Follow @PBR Ohio 

To view the Week Five Team Rankings, click below:
Division I | Division II | Division III | Division IV

To view all things related to the 2019 Spring High School Baseball Season, click here.

To view the 2019 Scout Blog, click here.

Interested in attending a PBR Ohio event? Check out our schedule by clicking here.

Division IV Team Of The Week: Hillsdale

JEROMESVILLE - It has been a memorable first year as Hillsdale head baseball coach for Jason Snow.

A five-game winning streak had the Falcons sitting at 17-2 entering action on Tuesday and the recipient of the Ohio Prep Baseball Report Division IV Team of the Week.

“The work ethic has been the biggest thing for me about this team,” pointed out Snow, who has been coaching for 27 years, mostly as an assistant at schools such as Loudonville, New London and Ashland. “The amount of time these kids put in during the offseason was outstanding. They’ve been in the weight room and we have an outdoor cage that’s covered but not heated. They get the wood bats out and hit year ‘round.

“A lot of credit goes to them. It’s also helpful to have a lot of seniors that have a lot of experience and had a lot of success. They’re confident young men.”

Eight returning lettermen from a 20-5 team headlines the squad with three of the top four pitchers back from 2018.

Jay Luikart (Video), a Wright State commit rated 35th in the Ohio senior class, has had a huge season to date. A three-hole hitter who plays center field, Luikart has hit six home runs and driven in 30 with a .540 batting average. On the mound, the 6-0 200-pound left-hander is 6-0 with a 0.90 ERA.

Shawnee State signee Garrett Goodwin is the number two pitcher after serving in a relief role last season. The 319th-rated senior in the state, a shortstop when not called on to pitch, is 5-1 with a 1.33 ERA. The 5-10 185-pounder is averaging .450 batting leadoff with two home runs and 31 RBIs.

Depth on the mound comes from fellow senior Garrett Crites, a first baseman hitting .420 this season.

Three juniors are other major contributors thus far for the fourth-rated team in Ohio in Division IV. Briar Funk, a third baseman who bats cleanup, is hitting .460 with 37 RBIs with left-handed hitting Ty Williams, a second baseman, fifth in the order batting .400 with three home runs, three triples and 28 RBIs.

Catcher Carsten Betson is another key performer. The 155th-ranked 2020 in Ohio bats second and has a .340 average with 15 walks while providing solid play behind the plate.

“Catching is such a strength for us,” Snow said. “He gets rid of the ball so quick and blocks the ball so well. Our pitchers have a lot of trust in what he’s calling.”

An 11-1 win over Norwayneon Tuesday pushed Hillsdale to 18-2 overall and 12-1 in the Wayne County Athletic League with the conference finale tonight against Norwayne. Waynedale, which has split with Hillsdale this year, also has one league loss. Waynedale (ranked 16th in the state in Division III) beat Hillsdale the third game of the season with the other loss by the Falcons coming to Division II Clear Fork.

“These guys get along really well,” Snow said. “They all accept each other and they do a lot together. We’ve had no issues, their spot in the batting order or when they pitch. They put the team aspect first.

“For us the key is consistent defense,” Snow concluded. “The majority of the season we’ve been solid defensively but a couple of times we’ve extended innings. If we want to make a tournament run we can’t give up extra outs. That’s been our Achilles heel. We’ve really been emphasizing that. If we defend well and our pitchers keep us in games, our bats will scrape some runs out.”