Midway through the 2016 high school baseball season, Anthony Wayne was at a crossroads at 11-6 overall.
The Generals had already dropped five Northern Lakes League games to fall out of serious contention for the league title but still had the Division I tournament ahead ... and certainly made the most of it.
Coach Mark Nell’s team reeled off 15 straight wins — including five in tournament play — before closing with a tough 3-1 loss to Cleveland St. Ignatius in the regional final at Bowling Green’s Steller Field to finish 26-7 overall (9-5 NLL).
Coming off of that late-season momentum, and with six returning starters plus six other letter winners back, Anthony Wayne is the preseason pick of league coaches to win the NLL championship this season.
The Generals received five of the eight first-place votes and finished first in the league coaches poll with 59 points. Four-time defending champion Perrysburg (19-12, 12-2), which overcame its own poor 0-8 overall start last season, got two first-place votes and was second in the poll with 54 points.
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Bowling Green (19-8, 10-4) was picked third at 47, and Northview (17-11, 7-7) was fourth in the poll at 36. Southview (6-17, 5-9) was tabbed for seventh, but it received one first-place vote.
Anthony Wayne will look for leadership from senior returnees Evan Brown (outfield, .343 batting average, 21 RBI) and Alex Vogel (pitcher-first baseman, .380, 20 RBI, 8-1 pitching record, 1.01 earned run average), who were first team All-NLL picks a year ago.
Also back are seniors Sean Mowery (OF-second base) and Frank Wielinski (OF), and juniors Nick Schneider (OF-infield-catcher), Andrew Murphy (shortstop-P), and Brock Nartker (2B-P. 303).
“We should have a deep pitching staff that throws strikes,” said Nell, who enters his 17th season. “We should be strong defensively, with the ability to make the routine plays consistently.”
Nell guided AW to regional final appearances in 2006 and 2009, and to a regional semifinal in 2014.
Perrysburg, like Anthony Wayne, is also deep in returning personnel.
The Yellow Jackets of 32nd-year coach Dave Hall bring back seven starters, plus six other letter winners, and have 17 seniors on their varsity roster.
Leading the Jackets will be seniors Connor Meredith (center fielder-P) and Alec Thacker (SS, .314), who were named first team All-NLL, and Tyson Kleinfelter (third base-P, .342, 4-1 pitching, 2.33 ERA), who was on the All-NLL second team.
Also back are Matt Hayes (LF-P), Jake Krueger (RF, .319), Ethan Fleming (2B), Dom DiSalle (designated hitter), and Grant Delas (P-1B).
“We return some key players,” Hall said. “We think we have some pitching and will play good defense.
“If we hit, we could have a good season. We hope to be in the running for a fifth championship in a row.”
Perrysburg lost to Anthony Wayne 7-1 in the district finals last year.
Bowling Green is another senior-dominated team, with most of its starters returning from a club that was beaten 2-1 in the Division II district final last year by eventual state champion Defiance.
Leading the Bobcats will be seniors Dylan Dohanos (SS, .407), who was first team All-NLL and the league batting champion, and Adam Furnas (P-IF, 338), who was named second team All-NLL.
Also returning are seniors Josh Riggs (IF), Alec Brown (IF), Blaine Brown (C-OF), Clayton Brown (OF), Matt Kramer (OF), and Trevor Craft (IF), and junior Nick Jackson (OF). The Brown brothers are triplets.
“We have a good nucleus, with a hungry group of seniors,” fourth-year BG coach Bob Schultz said. “Pitching is always the key to every season. If we perform on the mound like we should, we will be contending for the league title this year.”
Northview, which reached the D-I district final in 2015, lost to AW in sectional play but looks to remain in contention in the upper half of the NLL this season with seven starters plus three other letter winners back for fifth-year coach Greg Szparka.
Back to lead the Wildcats will be senior Nick Wyatt (SS-P, .361), who was named second team All-NLL a year ago.
Joining him as returnees are senior Shane Banachowski (3B-1B) and Mark Gilliland (P-SS-3B), juniors David Mulligan (P-IF), Ryan Rempe (P-OF), and Jarrett Batanian (OF-IF), and sophomore Connor McCann (OF).
“I expect us to be competitive in every game,” Szparka said. “There’s no off day in this league. This league is so good, anyone can beat anyone. If we stay healthy and our pitching and defense hold up, we will have a chance to win games and, hopefully, we are in the [NLL] mix come May.”
Springfield (18-8, 9-5) was hit hard by graduation. The Blue Devils return three starters and just two other letter winners for ninth-year coach Dave Whitmire.
Back for the Devils are seniors Brad Ammons (P-1B-OF, 3-1 pitching, 1.83 ERA), Jason Fish (OF), Jacob Lukitsch (3B-P), and Jake Vanderham (1B-OF). Senior Scott Christoffers (P-SS) returns to the lineup after missing his junior season with an injury.
“We will have a lot of inexperienced players that will hopefully gain experience quick,” Whitmire said. “Hopefully, our pitching and defense can keep us in games and give us a chance. We will have to do all the little things right to have some success.”
Maumee (7-19, 3-11) looks to make a climb in the league standings behind eight returning starters for 16th-year coach Cam Coutcher.
The Panthers bring back seniors Tyler Archambeau (C-P), Matt Burkett (1B-P, .373), John Henry (CF-P), Jordan Key (IF), J.R. Helminski (2B-P), and Matt LeCron (1B-C-OF), and juniors Caleb Brown (OF-P) and Justin Studenka (SS-P).
“We have a lot of experience back, and some players who will be counted on who are new to the varsity level,” Coutcher said. “With continued growth and effort, we expect to compete in every game. We pride ourselves on hard work and preparation.”
Southview returns six starters plus two other letter winners for coach Brett Baumgartner, who is in his first full season as head coach after being installed as interim coach last year.
Back to lead the Cougars are seniors Alek Wietrzykowski (P-2B, .306), Evan Akeman (P-OF, .339), and Luc Rice (1B), who were named second team All-NLL last season.
Also returning are junior Kurt Hurley (P-3B-SS) and sophomores Jakob Harshman (P-SS) and Bailey Wietrzykowski (C).
“We have a solid group of players returning with experience, sprinkled in with some young guys who love the game,” Baumgartner said. “I like the makeup of our team. If we stay healthy, we hope to be in the hunt in the [second half] of league play. We need some pitchers to step up and give us some solid innings.”
Napoleon (6-19, 1-13) also returns six starters for second-year coach Jason Holubik.
Back for the Wildcats are seniors Lane Good (OF-P), Alex Gerken (IF-P), and Hunter Rex (C), and juniors Evan Horner (1B-P), Dylan Unverferth (SS), and Aaron Bostelman (OF).
“We are going to be young,” Holubik said. “Our offense should be dramatically better than last year’s group. We do not have a dominant No. 1 pitcher, but we do have five or six guys who can throw strikes. This league is so tough. If our offense improves and stays consistent and our pitching depth holds up, we should be able to compete in the NLL.”
Contact Steve Junga at: sjunga@theblade.com, or 419-724-6461 or on Twitter @JungaBlade.
First Published March 29, 2017, 4:03 a.m.
