,” noted Dages, whose Hawks are ranked 25th in the Power 25 ratings in Ohio in addition to being the top-rated D-IV team in the preseason.

Both hitting and pitching excelled in the first two games, with the Hiland pitchers giving up just two total hits while the Hawks averaged .418 at the plate as a team.

“It was good to see us swinging the bats well this early in the season,” Dages said. “It was good to see us come out on fire.”

Junior second baseman Kaden Kandel was the big “surprise” according to the Hiland coach, driving in nine runs in the two games with a pair of singles and a pair of doubles. Brady Yoder had four hits in six official at-bats, drove in three and scored three runs while Caden Coblentz touched home plate six times batting in the leadoff position. Both Coblentz and Cody Yoder are averaging better than .500 to start the season.

“Colin Coblentz is also driving the ball well but not a lot is falling for him,” Dages related about the junior outfielder, who has two hits and four walks to date.

Early success came despite three players - Grady Monigold, Cade Beachy and Connor Beachy - joining the team late after the Hawks reached the Division IV state basketball championship game. Connor Beachy, the projected leadoff hitter, will be out another three weeks after breaking a leg in basketball.

“It’s good to have guys that are used to big moments,” Dages said of the success on the basketball court. “Connor’s injury is the biggest negative, while the biggest plus is it gives other guys opportunities to show what they can do early on which will increase the competition level.”

Two hurlers certainly showed their abilities on the mound to start the year with Schneider allowing one hit and one walk with five strikeouts in the five-inning season opener and Caden Coblentz following it up with a seven-inning one-hitter, striking out 12, walking two and hitting a batter.

“Both were able to throw their offspeed for strikes at will which is huge for high school,” Dages pointed out. “Both had good curves and threw their change for strikes.”

It made for a promising first week of play for the defending D-IV state champions.

“We always set expectations for the program high, especially with a target,” Dages said. “We feel with the talent we have we can make a run.”

Games ahead this week are slated for Thursday with Loudonville, Friday against Dalton and Saturday versus Buckeye.

“It’s hard now with the weather,” Dages said of being consistent. “We’re inside doing the same things over and over. We just have to stay locked in and keep good form.

“With pitching we’ve got to give more guys innings. I think our defense will be solid, but I want to see what we have in arms. We have a lot of younger guys that need innings.”

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