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Division II Team Of The Week: Toledo Central Catholic

TOLEDO - When you have perhaps the best athlete in the state, expectations can be high. And while one player can not make a team, it surely can not hurt.

Jase Bowen (Video) has been phenomenal once again, this year doing it with a lot of help for Toledo Central Catholic, the Ohio Prep Baseball Report Division II Team of the Week.

While the fourth-ranked player in the state is hitting .582 with 32 runs scored, the Michigan State two-sport recruit in football and baseball has been aided by seven teammates batting better than .300 along with five pitchers sporting a 3.00 ERA or lower.

“The kids have been very resilient and they work hard,” Central Catholic coach Jeff Mielcarek said. “Obviously we have a very good player and he’s having a good year despite all of the attention. He’s still hitting some astronomical numbers.

“But what else we’re getting is pitching. It’s probably been our biggest surprise. Our number one pitcher is a really good high school pitcher that’s developing and has a chance to play at the next level. We’ve had good outings from him and some others.”

Junior Brent Matus is 4-2 with a 1.53 ERA in 45.2 innings of work as the ace of the Fighting Irish staff.

Junior Joey Calmes is 4-0 with a 2.33 ERA in 24 innings on the mound with senior Jacob Phillips 3-0 with a 1.50 ERA throwing 18.2 frames so far. Zach Wells, another senior, has logged 11.2 innings with a 1-1 mark along with a 3.00 ERA.

“It’s a unique staff, all of our pitchers are pitchers (only),” Mielcarek noted.

In standing 15-4 on the season through Monday and one of three teams in the Three Rivers Athletic Conference with two losses along with Division I state-ranked St. Francis (23rd) and St. John’s (24th), the fifth-ranked team in Ohio in Division II has overcome some issues.

“It’s been a strange year,” Mielcarek said. “We’ve had our share of injuries and to key players, but we’ve managed to overcome that. Jase was out a week, but fortunately we only played one game that week and we were able to survive that game. We’ve had a couple of other freak things.”

But it has not stopped Central Catholic from producing at the plate. Senior second baseman Anthony Lutz, an Ohio Northern recruit, is hitting .424 with 22 runs and 19 RBIs while Justin Schiets, a senior first baseman going to Bowling Green to play football as a preferred walk-on, is at .360 with 18 RBIs and 12 stolen bases. Wilson Stopera, a sophomore outfielder who will move to shortstop once Bowen heads to Michigan State, averages .333 while junior center fielder Brendan Conkle is batting .327 with 21 runs and 18 stolen bases. Junior Brett Bishop is hitting .316, junior Lance Haupricht .304 and sophomore Owen Kitz .302.

“The kids have to continue to pitch,” Mielcarek said in looking ahead to the rest of the season that this week includes games with Anthony Wayne, last year’s D-I state runner-up, on Thursday followed a day later by a game with Archbold, the second-ranked team in the state in Division III.

“When we’ve lost this year we beat ourselves,” Mielcarek added. “We lost 10-0 to Findlay and came back the second time and beat them 16-0. We have the potential to be decent, we can compete with anybody, but we’ve seen the other side. If we don’t do the little things right we’re exposable.

“It’s no top secret for us. We have to throw strikes, make plays and figure out a way to put the bat on the ball.”