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Division II Team Of The Week: Van Wert

VAN WERT - What a week it was for Van Wert.

Not only did the Cougars tie the school record for wins in a season with 20, but Van Wert also captured a share of the Western Buckeye League championship for the first time since 1984.

“It’s an accumulation of everything you work for,” said Charlie Witten, head coach of Ohio Prep Baseball Report’s Division II Team of the Week. “This group gets to enjoy it, but I have to look back at some of those that helped us get to this point.”

Where the state’s 2nd-ranked Division II team is at right now has come from expected good pitching along with surprising hitting.

“We knew we had some good pitchers coming back, but our hitting has been fantastic,” Witten noted. “Out of our top nine hitters, .313 is the lowest batting average. Our lineup is deep. No matter what spot we’re at in the batting order I have confidence.”

First-year starting shortstop Jaxson Amweg, a senior committed to St. Francis, Ind., tops the Cougars with a .426 average while scoring a team-high 27 runs batting leadoff. Jalen McCracken, another St. Francis signee, is hitting .400 while manning center field for the 20-2 WBL co-champions (with Defiance).

Senior first baseman Nathan Temple gives Van Wert a third St. Francis recruit, hitting .365 with 20 RBIs and 19 runs scored.

A pair of juniors, right fielder Keaton Brown and 3B/DH Parker Conrad, are both averaging .396, with Conrad second on the team in RBIs (22) while adding pop in the lineup with four doubles, one triple and one home run.

Ancilla College commit Hayden Maples leads Van Wert in RBIs with 24. The 6-0 190-pound senior catcher/pitcher/DH is averaging .359 with 23 runs scored.

Seniors Jack Lautzenheiser and Lawson Blackmore (Video) along with junior TJ Reynolds are others contributing with the bat. Lautzenheiser, the two-hole hitter, is batting .327 with 22 runs scored while Blackmore, the number one pitcher who plays third when not on the mound, is hitting .313 with 17 RBIs and 16 runs. Reynolds, who converted from an infielder to play left this season, has a .346 average.

“Experience is one huge thing,” Witten reasoned about the high team batting average. “Everyone played last year and some have been playing for two years. Lawson’s a four-year starter.

“We hit .270 last year and are .350 this year. Everyone has bought into a better approach.”

The production at the plate is a benefit for a pitching staff led by the hard-throwing Blackmore, a Miami commit. The 22nd-rated senior in Ohio is 3-1 with a 1.77 ERA, fanning 47 in 31.2 innings. Sophomore Owen Treece is “probably throwing as well as anyone” according to Witten. The 81st-ranked 2021 in the state is 6-0 with a 0.49 ERA, striking out 44 in 43 innings of work.

Maples adds depth to the rotation with a 5-0 record, 0.90 ERA and 36 strikeouts in 31 innings.

“The competitiveness of our pitchers stands out,” Witten noted. “They all want to compete. They locate well with their fastball but at various times their offspeed sometimes isn’t there. But they want the ball and battle.”

It has the 22nd-year head coach of Van Wert speaking with strong praise about his squad.

“Our expectations were high, winning WBL and district championships were goals,” Witten noted. “But the level we’ve played at is better than I expected, especially at the plate where we’re taking a good approach.

‘It’s important we stay with that approach at the plate,” Witten continued in looking ahead to a game with Coldwater on Tuesday leading up to Friday’s sectional contest. “Our defense is the best since I’ve been here, we just have to limit the free stuff on the mound.”