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Ohio Diamond Notes: April 20-26

April 28, 2026
Bruce Hefflinger
Prep Baseball Ohio Senior Writer

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Ohio Diamond Notes: April 20-26

The 250th career strikeout was just one highlight of the week for Braydon Songer of Hubbard.

The Youngstown State commit gave up one earned run in a complete game effort to beat Lakeview, striking out 14 and not walking a batter in a five-hit outing.

For the season, the right-hander is 5-1 with two no-hitters, a 0.26 ERA, 55 Ks in 26 innings while giving up 11 hits and three walks.

The 22nd-rated 2026 shortstop in Ohio also had a big week batting with two doubles, three triples and a home run in a 10-12 performance, scoring nine runs, walking twice and swiping three bases.

Songer is carrying a .518 average with seven doubles, four home runs, three triples, 22 runs, 19 RBIs and 12 stolen bases.

TWO-WAY STARS

Antonio Escano hit three bombs to push his season total of home runs to seven for North Royalton, the No. 21 ranked team in D-II.

The Baldwin Wallace recruit was 4-7 with eight RBIs, six runs, four walks and a HBP, producing a 2.607 OPS and 1.857 slugging percentage.

The 63rd-rated 2026 RHP in the state did well on the hill as well, giving up one hit, one walk and no earned runs in seven innings with 17 strikeouts.

Escano is now 3-1 on the year with a .063 WHIP  and 1.037 ERA, fanning 54 and walking just five. At the plate, the right-handed hitter has a 1.549 OPS and 1.000 slugging percentage with 13 hits, 10 walks, five HBP, 15 runs and 17 RBIs.

- Parker Van Engelhoven tossed a two-hitter with 13 strikeouts to pick up a win on the mound, moving to 4-0 with a 0.292 ERA, fanning 39 while limiting the opposition to a .122 batting average. The 53rd-rated 2026 RHP in the country is also getting it done at the plate for Olentangy Liberty. The senior for the No. 1 team in Ohio hit three home runs this past week with seven RBIs and five runs scored and now is batting .400 on the year with seven bombs, 22 RBIs and 14 runs scored.

- Unbeaten West Jefferson is the number one team in Division VI and Blake Bogenrife did his part this week picking up a win with six innings of one-hit ball against Greenview, fanning 15 and walking two to improve to 4-0 on the year with 44 Ks in 22.1 frames. The No. 29 senior catcher in Ohio, a Clark State recruit, also had a pair of home runs and two triples to go along with a double in a 5-11 performance, with six RBIs, five runs and four stolen bases. 

- Malone commit Grady Monigold produced eight runs on two homers and a double in a 7-14 week for D-VI No. 2 Hiland, scoring four times and reaching once on a walk. The No. 3 senior first baseman in Ohio also beat Hoban with six innings of three-hit pitching, allowing two earned runs with seven strikeouts. Monigold has driven in 30 runs with seven home runs, six doubles and a triple overall, scoring 15 runs with nine walks and a .522 batting average and is also 2-0 pitching with 14 Ks in 11 innings.

- The first pitching start of the year ended in a win for St. Henry’s Owen Zimmerman, who beat previously unbeaten St. Mary’s. The 14th-rated senior third baseman in Ohio also went 5-10 at the plate with six runs, three RBIs, two walks and three steals for the fifth-rated D-VI team in the state. The Indiana Tech commit is batting .442 on the year with 21 runs, 15 RBIs, nine steals and five walks.

- A trio of two-way juniors are leading the way for Upper Scioto Valley. Beau Sanders was 5-10 with two doubles and five runs, Jesse Prater also went 5-10 with five steals and scored five times while Caiden Lowery was 4-9 with six runs and three stolen bases. All three also got it down on the mound. Sanders gave up three earned runs in seven innings to beat Elgin, Prater topped Continental with seven innings of six-hit ball allowing three earned runs, and Lowery fanned eight in four one-hit frames, giving up one earned run in a win over Temple Christian.

- Avery Young is one stolen base away from the Columbiana school record after swiping eight on the week. The junior shortstop went 10-14 with two doubles, a triple, six RBIs and five runs scored and is now hitting .571 with 19 stolen bases, 18 runs and 16 RBIs. Young also pitched five innings and fanned seven to move his season totals to 31 Ks in 28 innings.

- The No. 27 2027 left-handed pitcher in Ohio retired 14 on strikeouts in a 4-0 shutout of Fort Jennings. Brady Basinger walked four and gave up two hits in seven innings to improve to 2-0 with 27 Ks in 13 three-hit frames. The Columbus Grove junior was 4-8 at the plate with four RBIs, two runs and a home run and now has a .471 batting average with a .609 OBP, .824 slugging and 1.432 OPS.

- Cameron Miller was 7-14 with seven runs and five RBIs for Waynedale and is batting .521 on the year with 23 runs and 20 RBIs. The 32nd-ranked 2027 outfielder in Ohio is also getting it done pitching for the No. 1 team in D-V, picking up his sixth win with six innings of three-hit ball, striking out five and not allowing an earned run. Miller is 6-1 overall with a 1.25 ERA.

- Ohio State commit Mack Hieber is hitting and pitching well for No. 14 D-VI Patrick Henry. The ninth-rated senior RHP in Ohio was 4-7 with a double and four runs scored while also fanning 11 with one walk in seven innings in a win over Bryan. Hieber is 2-0 with a 1.50 ERA and 0.955 WHIP, fanning 40 in 22 frames while batting .415 with a .500 OBP and 1.134 OPS.

- Grove City’s Carson Welsh went nine innings to blank Pickerington North 1-0, throwing a two-hitter with nine Ks for the No. 23 team in D-I. The eight-rated senior southpaw in the state, an Ohio commit, also performed at the plate in two wins over Gahanna going 3-6 with two triples and two runs.

- Eli Beck struck out three in 1.1 innings for a save and also reached base six of seven times during the week going 2-3 with two walks, two HBP and a double. The 127th-rated junior in Ohio scored five runs and drove in three and now has 17 runs, 13 RBIs, 12 stolen bases, six doubles and a pair of home runs for the season for No. 9 D-V Madeira.

- Lincolnview’s Chayse Overholt had a .625 batting mark for the week while also retiring 10 on strikes and not allowing an earned run pitching. The 54th-ranked 2026 shortstop in Ohio is hitting .471 on the year with 16 runs, 12 RBIs and 11 stolen bases, while going 4-0 on the mound with a 0.328 ERA for the No. 7 D-VI Lancers.

- Leland Vargo fanned 15 and did not permit an earned run while surrendering two hits for the week and now has 51 Ks in 30 innings. The 75th-ranked 2027 RHP in the state also went 7-15 at the dish with five runs and a triple and is batting .472 for Newton Falls.

- Tyler Rhibar hit his second home run of the season in a 7-14 week for Lake Catholic, driving home seven. The senior struck out nine in six innings as well, giving up one run and now has 23 Ks in 23.1 innings for the defending D-IV state champs.

- Seven singles and seven stolen bases were highlights for Chance Apathy, who went 7-10 with four RBIs, two runs and a walk. The Holy Name junior RHP did not give up an earned run in three one-hit frames pitching with six Ks.

- Austin Tippie took a perfect game into the sixth inning in a one-hit, 13-strikeout performance for Newton. The No. 116 senior in Ohio also hit two home runs and a triple, driving in five in a 3-8 week. The Thomas More signee is 3-1 with 40 strikeouts in 21 innings and carries a .367 batting average.

- Jordan Shipe finished 5-8 with a pair of doubles, two runs and two RBIs for Sidney. The senior now has eight runs on the season while standing 3-1 on the mound with a 0.875 ERA in 24 innings.

- Christian Dubiel had 11 RBIs with two home runs, three walks and a double in a 5-11 week that also included swiping two bags. The Rittman senior, who plays center field and pitches, also earned a save with five strikeouts in three innings.

HOT AT THE PLATE

The senior trio of Andrew Smith, Ben Veletean and Austin Henson had monster weeks at the dish.

Smith was 13-17 with two doubles, two triples and a home run, also reaching base on two HBP and a walk. The Clinton Massie center fielder had five RBIs and two stolen bases, pushing season totals to 16 RBIs and 11 steals.

Veletean got on base 14 times in 17 plate appearances for Springboro, going 11-14 with three walks, two doubles and a triple, scoring five runs, driving in four and stealing two bases. The No. 22 senior in Ohio, who is uncommitted, has a .596 average with five doubles, a triple and a home run, scoring 16 runs with 14 RBIs, 11 steals and six walks for the third-ranked team in D-I.

Henson drove in 10 runs for the week to reach 19 on the season for Crestline. The senior was 10-17 with three doubles, three runs and four stolen bases. On the year, Henson, a 3B/1B/OF, is 20-42 with seven doubles and eight steals.

- Landon Wolf set a school career RBI mark for D-II top-ranked Amherst Steele during a 4-9 week capped off by a home run at the Prep Baseball Classic in Defiance. The No. 41 senior in Ohio went 4-9 with two doubles, seven runs and six RBIs, and now has 88 on his career, surpassing the previous mark of 82 by Matt Kallister, who held the mark since 2001. The Ashland recruit also walked four times and stole two bases and has three HRs, 17 RBIs, 17 runs and 11 walks on the year.

- Another Ashland commit had a big week with Drew Walti going 14-18 to improve his batting average on the season to .500 for Dublin Coffman, No. 21 in Division I. The 10th-rated senior catcher in Ohio belted six doubles and two home runs while driving home nine, pushing the season numbers to .587 OBP and .827 slugging percentage, with nine doubles, 13 RBIs and 20 runs scored.

- Medina’s Joe Johnson had a home run and a pair of doubles in a 4-8 week that included four walks and four RBIs with a .638 OBP. The No. 4 senior outfielder in Ohio now has a .562 average, .659 OBP and 1.031 slugging percentage. The Northern Kentucky recruit had four doubles, three home runs and a triple with nine runs, 15 RBIs and six stolen bases for the seventh-ranked D-I Bees.

- Zach Shobert is hitting .500 with a .628 OBP for the season after going 3-4 with a walk and two HBP. The left-handed batting junior is a third baseman and DH for Twinsburg.

- A 1.248 OPS for the week has Brandon Tort at 1.051 for the season. The Lakeview senior shortstop went 7-14 on the week with a double, triple and walk, scoring four times and driving home four to go with two steals.

- Caleb White has hit four home runs, scored 13 and drove in 14 with a .419 batting mark for the year. A 7-12 week with three homers, 10 runs, eight RBIs and two walks is a big reason why the numbers are so good for the senior shortstop at Fairfield Christian Academy, the No. 18 D-VII team in the state.

- Holy Name won two of three games for the week with Ryan Wisniewski and Joe Svetz coming up big at the plate. The 42nd-rated senior outfielder in the state, Wisniewski was 5-10 with a double, triple, three RBIs, five runs and three stolen bases. Svetz, a junior infielder, went 4-8 with four walks and a .667 OBP, hitting a double while scoring five runs.

- Seniors Jacob Shaker and Nate Paolucci were big hitters for Lakeview. Shaker, an outfielder, was 4-7 with a home run, two RBIs and two runs, producing a .571 OBP, 1.000 slugging percentage and 1.571 OPS. Paolucci, a catcher, had three doubles in an 8-15 week with three RBIs and five runs. Paolucci has a .463 batting mark for the season with a .532 OBP, .683 slugging mark and a 1.215 OPS. 

- Quentin Kapp swiped 12 bases and scored nine runs for Crestline this week. The junior SS/RHP went 8-16 with a double and four base on balls, driving in two. Kapp is batting .368 overall with 18 runs, 13 walks and 13 stolen bases to go with five doubles.

- Evan Kimmerle had five doubles and a home run in a 7-12 week for Richmond Edison, driving in four and scoring three. The senior catcher is batting .414 for the season with 15 runs, 13 RBIs and nine walks.

- Nick Hart doubled his season home run total to four in a 7-10 week that also included two doubles, three runs and nine RBIs. The Lakewood senior, an OF/1B/RHP, also has 21 RBIs and 12 runs on the year with a .410 average, 0.769 slugging percentage and 1.214 OPS.

- With a pair of two-base hits and a triple, Teagan Lucking now has 10 extra base knocks on the season with five doubles, three triples and two home runs for No. 17 D-I Fairfield. The junior outfielder went 6-10 and is batting .408 on the year with 13 runs, 10 RBIs and nine steals.

- Sycamore catcher Blake Heaton tallied 10 runs and drove home seven,  going 9-12 on the week with two doubles, a triple and home run while also walking once and swiping three bags in four games. The senior has 14 runs and 10 RBIs on the year.

- Getting on base nine out of 12 plate appearances, Camden Beckett was 6-9 with three walks, seven runs, five steals and two RBIs for Gallia Academy. The senior shortstop has 21 runs in 17 games with a .531 batting average, .600 OBP, 10 stolen bases and eight walks.

- Two doubles, two walks, two HBP and a single highlighted a 3-7 week for Ethan Claflin of Mayfield, who scored two runs and had a 1.351 OPS. The senior first baseman has a .423 average and has been on base 22 of 37 plate appearances with 11 hits, seven walks and four HBP.

- The No. 20 2027 LHP in Ohio had a big week at the plate with Joey Lanning going 5-9 with a home run and two walks, scoring three times and adding three RBIs. The Kettering Fairmont junior has a .391 average with 12 runs and a dozen RBIs to go with two homers for the season.

PITCHERS LOOKING GOOD

McNicholas has moved up to 14th in the state in Division III and Nathan Kramer has been a huge part of the success.

The Cincinnati commit tossed five shutout innings to defeat Chaminade-Julienne, striking out nine while giving up two hits and no walks.

The No. 110 2027 right-handed pitcher in the nation and the sixth-ranked junior RHP in Ohio improved to 2-0 with a 41-2 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 23 innings, posting a 1.212 ERA.

- Olentangy Berlin’s Brayden Holcomb tossed a three-hit shutout with no walks and eight Ks versus Marysville. The win moved the 30th-rated junior RHP in the state to 2-1 with a 2.297 ERA, including a 24-6 strikeout-to-walk ratio for the fourth-ranked Division I squad in the state.

- Bryson Gittins threw 63 of 101 pitches for strikes in a shutout victory over Pickerington North. The No. 24 2027 LHP in Ohio allowed just two hits and two walks while fanning nine and is 4-0 on the season with a 1.424 ERA and 0.915 WHIP, striking out 32 in 19.2 frames for No. 9 D-II New Albany.

- In 12 shutout innings on the hill, Ryan Weibling recorded 18 strikeouts while giving up eight hits. The 19th-rated junior southpaw in Ohio has a 0.67 ERA and a 3-1 record, fanning 30 in 21 innings for Canfield.

- Andrew Charpie fired a no-hitter at Bowling Green, putting 10 batters down on strikes while allowing four free passes in a 1-0 Perrysburg victory. The No. 78 senior right-handed pitcher in the state improved to 3-1 with a 2.30 ERA, striking out 29 in 24.1 innings.

- A win and a save during the week moved Bailey Thibeault to 4-0 on the year with a 2.62 ERA, striking out 36 in 23.2 frames. The Avon Lake junior RHP had seven Ks in 4.1 no-hit innings in a win over Benedictine and fanned two while permitting one hit in one frame to earn a save against Olmsted Falls.

- Pierce Manson struck out a dozen batters in six innings to pick up his sixth win of the season for Zane Trace. The 15th-rated junior RHP in the state has a 6-1 record with 77 Ks and 10 walks in 42 innings, allowing 26 hits while posting a 2.17 ERA.

- Russell Masetta pitched Holy Name past Gilmour, throwing six shutout innings, allowing two hits while setting down six on strikeouts.

YOUTH EXCELLING

Six bombs in one week. Not bad for a sophomore.

That is what Jakob Groeschel of Kenton Ridge did this past week. The 10th-grader, who did not hit a single in a 7-14 week, also had a triple to go along with the six home runs.

The 12th-rated 2028 outfielder in the country has now hit nine home runs, three triples and three doubles, producing 33 RBIs while scoring 25 runs. The No. 3 sophomore in Ohio also has a dozen walks to go with a .444 batting average and .565 OBP for the fifth-ranked D-III team in the state. 

- Riley Turnick has played in 10 of 12 Brunswick games to date, and the freshman has excelled, this past week going 8-15 with two home runs, 11 RBIs, six runs and four walks. The left-handed hitting ninth grader now has five homers, 23 RBIs and 14 runs with a .545 batting average, .643 OBP, 1.061 slugging percentage and a 1.703 OPS. 

- It is a bright future for No. 22 D-V Lynchburg-Clay with sophomores Quin Wells and Tanner Roberts bringing a lot of promise. Wells, the 40th-rated 2028 shortstop in the state, was 3-5 with a double, triple and stolen base, scoring four and driving in four and has now scored 24 runs on the season with 23 RBIs and 21 stolen bases. On the mound, Wells is 4-0 with 31 strikeouts in 20.1 after striking out nine in three innings on the week. Roberts was 4-6 with four RBIs and two runs to move his batting average to .395 with 18 runs. The sophomore 3B/RHP also struck out six in two no-hit innings and is 1-0 on the year with 28 Ks in 19 innings and a 1.47 ERA.

- Freshman Andrew Lundy, a utility player for Sidney, was called up from the junior varsity and went 7-7 with three doubles, two RBIs and a HBP in games against West Carrollton and Lebanon.

- Brody Baughman had a no-hitter with 16 Ks and one walk in a win over Buckeye Trail. The No. 141 sophomore in the state is 4-0 with 41 Ks in 25.2 innings and a 1.63 ERA and 0.77 WHIP for the campaign. The 28th-rated 2028 catcher in Ohio also went 3-8 on the week and is hitting .444 with 14 runs for D-VII No. 9 Strasburg-Franklin.

- A five-inning no-hitter with a dozen Ks is just part of what Ethan Lehnerd did this week. The sophomore right-hander for Columbiana also went 5-9 with five runs and five RBIs, producing a double and four stolen bases. On the year, Lehnerd is averaging .419 with 17 RBIs while recording 26 strikeouts in 16 innings with a 2-1 record.

- Adam Reynolds had a complete game versus Walsh Jesuit along with two saves during the week for SVSM, the 15th-ranked team in Division III. The sophomore did not permit an earned run in 9.2 innings on the week, giving up seven hits with eight Ks including a six-hitter with five strikeouts in a 5-0 victory over Walsh Jesuit.  

- Padua sophomore Braylon Benson drove in four runs in a 5-8 week that included a double, triple, two walks, three runs and two steals. The sixth-rated 2028 first baseman in the state is batting .515 on the year with a .570 OBP and .758 slugging percentage, scoring 12, driving in nine and swiping 11 bases for No. 3 D-III Padua.

- Teddy Porter earned wins over Upper Arlington and Marysville, giving up one run in 15 innings with a 19-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio. The 20th-ranked sophomore RHP in Ohio is now 4-0 with a 0.591 ERA, fanning 32 and walking just four in 27 innings for Olentangy Berlin.

- An 8-12 week upped the batting average of Marco Zheng to .692 on the season. The Andrews Osborne Academy sophomore first baseman drove in 14 and scored seven times for the week with four doubles, one triple and four stolen bases.

- AJ Yoder struck out 19 this week and now has 41 on the season in 21 innings. The 6-4 235-pound Shekirah Christian sophomore lefty also had two home runs and seven RBIs to move his season totals to three bombs with 13 RBIs, along with six HBP and a .467 batting average.

- Hicksville sophomore Easton Adams struck out 11 and allowed just one free pass in five one-hit innings against Antwerp, giving up one run. The 2028 right-hander has now fanned 19 in 14.1 frames on the season with a 1.47 ERA.

COACHING AND TEAM INFO

Perrysburg long-time mentor Dave Hall now has 768 career coaching victories to move into fifth place all-time in the state of Ohio.

The Yellow Jackets have been to state four times under the direction of Hall, including the past two seasons, losing in the D-I semifinals to Mason 1-0 in 2024 and Springboro 5-1 in 2025. Perrysburg is 8-6 on the season and listed in the Next 10 in the Prep Baseball Division I rankings.

- Lakewood remains undefeated at 13-0 on the season and 6-0 in the Cleveland West Conference after three wins this week against Normandy, Buckeye and Rocky River. The No. 2 team in the state in Division II started off this week by beating Westlake for win number 14 and additional challenges are ahead in the next few days, including a home game under the lights on Friday night against cross town rival St. Edward, the 12th-rated squad in Division I.

- Division VI top-ranked West Jefferson outscored three opponents this week by a combined 38-2 and stands 12-0 on the year. The Roughriders have defeated two D-V regional teams from last year and a D-VI regional participant thus far.

- Avon Lake has jumped up to 19 in Division II after losing four games on spring break in South Carolina to begin the year. The Shoremen are 7-0 in Ohio and 5-0 in the Southwestern Conference.

- Madeira is off to its best start in the Cincinnati Hills League (8-0) since 2015 and best overall start (12-2) since 2011. 

- Olentangy Liberty won all four games last week to move to 14-0 (before losing to Olentangy Orange on Monday), with three of the wins coming via shutout.

- St. Henry stands 12-1 and is ranked fifth in Division VI after a three-win week that featured victories over D-IV No. 12 St. Marys 12-2 and D-VII No. 7 Delphos St. John’s 1-0.

- Whiteoak began the year 1-6 but is currently 9-8 and in first place in the Southern Hills Athletic Conference D-2 Division. The Wildcats start five juniors and four freshmen.

- Triway hosted the sixth annual Sean Carmichael Classic with three fields featuring 20 teams. Former Triway coach/AD Sean Carmichale was honored along with Wooster’s Maddox Graser.

- SVSM was victorious in all five games this week including a 3-2 victory over Walsh Jesuit and Tennessee recruit Shawn Sullivan, the 23rd-ranked senior RHP in the country.

- Three wins has Amherst Steele 12-1 on the year. The No. 1 D-II squad in the state scored 56 runs in the three games.

- Upper Scioto Valley started the week at 0-7 on the year before winning three in a row.

- Sycamore had a 4-0 week and is now above the .500 mark on the season at 8-7.

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