Archbishop Moeller: No. 10 in 2014 Xcellent 25 Preseason National Baseball Rankings

Few teams in the country can boast the type of history or alumni like Archbishop Moeller. Home to Hall of Famer Barry Larkin and future Hall of Famer Ken Griffey Jr., Moeller has won seven state championships in its history, including the last two Ohio Division I state titles.

With its top two hitters and nearly 80 percent of its innings pitched returning this year, the Fighting Crusaders have a great shot at adding to that illustrious history by winning an unprecedented third-straight state championship. Moeller also begins the season ranked No. 10 in the MaxPreps Preseason Baseball Rankings.

Over the next two weeks, MaxPreps will count down the top 10 teams in the preseason national rankings starting with No. 10 Archbishop Moeller. The countdown will conclude Feb. 21 with the announcement of the preseason Top 100.

Moeller has had a long history of success, beginning with its first state championship in 1972 under longtime coach Mike Cameron. In 50 seasons, Moeller has had 45 winning seasons and has had 28 seasons with 20 or more wins. Cameron had the bulk of those, posting a 767-304-1 record in his 39 years at the helm. He won four state titles during that time with five regional championships.



Coach Tim Held took over as head coach in 2008 and has made his own mark on the program. In six seasons under Held, the Crusaders have won five regional championships and three state titles.

"We are back-to-back Division I state champions in Ohio and have won three of the last six state titles," said Held. "We return about 80 percent of our innings pitched from our 32-2 state championship team. Our offense and defense should also be strong but we will have to figure some of the open positions."

One position that remains solid is shortstop, where Riley Mahan returns for his senior season. A Kentucky commit, he is also a possible MLB Draft pick. He batted .406 last year and his 41 runs scored rank second in school history.

Zachariah Logue, also a Kentucky commit, paces a pitching staff with plenty of depth. He went 8-1 last year and was also the team's top hitter with a .455 average when he played in the outfield. Senior Augustus Ragland also returns, bringing with him a 7-0 record and a 0.69 ERA.

"Logue and Ragland were the starters for all seven tournament games in which we outscored our opponents 82-8," said Held.

A third pitcher, Nicholas Voss, went 5-1 last season and has already committed to Cincinnati. Thomas Storer (2-0) will also get more work this year when he's not playing first base.



Held also has a strong group of juniors moving up, including two who have already committed to play college ball. Josh Hollander, who has committed to Kent State, will play in the infield while Jordan Ramey, a Cincinnati commit, will join Logue in the outfield.

View gallery of the Archbishop Moeller preseason photo shoot

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School size: Ohio Division I


Enrollment: 972 (all boys)


2013 finish: 32-2, Ohio Division I State Champion


Head coach: Tim Held


Career record: 159-26




Years at school: 6


Notable MLB players:

Ken Griffiey Jr. (1987-2010)

Barry Larkin (1983-2004)

Eric Surkamp (2006-2013)

Adam Hyzdu (1990-2007)

Buddy Bell (1969-1989)



David Bell (1990-2006)
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No. of starters returning: 5

Top Losses:

Justin Wampler, OF, .370

Nicholas Meece, C, .359

Spencer Iacovone, IF, .351

Cameron Whitehead, C, .349




Key returners:

Riley Mahan, Senior, SS, .406 (43-for-106), 41 runs, 8 doubles, 5 triples, 30 RBIs, Committed to Kentucky

Zachariah Logue, Senior, P/OF, .455 (30-for-66), 26 runs, 4 doubles, 25 RBIs, 8-1 record, 1.12 ERA, 56 K, 56 IP, Committed to Kentucky

Augustus Ragland, Senior, P/OF, 7-0 record, 0.69 ERA, 51 K, 50.2 IP

Nicholas Voss, Senior, P, 5-1 record, 2.00 ERA, 32 K, 35.0 IP, Committed to Cincinnati

Thomas Storer, Senior, P/1B, 2-0 record, 3.00 ERA, 28 K, 23.1 IP, .263 (10-for-38), 7 RBIs



Key newcomers:

Josh Hollander, Junior, INF, Committed to Kent State

Jordan Ramey, Junior, OF, Committed to Cincinnati

Grant Macciocchi, Junior, P/IF

Bailey Montana, Junior, C

Joe Vranesic, Junior, P



Kyle Dockus, Junior, IF

Nick Bennett, Sophomore, P
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Toughest game: The Fighting Crusaders tangle with St. Xavier (Louisville, Ky.) on April 1. St. Xavier reached the quarterfinals of the Kentucky state playoffs and finished with a 34-5 record.

Local outlook: Archbishop Moeller plays in the always-tough Greater Catholic Conference, which includes the likes of Elder (Cincinnati), St. Xavier (Cincinnati) and LaSalle (Cincinnati). The latter team handed the Crusaders one of their two losses last year.

Overall outlook: Archbishop Moeller has won 20 games in a row heading into the 2014 season and opens March 20 vs. Springboro. The Crusaders have the pitching to make a run at a third-straight Division I state championship and also take a run at a national championship.

Coach quote: "Our pitching will be our strength. We return about 80 percent of our innings pitched from our 32-2 state championship team."
- Tim Held