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Division IV Team Of The Week: Week 2 - Tiffin Calvert

TIFFIN - Spring baseball in Ohio takes some adaptation and Tiffin Calvert has been up to the challenge.

Despite having four games canceled this season, the Senecas have managed to get in five games and go unbeaten, including a 1-0 win over Gibsonburg on Wednesday and Saturday wins over Fremont St. Joseph, 9-1, and Genoa, 9-3.

“The games we have been able to play have come together in some unique ways,” related Matt Coleman, head coach of the Prep Baseball Division IV Team of the Week. “Fremont Ross was a last-minute schedule after opening weekend cancellation and Danbury and coach Ben Stover agreed to play us despite missing players on spring break. With Gibsonburg, we moved to their field on Wednesday to play a league game. We were canceled against Fremont St. Joseph on Friday and moved the game to Saturday at Genoa and made it a tri-doubleheader.

“We’re just thankful for everyone’s flexibility and willingness to make things work during the start of this crazy spring.”

While games against Eastwood, Huron, Old Fort and Norwalk St. Paul will hopefully be rescheduled, Coleman has liked what he has seen out of his team in the games that have been played.

“We had high expectations to start the season and with the last three senior classes (Elite 8 in 2021 losing to state champ JFK; Final Four in 2022 losing to Lincolnview; and Final Four in 2023 losing to state champ Berlin Hiland in extra innings) have really raised the bar each year,” explained Coleman. “With that being said, we had two first-team All-Ohio players to replace from a year ago in Mason Johnson and Nick Palm. Their leadership is missed, but we are trying to take a total team approach to offset their losses and compete to the best of our ability.”

Junior Blake Coleman, son of the head coach, had a four-hit shutout in out dueling All-Ohio pitcher Nolan Hoover in the win over Gibsonburg. Coleman, the 75th-rated 2025 right-handed pitcher in the state who plays shortstop when not on the mound, had 12 strikeouts and walked just one.

Caden Otterbacher, a senior committed to Tiffin, struck out 10 in 4.1 innings allowing an infield single and one walk against Fremont St. Joe. In addition, Otterbacher, an outfielder when not pitching, went 3-4 and drove in three runs.

For the season, Coleman is 7-11 with four runs scored and four RBIs to pace the top-ranked Division IV team in Ohio.

“We have faced some really good pitching to date, so our bats have not come alive yet,” noted the Calvert head coach. “We are hoping to continue to learn more each day about ourselves and to continue to find ways to get better as a team.”

A challenging week is ahead according to Coleman.

“We play a very good Hopewell-Loudon team who has a couple of top arms/two-way players in Caine McDonald and Cohen Sendelbach, among other up-and-comers,” Coleman said about today’s contest. “We play Sandusky St. Mary’s on Wednesday and a good Lakota team that always plays the game the right way under coach Aaron Bomer on Friday.”

It has the mentor looking forward to finding out more about his team.

“We have a loaded next two weeks as I’m sure many teams do, but we have three league games each of the next two weeks and we also have Liberty-Benton and cross-town rival Tiffin Columbian,” Coleman said. “We will find out if the bats come alive, but also will have a better understanding of our pitching depth. We need to continue to mature as a ‘mentally tough’ team that continues to play for each other and trust the process. Our league is much improved with some good arms spread across the league that will make the SBC River race very interesting.

“We’re simply thankful for the opportunity to compete each day and work to get a little bit better,” Coleman concluded. “We are blessed that God has granted us with these talents and we will try to do our best to glorify Him and to respect our opponents and be good sportsmen along the way.”

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