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2025 OHSAA Tournament: Division II State Final - #1 Amherst Steele vs #2 Anthony Wayne

AKRON - Anthony Wayne is a state champion for the first time ever.

The Generals pounded out nine hits in beating Amherst Steele 7-3 in the Division II title game in a battle of the top two ranked teams in the state.

“This means everything,” related junior shortstop Lukas Potkanowicz. “We’ve wanted this for so long. I went here my freshman year with 23 guys and we fell short in the Final Four. My brother made it to state in 2018 and lost. I wanted to prove I’m better.”

Potkanowicz did his best to make sure this year was the year for Anthony Wayne, driving in the first run of the game with an RBI single in the opening inning and Crue Carroll did the same in the second to put the Generals in front 2-0.

“When you come out that strong scoring in the first inning it shuts the other team down,” Potkanowcz explained. “They’re already thinking we have to come back and answer and it becomes a mental thing.”

AW added to the lead with three in the third and two in the fourth. Ben Nieckarz had a run-scoring single to make it 3-0 and then raced home from second on a wild pitch that also plated Jett Smith from third to put AW up by five.

“That’s just hustle, grit … playing the game the right way,” head coach Ryan Donley said of Nieckarz scoring from second base.

After Amherst Steele pushed across two in the third on a Caleb Melendez ground out and a wild pitch, Anthony Wayne countered with a pair of unearned runs in the fourth and the victory was not far away.

“I’m really proud of the guys, the community and the culture we built,” Donley summed up. “We’re going to enjoy this one and then get back to work. Success comes with responsibility and we have a responsibility to continue this. This is the standard and we want to get back here again.”

Junior right-hander Jackson Urenovitch allowed four hits and two earned runs in six innings for the win with Carter Johnson closing out the game with a 1-2-3 seventh for the state champions, which made it to the finals with a thrilling 1-0 win over Walsh Jesuit in the semifinals behind the pitching of Owen Graf.

“This is all we’ve worked for,” Graf said of the state championship. “This is all you ever want in life up to this age and we did it. We worked every day, with morning workouts with all my teammates, and it paid off. We're the best in the state.”

HOT TAKES

PLAYER OF THE GAME: Potkanowicz put the Generals ahead for good with a run-scoring single in the first, finished with two singles and had a walk to lead a balanced attack in which every starter but one reached base at least once. The junior shortstop also did his part in the field with six assists, including a 6-4-3 double play in the second and assists on the final two outs of the game. 

D-II TOURNEY MVP: Despite not even playing in the championship game, “winning” a pitcher’s duel with someone who did not allow a hit earns Graf the honor. The title could never have happened without a one-hit shutout of Walsh Jesuit by the Ohio State commit, who struck out six and did not walk a batter in battling Alabama recruit Shawn Sullivan pitch for pitch. 

WHAT’S NEXT?: The top three pitchers return for Amherst Steele, which featured a lineup with six underclassmen starting in the state finals, four that bat left-handed. It certainly looks like a promising 2026 season for head coach Matt Rositano and the Comets, which made it to the regionals for the first time in six years this season. … Eli Donawa and Potkanowicz provide a strong punch batting in the one and three spots in the batting order and will be built around next season along with sophomore catcher Jett Smith. Head coach Ryan Donley has been to state twice in his four years at the helm but Owen Graf will be tough to replace at the top of the rotation, but the Generals will look to 2026 Jackson Urenovitch and the twins Blake/Drew Madalinski among others to carry the load on the bump.

LINESCORE

Anthony Wayne     113  200  1  -  7  9  2
Amherst Steele       002  001  0  -  3  5  2

Records: Anthony Wayne 25-4, Amherst Steele 29-3.

Winning Pitcher: Jackson Urenovitch (6 innings, 3 runs, 2 earned runs, 4 hits, 7 strikeouts, 3 walks). Other: Carter Johnson.

Losing Pitcher: Cole Charles (3 innings, 5 runs, 3 earned runs, 5 hits, 3 strikeouts, 4 walks). Other: Cam Rios. 

Leading Hitters: (Anthony Wayne) - Eli Donawa run; Tommy Kec single, run; Lukas Potkanowicz 2 singles, run; Max Crandell single, run, RBI; Jett Smith single, double, run; Ben Nieckarz single, 2 runs, RBI; Crue Carroll 2 singles, RBI. (Amherst Steele) - Cole Marquez run; Cole Charles single, run; Caleb Melendez RBI; Harrison Schneider single; Jacob Schliesser single; Tyler Denn single; Spencer Leibolt run; Cooper Bingham single.

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