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Diamond Notes:

• April 28-May 4 | April 21-27 | April 14-20 | April 7-13 | March 31-April 6

Ohio Diamond Notes: May 5-11

And then there was one.

Defiance is the last unbeaten baseball team in Ohio after Hiland was defeated by Sandy Valley 5-4 on Monday.

At 16-0, the Bulldogs are not only the number one team in Division III, but have taken over the top spot in the Upper Division Power 25 Rankings with Moeller and Butler, the top two teams in last week’s ratings, each losing and dropping down one spot.

Defiance picked up four big wins this past week, highlighted by a 3-1 triumph over Jonathan Alder in a Prep Baseball Classic matchup of unbeaten squads on Saturday. JA is the top-rated Division IV team in Ohio.

Defiance, which owns a 3-2 win this season over Orchard Lake St. Mary’s, Michigan’s third-ranked Division 2 team, also knocked off Perrysburg, the seventh-rated Division I team in Ohio, 4-3 this past week.

Brezlen Zipfel has been lights out on the hill for Defiance and this week was no exception.

The 56th-rated senior right-handed pitcher in Ohio defeated Celina and Alder this week, not allowing a run in 12 five-hit innings, striking out 21 and not walking a batter.

The Defiance College commit is now 7-0 on the year with a 1.54 ERA, striking out 64 and walking eight.

Uncommitted senior Brady Borton led the way at the plate going 8-12 with a triple, three runs, three RBIs, four stolen bases and a pair of walks. The 16th-ranked 2025 outfielder has a .429 season average, three triples, nine SB and 10 HBP for a squad that plays six games this week including a matchup Friday at Fifth Third Field with Division II Toledo St. John’s and Saturday at home against Fort Wayne Snider in a Prep Baseball Classic.

So who else had big weeks? Read on… 

STRONG PITCHING

A no-hitter and one-hitter in the same week.

That is what Sylus Hyde accomplished for Indian Creek. The 13th-rated junior left-handed pitcher in Ohio threw a no-hitter versus Edison and gave up one hit to Licking Valley in moving to 7-1 on the season. In 12 innings, Hyde struck out 18 and walked four.

For the season, the ace for the fourth-ranked Division IV team in Ohio has 77 Ks in 51 innings with a 1.22 ERA and 0.916 WHIP.

There were more good outings reported on the hill …

- Zach Short threw his second no-hitter of the season helping Archbold earn a share of the NWOAL title with Evergreen. The 23rd-ranked senior southpaw in Ohio fanned 17 and walked one in moving to 5-1 on the year. The Findlay signee has 96 Ks in 47 innings.

- Olentangy Berlin junior Carter Elliott fired a no-hitter in a 10-0 win over Marysville, giving the Bears a third OCC championship. The 69th-ranked 2026 RHP in Ohio fanned nine and walked just one in five innings for the No. 8 D-I team. Elliott is 5-1 on the season with a 1.18 ERA, 0.742 WHIP and a 46-to-4 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 31 innings.

- Eastwood’s Paul Lautzenheiser fanned a dozen in 8.2 innings of a 1-0 win over D-V eighth-ranked Oak Harbor, allowing three hits. The 107th-ranked 2025 RHP in Ohio also earned a save against Evergreen, striking out the side in one inning. The senior is 4-2 with a 1.23 for the No. 8 D-V team.

- The No. 17 senior LHP in the state, Evan Lichtenauer, did not permit an earned run in a four-hit outing against Utica. The Ohio University signee, who struck out 11 and walked just one in moving to 6-0 on the season, has 60 Ks in 42 innings this year allowing just one earned run for Licking Valley.

- New Albany has been without three of its top arms this season, but Graham Romers has helped pick up the slack with a 5-0 record. The 120th-rated senior RHP in Ohio, a Grove City College commit, won two games last week for the No. 10 D-II team, not permitting a run in nine innings against Gahanna Lincoln and Pickerington North.

- North Canton Hoover beat Wadsworth 9-1 behind a six-inning one-hit performance from Griffin Paumier. The No. 33 junior RHP in Ohio did not allow an earned run, fanning 11 to up his season strikeout total to 35 in 19.1 innings for the state’s 11th-ranked D-II team.

- Brayden Vance threw a six-inning complete game for Fairmont, surrendering one hit and one earned run with nine Ks. The 63rd-rated 2026 right-handed pitcher in Ohio has now set 54 down on strikes in 36.2 innings.

- Liam Bartlett retired 16 batters on strikeouts in a shutout of Youngstown State. The senior right-handed pitcher for Lowellville is a La Roche College commit.

TWO-WAY STANDOUTS

Jordan Kievman came up big in two games this week for Norton with a pair of walk-off winners.

The Wright State commit had the game-winning hit in a 3-2 15-inning victory over Woodbridge and brought in the game-winning run on Senior Night for an 8-7 triumph over Black River.

The second-ranked 2025 outfielder in Ohio went 7-12 on the week with a double, triple, three RBIs and three walks and is now batting .373 with four doubles, four triples and 18 RBIs.

The 12th-rated senior in the state also fanned 10 and did not give up an earned run in a five-hit victory for the No. 3 Division IV team in Ohio.

On the season, the southpaw has a 1.15 ERA with 59 Ks and five free passes in 30.1 innings, limiting the opposition to a .182 batting average.

There were other players also worth noting that came up big at the dish as well as pitching this week.

- Logan Ritzler threw 44 of 58 pitches for strikes in a six-inning 10-0 perfect game win over New Riegel. The Tiffin Calvert junior also had five RBIs, scored four runs, had three hits and two stolen bases leading the top-ranked D-VII team in Ohio to a Sandusky Bay Conference championship this week. Ritzler is now 4-0 with a save, a 1.12 ERA and 0.77 WHIP. 

- Charlie Hoagland struck out 16 and gave up one earned run on six hits in 10.2 innings while going 8-16 with five runs and five stolen bases for Chaminade-Julienne. A 3-2 win over Badin moved the top-ranked senior LHP in the state to 3-1 with 62 Ks in 37 innings. The East Carolina commit is batting .390 on the year.

- Nathan Bryant led Lake Center Christian to a 5-0 week, going 9-15 at the dish with seven RBIs, six runs, three doubles, a triple and three stolen bases. The Ohio State recruit also tossed a no-hitter with 11 strikeouts at Marlington, his second no-hitter of the season. The 12th-ranked junior in Ohio is batting .444 overall with 26 runs scored.

- Marshall commit Hunter Richardson improved to 6-0 on the season in an 11-5 win over Tipp City on Wednesday, increasing his school record for career wins to 32. The fifth-rated senior LHP in the state also did his part at the plate with three hits in a 10-4 victory over Tipp City two nights later, helping D-II No. 2 Butler to its second straight MVL championship.

- Jayden Buth had a double, triple, six walks and a HBP to lead Chardon to three wins. The junior had a .333 batting average, .692 OBP, 1.562 OPS and .833 slugging percentage, scoring six runs and stealing two bases. The 62nd-rated 2026 outfielder in Ohio also pitched two scoreless innings.  

- Jayden Collins had 11 hits including three doubles and a triple for Marengo Highland this week. The fifth-rated junior third baseman in Ohio also scored six and drove in five while tossing 5.2 innings allowing one earned run while striking out nine to move to 3-1 on the year with five saves. Collins has 10 extra base hits on the season with a .418 average, 22 runs and 15 steals for the No. 13 D-IV team. 

- Grady Monigold gave up one hit and no earned runs in five innings for Hiland, the No. 1 D-VI team in Ohio. The 10th-rated junior first baseman in the state was also 7-17 with a double and home run, walking twice, driving in seven and scoring five times. Monigold has three home runs, 27 RBIs and 18 runs on the season while sporting a 3-0 record. 

- Isaac Husted had a complete-game win over West Branch to improve to 3-1 on the year while going 10-17 at the plate for the week, hitting two doubles and walking three times while scoring 13 runs, driving in seven and stealing six bases for Carrollton, the 17th-ranked D-IV team in Ohio. Husted has now scored 30 runs on the season.

- The versatility of Nick Hart is vital to the success of Lakewood. Listed by his coach as an OF/IF/C/RHP, the 28th-rated 2026 right-handed pitcher in Ohio fanned six and did not give up an earned run in three one-hit innings this past week. At the plate,  the junior was 6-11 with three runs, a double and two stolen bases. Hart now has a .922 OPS with seven doubles, while fanning 17 in 11 innings.

- Seven runs and six RBIs is just part of what Luke Applegate did for Manchester this week. The No. 6 junior outfielder in Ohio, who plays SS for Manchester, was 6-12 with five walks, two doubles and a home run while also picking up a win in his first decision of the year, striking out eight in four shutout innings.

- Fort Jennings has jumped to 16th in Division VII with Jarron Swick getting the job done in center field and on the mound. The senior had three hits including a double and home run in two games this week, bringing in four and scoring three times with two stolen bases. The 87th-rated 2025 RHP also fanned four in 4.1 innings allowing one earned run. On the year, the Cuyahoga CC recruit has 25 RBIs and 18 runs.

- Madden Lillard did not allow an earned run in nine frames with a dozen strikeouts for Indian Lake while going 6-9 at the plate with two doubles, four walks (two intentional) and three RBIs. The 327th-ranked senior in Ohio is batting .449 while winning four of five decisions with 43 Ks in 36.2 frames.

- The season total for stolen bases reached 29 for Jack Andes after swiping eight during a 5-10 week at the plate that included three runs and three RBIs. The 35th-rated 2026 outfielder in Ohio also picked up his fifth save of the year with one shutout inning for North Canton Hoover, the No. 11 D-II team.

HOT WITH THE BAT

Medina won its third outright Greater Cleveland Conference championship this past week and Joey Johnson led the way.

The junior second baseman for the No. 10 Division I team in Ohio was on base eight of nine plate appearances, going 5-6 with two doubles, two walks and a HBP. Johnson stole six bases, drove in five runs and scored four times for Mark Kelly’s squad.

The uncommitted left-handed hitter who is the 20th-ranked 2026 outfielder in the state, is batting .490 on the season with 25 RBIs, 25 runs, five doubles, three home runs and a triple, walking 15 times and reaching base on four HBP while stealing 11 bases.

There were other standouts with the bat worth mentioning …

- Lebanon’s Jack Schreck went 12-23 with 13 runs and eight RBIs in an eight-game week for No. 20 Division I team in the state, hitting three doubles and a home run, walking four times and stealing three bases. The senior catcher, a Mount Vernon Nazarene recruit who has had multiple hits in 13 of 21 games, leads the Eastern Cincinnati Conference in hits (33), is second in RBIs (30) and triples (2), third in home runs (2) and doubles (6), fifth in runs (21) and sixth in batting average (.452).

- Anthony Wayne has advanced to number two in Division II with Lukas Potkanowicz a key part of the success. The 20th-rated junior shortstop in Ohio went 8-17 with three doubles and two walks, scoring six and driving in six while swiping four bases. Potkanowicz carries a .377 average and .468 OBP with seven doubles, 15 RBIs and 19 runs.

- It was a big week for Elder and Jared Lammers was a key part of it. The left-handed hitting junior went 7-13 with six runs, five walks, three RBIs and two stolen bases and now has a .492 OBP for the season.

- Solon’s Braeden Springer scored five runs and drove in five during a 7-11 week that included a double, triple and three stolen bases. The 38th-rated senior shortstop in Ohio, a Walsh commit, is batting .472 on the year with a 1.180 OPS and is 15-15 swiping bases. 

- Triway second baseman DJ Corbett went 7-12 with a pair of doubles, three free passes and seven runs scored. The Adrian College recruit has now scored 23 runs and driven in 20 with six two-base hits, a .377 average and a .474 OBP.

- Quentin Kapp hit his 11th double of the season and stole four bases to push his season total to 13 for Crestline. The sophomore SS/RHP is hitting .375 with 18 runs and 12 RBIs on the season.

RISING STARS

The 36th-ranked freshman in Ohio, Jacobie Balo, tossed his second no-hitter of the year with a 73-pitch performance against an 11-5 Fairfield Christian Academy squad. The Bishop Rosecrans ninth-grader, who also threw one frame in a 2-1 victory over Harvest Prep, did not allow an earned run in eight innings this week, striking out eight and walking one while picking up a pair of victories to improve to 6-1 on the year. The right-hander has 48 Ks in 34.2 innings while allowing 23 hits.

The No. 6 2028 shortstop in the state is also performing at the plate, with a 5-9 week that included five runs, a double, two walks and three steals. The left-handed hitting freshman carries a .589 batting mark and 1.485 OPS with eight doubles, three triples and seven walks while scoring 23 runs.

There were other freshmen and sophomores that came up big this week…

- Defiance freshman Colt Ward was 6-9 with a pair of doubles, three RBIs, two walks and a run scored. The DH for the Bulldogs had the go-ahead RBI single in the fifth against Perrysburg and went 2-2 with an intentional walk in handing Alder its first loss of the year. For the season, the left-handed hitting eighth-ranked 2028 catcher in the state has a .476 (10-21) average with six RBIs, three walks, two HBP, two doubles and two runs.

- Kade Swiger hit two doubles versus Greenville, provided a go-ahead home run against Wayne and had a game-tying two-run double against Lebanon during an 8-19 week for Sidney. The sophomore infielder had three doubles and a home run, plating five runs and scoring eight. For the year, Swiger has a .397 average and 1.065 OPS, with 21 RBIs and 20 runs scored.

- Butler’s Koby Dues, the 27th-ranked 2027 in Ohio, had three hits in one win and earned his third save of the season in another victory with 3.1 innings of shutout relief, retiring 10 straight batters including eight consecutive strikeouts.

- Brookside sophomore Mason Waechter struck out seven, walked one and hit a batter in a no-hit 10-0 beating of Oberlin. Waechter is 3-2 overall with 39 Ks in 29.2 frames.

- A 5-7 week upped the batting average of Quin Wells to .489. The Lynchburg-Clay freshman also walked twice while bringing home eight, scoring five runs and also stealing a base. Wells has 36 RBIs on the season for the No. 19 Division V team with 18 runs and 12 stolen bases. 

- Left-handed hitting infielder Aden Osborne batted .500 on the week to boost his batting mark to .488 with 22 runs scored for Washington Court House. The sophomore also earned a pitching win.

- Cooper Fiebig was 7-8 with a triple, home run, four RBIs and seven runs for Andrews Osborne Academy. The 10th-grade catcher is batting .730 with four homers, four triples, 27 RBIs and 24 runs scored.

- Cole Oswalt shut out Sidney 1-0 moving the Greenville sophomore to 3-2 on the season to go along with one save.

TEAM NOTES

Chaminade-Julienne enters the current week with a 17-4 record despite facing some of the top pitchers in the state.

This past week the No. 8 Division III team in Ohio knocked off Bishop Fenwick 4-2 with Carter Shouse, the top-ranked freshman in the state, the opposing pitcher. 

C-J has already faced the likes of Walsh Jesuit junior Shawn Sullivan (No. 2 2026 in Ohio), Badin’s Caleb Driessen (No. 12 junior RHP in Ohio) and McNicholas sophomore Nathan Kramer (No. 11 2027 RHP in Ohio).

The only team in the state to have beaten D-III third-ranked Badin this season, C-J has played 10 games against state-ranked opponents this year, winning eight.

A lot else took place team wise across the state this past week…

- Nobody had a more exciting week than Chardon. There was a suicide squeeze in the bottom of the eighth for one win. Another came on a first-and-third steal in the top of the seventh. The 3-0 week was capped off by a seven-run rally with two outs in the seventh to come back from a 3-1 deficit. Now 12-9 on the season, Chardon is riding a five-game winning streak.

- Medina jumped to 10th in the Division I state ratings with a sweep of No. 13 Mentor and with it the GCC title. The 16-4 squad has suffered all four defeats to state-ranked teams.

- The No. 13 Division IV team in the state, Marengo Highland, has clinched at least a share of the MOAC, its 16th league championship in the last 20 years.

- The No. 4 D-IV team in Ohio, Indian Creek, is 17-3 with the losses coming twice to Division V sixth-ranked St. Clairsville, in extra innings of the OVAC finals and 2-1 in the Buckeye 8 championship, along with a 3-2 defeat to D-III 15-9 Toledo St. Francis.

- Lakewood shut out all four foes last week, Bay Village twice, Rocky River and North Ridgeville, winning by a combined 18-0. Now up to fourth in Division II and 24th in the Power 25 rankings, Lakewood has a 1.30 team ERA, 1.26 WHIP and nine shutouts, holding opponents to a .180 batting average.

- Triway is now riding an 11-game winning streak after outpointing the opposition 44-8 in going 4-0 last week. The 15th-rated Division V team wrapped up the PAC 7 title with three league wins.

- Elder is just 11–8 on the year but a 4-1 week that included a win over Moeller and a walkoff loss in the bottom of the seventh to the top-ranked Division I team brings optimism for the upcoming tournament with Fairfield the opener on May 27.

- A third-straight 20-win season was obtained by Lake Center Christian during a 5-0 week in which the No. 3 Division VI team in Ohio clinched a share of a third straight Portage Trail Conference title. LCC outscored opponents 53-4 during the week.

- Manchester is getting healthy with the top pitcher throwing for the first time in four weeks and the leadoff hitter back after missing three weeks with an injury. The 16th-rated D-VI team in the state went 4-0 last week.

Midseason Player of the Year Watch (5/4/25)

CLICK HERE for 75+ names that are up for Player of the Year in their respective division. These names were provided to us by their coaches, or found on gamechanger/team websites. Obviously, there are many others having outstanding years that should be considered, but no stats were provided.

A Look Back At The 2024 Season:

To view the 2024 Team Previews, click here.

To view the 2024 Ohio Spring HS Report, click here.

To view the OHSAA Baseball Tournament Roundup, click below.

• State Final Four Roundup
• 10th Annual OHSAA Final Four All-Tournament Team

To View the 2024 Prep Baseball All-State Teams, click here.

To view the 2024 Preseason All-State Teams, click below.

To view the Weekly Team Rankings, click below:

• Final Rankings | Update 6 | Update 5 | Update 4 | Update 3 | Update 2 | Update 1 | Preseason

To view the 2024 Ohio Spring Scout Blog, click here.

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