One thing is definitely certain for this week’s Division I state baseball tournament in Columbus: There will be a Cincinnati team in the state final on Saturday afternoon.
File photo by Michael Noyes
Alex Bolia, Elder
In an ironic twist of the state bracket, Archbishop Moeller will play Elder – two Greater Catholic South division rivals – in a Division I state semifinal at 10 a.m. Friday at Huntington Park.
Moeller is ranked No. 1 in the final state coaches poll, while Elder is ranked No. 2.
"We’ve got the Elder/Moeller matchup in Columbus on the biggest stage," Moeller coach Tim Held told the Cincinnati Enquirer. "I won’t have any trouble keeping the players focused this week."
Moeller (29-1), which won the 2009 state title, is 2-0 against its rival this season. Moeller last played Elder on May 3 during the regular season.
"We’ve (Elder) never had a local matchup in the state semifinals since I’ve been coaching," veteran Elder coach Mark Thompson told the Enquirer. "We know each other’s strengths and we know what we’re each going to do."
The winner of Friday’s semifinal will advance to the state final at 4 p.m. Saturday against either Olmsted Falls or Lakewood St. Edward.
Elder (27-4) defeated New Albany 6-1 in the regional final last week. Archbishop Moeller defeated Mason 11-1.
Elder is led by senior infielder Selby Chidemo, who is hitting .455 with six doubles and 26 stolen bases. Senior outfielder Tim O’Conner is hitting .427 with a team-leading 46 RBI. The Elder pitching has been solid lately – led by senior Brian Korte, who has a team-leading 75 strikeouts.
Moeller junior Alex Barlow is hitting a team-leading .533 to go along with 12 doubles and 32 RBI. Senior pitchers Robby Sunderman and David Whitehead have been very consistent. Sunderman, who has a team-leading 39 RBI at the plate, is 9-0 with 45 strikeouts and a 1.81 ERA. Whitehead has a team-leading 66 strikeouts to go along with his 1.21 ERA.
2. Badin reaches state: The Badin (Hamilton) baseball team will play Wheelersburg in a Division III state semifinal at 4 p.m. Thursday in Columbus. It is the second consecutive year Badin has reached the state tournament. "To be honest, I thought we could be better this year than we were last year," Badin coach Rick Kunkel told the Hamilton Journal-News. Badin is led offensively by Nick Burrus, who is hitting .432 with five doubles, five triples, 18 RBI and 14 stolen bases. Jeff Smith is hitting .402 with 10 doubles, five triples and 31 RBI. Badin (22-9) defeated Marion Pleasant 6-4 in a Division III regional final last week. Burrus pitched six innings to earn the win, according to the Enquirer. Burrus is 4-2 with 37 strikeouts this season.
3. Lakota East softball reaches state: The Lakota East (Liberty Township) softball team will make the school’s first Division I state tournament appearance on Thursday, according to published reports. Lakota East will play Grove City in a Division I state semifinal at 5:30 p.m. Thursday at Firestone Stadium in Akron. On Saturday, East defeated rival Lakota West 4-1 in the Division I regional final. "Oh my gosh, I can’t even believe it right now," East shortstop Alyssa Grevenkamp told the Journal-News after the game. Lakota East (26-5) has won seven consecutive games and has been led offensively by Grevenkamp and junior Sara Pearson. Grevenkamp is hitting .382 with 14 RBI, while Pearson is hitting .365 with seven doubles, five home runs and a team-leading 23 RBI. Pearson is also the team’s ace pitcher – she has more than 185 strikeouts and a 0.62 ERA.
4. Elder wins state in volleyball: The Elder boys volleyball team won the Division I state title in Centerville on Sunday. The Panthers defeated Moeller 23-25, 31-29, 25-20 and 25-19 for the school’s fourth state title in volleyball, according to the Enquirer. Elder senior Matt Harpenau was named first-team all-state while senior John Lucas was honorable mention all-state. Elder coach Sean Tierney told the Dayton Daily News the all-Cincinnati state final was a reflection of the strong work ethic the area had in the sport. "I think it’s the culture of the competitiveness in the area," Tierney told the publication. "It doesn’t matter whether it’s volleyball, or bowling, these guys put in the hard work and it shows."
5. McMahon on Junior National team: Lakota West junior middle hitter Liz McMahon has been named to the USA Women’s Junior National volleyball team. McMahon, who is 6-foot-6, is one of only three juniors to make the team. There are only 12 players selected overall for the team. USA plays in a tournament July 5-10 in Tijuana, Mexico. McMahon, who is one of the nation’s top volleyball players in the 2011 class, orally committed to Illinois in February. She also considered the likes of Stanford, Penn State, Florida, Nebraska, University of Southern California and others. This past season, she was Division I second-team all-state. She had 339 kills for Lakota West.
Among the outstanding efforts this week
Montana Wear, Felicity softball: The sophomore pitcher had 14 strikeouts in a 5-1 win over Covington for a Division IV district title, according to the Enquirer. Wear improved to 22-1 after the game, according to the publication.
Bethany Campbell, Lebanon softball: The senior threw a perfect game as Lebanon defeated Fairfield 3-0 in a Division I district final, according to the Dayton Daily News. Campbell had 10 strikeouts, according to the publication.
Alex Caudill, Lakota West softball: The pitcher had 10 strikeouts as the Firebirds defeated Mount Notre Dame 4-1 in a Division I district final, according to the Enquirer.
Looking ahead
State track and field meet, Friday and Saturday: The annual state track and field meet starts Friday morning at Ohio State University’s Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium. Several Southwest Ohio individuals will be competing for a state title in Columbus. In Division I, the area team favorites include the Walnut Hills girls team and the Mason boys team – both of whom won the regional titles last week, according to the Enquirer. The finals will be held Saturday in several events.
Moeller vs. Elder baseball, 10 a.m. Friday: It doesn’t get better than this for Division I baseball in Cincinnati. Both teams will represent the area in what should be a classic. These teams know each other well so don’t rule anything out in this game in Columbus.
State lacrosse finals, Friday and Saturday: The girls state lacrosse semifinals will start at 5:30 p.m. Friday at Upper Arlington. The other semifinal is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. The state final is 3 p.m. Saturday. The Division I state boys final is 7 p.m. Saturday at Dublin Jerome.
Recruiting news
Archbishop Moeller junior defensive lineman Jesse Hayes (6-4, 230) recently added scholarship offers from Iowa and Illinois. He also has offers that include Oregon, Tennessee, Cincinnati, Florida State, Louisville, Arizona, West Virginia, Kentucky, Wisconsin and several others. … Finneytown junior lineman Donavon Clark (6-4, 290) recently added an offer from Kentucky. He also has offers from Cincinnati, Southern California, North Carolina State, Louisville and others. … Mount Healthy junior defensive lineman Joel Heath (6-5, 240) recently added offers from Marshall and Akron, according to the Enquirer. He also has offers from Kansas, Minnesota, North Carolina State and several Mid-American Conference programs.
Random thoughts
Bethel-Tate basketball standout Louie Schaljo hopes to walk-on at the University of Michigan, according to the Cincinnati Enquirer. Schaljo scored more than 1,600 career points at the high school. … The annual Southwest Ohio Football Coaches Association/Ron Woyan East-West All-Star game is June 10 at 7:30 p.m. at Kings High School. The game annually features some of the Cincinnati area’s top seniors from this past season. …Moeller quarterback Andrew Hendrix and St. Xavier quarterback Luke Massa will be roommates this summer at Notre Dame. Both were highly recognized quarterbacks in the Greater Catholic League this past season.