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2025 OHSAA Tournament: Division I State Final - #10 Olentangy vs #12 Springboro

AKRON - Cameron Birch and Cooper Tracy combined on a three-hitter in pitching Olentangy to a 2-1 win over Springboro in the Division I state finals on Sunday at Canal Park.

It marks the first baseball title for Olentangy.

“It’s special for the school, for the players and for the community,” head coach Ryan Lucas said. “I’m really proud of everybody. You can tell how united we are. It’s a great thing for our entire community.”

The Braves scored their only runs of the game in the bottom of the first when Rocci Bucci hit a one-out single, stole second, moved up on a Cameron Birch single and came home on a hit by Dominic Pirrone. Luke Chlicki followed with a run-scoring single.

“All week I’ve been training and hitting,” explained Pirrone. “I’ve gone to my hitting coach, Brian Mannino, three times this week. I used to swing at bad pitches a lot. I’ve worked on keeping a good eye and swinging at only good pitches and that’s what I did and I hit one up the middle.”

Birch went the first five innings and gave up three hits and one run while retiring seven on Ks. Tracy struck out four in two no-hit frames.

“Our coaching staff did a really good job letting us know what to expect with this team,” pointed out Birch. “The biggest thing for me was not to get too high or too low mentally. Try to not make the moment too big, even though it was a really big moment. Attack the hitter and do what I know how to do.

“I knew Cooper was going to get the job done and seal the deal,” the senior right-hander headed to Marietta added. “He’s done it all year. I’m very proud of him.”

It was the second save in two days at the state tournament for Tracy.

“I was put in this situation all year,” the senior right-hander related. “I just try to go out there, throw strikes and get guys out. We had a little mix up in the sixth inning but I got the next three guys out. That’s my mentality in pitching, get the next guys out.”

Springboro tallied its lone run in the third on singles by Vince Fortkamp, Micah Brandon and Jacob Cane, however, Birch got out of a bases-loaded two-out threat with a strikeout and the only Springboro batter to reach base the rest of the way was on an error.

For the six games in the tournament the Braves only gave up five runs.

“Cam pitched a really good game,” Lucas noted. “His pitch count got up really fast but he grinded his way through five innings to get to Cooper. Cam’s toughness really showed, especially the last two innings.

“We said this morning if we can get to the bottom of the fifth with the lead we’d win the whole thing. We trust Coop and the kids trust Coop.”

The trust led to a state championship.

“We have great chemistry,” Pirrone said. “We’ve all played with each other since we were young. We know each other well and play well together.”

HOT TAKES

PLAYER OF THE GAME: Birch only allowed one run on three hits and two walks while fanning seven in five innings for the win. Additionally, the senior had a single and scored what proved to be the game-winning run in the first inning.

D-I TOURNEY MVPS: Rocco Bucci gave up one run in six innings while hitting a single in a 3-1 win over Lakota West in the semis and added a single and a run scored in the finals. The sophomore will share the award with Tracy, who had a save in each game. In the finals the senior RHP retired the last six batters, four on strikeouts.

WHAT’S NEXT?: The 2 and 4 hitters, Ben Veletan and Nick Hutchinson, are back to build the Springboro batting order around and state final pitchers Dylan Brabston and Jacob Rhinehart also returning for longtime head coach Mark Pelfrey. … Bucci gives Ryan Lucas a standout hitter and pitcher to lead the squad, with center fielder Kaden Gebhardt and third baseman Ty Walburn also returning starters.

LINESCORE

Springboro     001  000 0  -  1  3  1
Olentangy      200  000  x  -  2  5  1

Records: Olentangy 24-7-1, Springboro 25-8.

Winning Pitcher: Cameron Birch (5 innings, 1 run, 3 hits, 7 strikeouts, 2 walks). Other: Cooper Tracy.

Losing Pitcher: Dylan Brabston (2.2 innings, 2 runs, 5 hits, 0 strikeouts, 0 walks). Other: Jacob Rhinehart.

Leading Hitters: (Olentangy) - Rocco Bucci single, run; Cameron Birch single, run; Dominic Piroone 2 singles, RBI; Luke Chilicki single, RBI. (Springboro) - Micah Brandon single; Jacob Cane single, RBI; Vince Fortkamp single, run.

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