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2026 OHSAA Tournament: Division I State Final - #3 St. Xavier vs #4 Archbishop Moeller

AKRON - St. Xavier beat rival Moeller for the third time this season, but this one was the most important. It was for all the marbles and the 4-2 victory on Friday night gave the Bombers the Division I state championship.

Liam McGeady gave up just one run in 5.1 innings to garner the win for St. Xavier, which captured the second state title in school history, the other coming in 2003.

"I pitched against them once last year and once this year and beat them both times so I've had success there," McGeady said. "I knew their top of the order was dangerous, the key was to keep attacking the bottom of the order, get them out and limit damage. The defense made great plays behind me. It's been awesome to have that all year."

The uncommitted McGready, the 11th-rated junior right-handed pitcher in the state, left with one on and one away in the sixth up 3-0. Moeller promptly hit consecutive singles by Reggie Watson, Adam Maybury and Conner Cuozoo and a sac fly by Matt Ponatoski made it 3-2. But sophomore reliever Sam Vovak got out of the jam and retired the Crusaders 1-2-3 in the seventh after St.. X added an insurance run in the top of the inning.

"We just believe in one another," head coach Don DiGiacomo explained. "It doesn't matter what grade you're in, there's no class system in our program. We've got freshmen on the roster, sophomores starting, seniors who lead the team and juniors who go in and do what they can to make the program better."

Strong pitching helps as well.

"Liam was around the plate, " the mentor pointed out. "When Liam's on he's pretty darn special. He had command of his slider which really was important against a good hitting team like Moeller. He was pounding the zone and stayed within himself."

The Bombers jumped in front with one in the first on back-to-back doubles from Jack Ryan and Jackson Sherrard and added two in the fourth on a Dominic Dials base hit and a pinch hit single from Cullen O'Brien. Samuel Spremgard added a sacrifice fly for St. X, which added a run in the seventh on a sac fly by Braden Bricking to plate Cameron Schaefer who led off with a HBP.

"The camaraderie of this team," Ryan said about what makes the 2026 edition of the Bombers special. "Everyone gets so happy for each other when there's success. No one cares about themselves, they just care about the team winning. Everyone supports each other. The seniors stepped up and the juniors are going to be awesome."

The third-ranked Bombers, winners of two out of three versus Moeller during the regular season, last won state in 2003.

"We believe down there is the best baseball in the state of Ohio," DiGiacomo said about Cincinnati high school ball. "Not that there aren't really good respectible programs all around the state, we know that. But we compete day in and day out against teams like Elder, Moeller and LaSalle and the GMC is a loaded conference. Being down there gets you battle-tested." 

Watson had two hits for Moeller, nine-time state champs that close out the year at 25-7.

"This is special, it's hard to put into words." said Ryan, a senior committed to Boston College. "We really made history today. I didn't realize Moeller was 9-0 playing in state championships, so now they're 9-1."

HOT TAKES

PLAYER OF THE GAME: McGeady gets the nod after holding down a talented Moeller squad, fanning five and walking just one with 45 of 73 pitches thrown for strikes. 

DIVISION I TOURNEY MVP: Ryan did a little of everything in the tournament in leading St. Xavier to the state title. In the semifinals the senior, who set school career records for hits as well as pitching marks for wins, innings and strikeouts, threw a three-hit shutout with eight Ks and one walk to beat Olentangy Orange 5-0. In the finals, the left-handed hitting first baseman had a double, scored a run and was intentionally walked twice while also playing a strong defensive game at first.

WHAT'S NEXT?: When you're talking about Moeller the known fact is the Crusaders will be in the running once again for a state crown. That's the way it is under head coach Tim Held, who has a career record of 456-97. Watson, Donovan Glosser, Nathan McDowell and Connor Maupin will certainly be key figures to success during the 2027 campaign. ... With two juniors, two freshmen and a sophomore starting, there is little reason to believe St. Xavier won't join Moeller in the conversation about teams with a great shot at making a return to Akron.

LINESCORE

St. Xavier 100  200  1  -  4  7  0
Moeller   000  002  0  -  2  6  1

Records: St. Xavier 27-5, Moeller 25-7.

Winning Pitcher: Liam McGrady (5.1 innings, 1 run, 3 hits, 5 strikeouts, 1 walk). Other: Sam Vovak.

Losing Pitcher: Nathan McDowell (7 innings, 4 runs, 3 earned runs, 7 hits, 5 strikeouts, 2 walks). 

Leading Hitters: (St. Xavier) - Dillon Brus 2 singles; Braden Bricking RBI; Jack Ryan double, run; Jackson Sherrard double, RBI; Dominc Dials single; Thomas George run; Camern Schaefer single, 2 runs; Cullen O'Brien single; Samuel Sprengard RBI. (Moeller) - Reggie Watson 2 singles, run; Adam Maybury single; Conner Cuozzo single, RBI; Matt Ponatoski single, RBI; Zac Wittenauer run; Kendon WIlson single.

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