After it rode the state tournament trail all the way to the Ohio Division I championship game – capping the best season in school history last June – it was tough to convince rival Northern Lakes League baseball coaches that Anthony Wayne will fall from its league-title perch.
Despite graduating four first team all-league players, including NLL player of the year Andrew Murphy, 19th-year coach Mark Nell’s Generals (27-5, 12-2 NLL) are slim favorites to take the crown again.
Anthony Wayne received two first-place votes, but had 52 voting points in a preseason poll of league coaches to edge Bowling Green (51 points, four first-place votes) and Perrysburg (50 points, one first-place vote). Southview was fourth at 43 points and also had a first-place vote.
The tightness of this year’s coaches’ poll reflects the competitive nature of the NLL, which last season saw seven of its eight teams win at least six of 14 league games and record 12 or more overall victories.
In 2017, Maumee (22-10, 8-6) ended fourth in the NLL, but reached the Division II semifinals, while seventh-place Perrysburg (17-15, 3-11) advanced to the D-I regionals.
Nell’s 2018 squad proved to be the cream of the crop – in league and tournament play – and advanced to the D-I final, before falling to hot-hitting Powell Olentangy Liberty, 8-1, at Huntington Park in Columbus.
The Generals reached a first state final four after having lost in regional finals in 2006, 2009, and 2016.
This time, AW got over the hump by beating St. John’s Jesuit and Strongsville in regional play. The Generals then edged Mason, 1-0, in the state semifinals.
Along with pitcher-shortstop Murphy (.376 batting average, 28 RBI; 8-1 pitching record, 2.72 earned-run average), graduated from that team were All-NLL first-teamers Brock Nartker (P; 10-2, 1.80 ERA), Braden Theis (C; .409) and Nick Schneider (CF; .408), and all-league second-teamer Steve Haugh (3B; .380, 31 RBI).
But the Generals move forward a returning group led by 2018 All-NLL first teamer Carter Holck, a senior first baseman who batted .333 with two home runs and 26 RBIs.
Holck is joined by seniors Connor Judy (OF-P) and Camron Kottenbrock (OF-2B-P), and juniors Hogan Heck (OF-C) and Jacob Potkanowicz (2B-P).
“Our goal is to be consistent on offense, throw strikes on the mound, and put the ball in play,” said Nell, who entered this season with a 378-142 record at AW, and 494-177 overall in 23 seasons as a prep head coach.
“We will show up and play with great effort, with the goal of being in the league hunt during the last week of the season.”
Bowling Green (18-10, 10-4) looks to challenge for its second NLL title in three years with seven starters plus two other letterwinners returning for second-year coach Jim Beaverson.
Back for the Bobcats are seniors Isaac Elsasser (SS-P; .317), Bryce Hoehner (CF-P; .304, 2-0 pitching), Christian Peek (LF-P; 28 runs), Andrew Tucker (3B-1B-P) and Tucker Craft (2B-SS-P; 5-0 record, 2.60 ERA), and juniors Kyle Jackson (SS-utility; .371, 3 HR, 32 RBI) and Nick Foster (OF-2B; .317).
Craft and Jackson were first team All-NLL selections.
“We look to build upon a successful 2018 campaign,” Beaverson said. “We expect the game experiences gained by the players on last year’s young squad will be beneficial in 2019. The NLL is a tough league, and a grind day in and day out. When you get knocked down you have to get back up every time, and we know our players will.”
Perrysburg (17-13, 6-8) looks to climb back into the NLL title mix after two uncharacteristic down years under highly successful 34th-year coach Dave Hall (629-335 career record), who has guided his teams to 11 NLL championships, six district crowns, and two state final four appearances.
Hall returns a full lineup of starters, as the Jackets seek their more familiar place in the league title hunt.
Back for Perrysburg are seniors Cam Githens (OF-P; .321), Haydn Smith (OF-P), Clay Denstorff (1B; .326, 17 RBI), Ben Boros (SS-P) and Brock Frydenlund (C), juniors Drew Sims (2B), Luke Borer (SS-P; .364), Devin Cavanagh (3B-P; .342, 15 RBI) and Bryan Mitchell (P-OF; 5-2 record, 2.26 ERA), and sophomore Aiden Pratt (OF-P).
Githens was chosen to the All-NLL first team.
“We should be competitive in the NLL,” Hall said. “We hope to get back to districts once again. Pitching will be the key, as we lost three guys who are pitching in college this year.”
Southview (13-12, 7-7) looks to climb into title contention under first-year head coach Kevin Danzeisen, the Cougars’ fourth new coach since 2009.
Formerly the head coach at Sylvania rival Northview, Danzeisen will rely heavily on the Cougars’ five returning starters – seniors Bailey Wietrzykowski (C-utility; .378, 18 RBI), Jakob Harshman (SS-P; .333, 21 stolen bases) and Parker McClure (OF), and juniors Logan Danzeisen (P-utility; .343, 5-2 record, 1.81 ERA), an All-NLL first-teamer who is the coach’s son, and Dominic Castaldi (OF-IF).
“We possess experience, pitching depth, and team camaraderie,” coach Danzeisen said. “We look forward to competing in the always competitive NLL.”
Northview (16-11, 7-7), which had finished second in the league in 2017, looks to return to the title chase this season with eight starters returning for seventh-year coach Greg Szparka.
Back for the Wildcats are seniors Cole Kwiatkowski (SS; .352), Connor McCann (OF), Christian McKimmy (P-OF; 2-3 record, 1.81 ERA), Andrew Crooks (P-OF) and Aaron Brady (P), and juniors Will Street (3B-2B) and Joel Winner (C).
“I expect to be competitive in every game,” Szparka said. “There’s no day off in this league. It is so good from top to bottom, and anyone can beat anyone. If our guys accept their roles, do their job, and play team baseball, we will have a chance. Hopefully we are in the mix come May.”
Northview is still seeking its first baseball league title.
Like many NLL teams, Springfield (14-13, 7-7) brings plenty of experience back with eight starters returning for 11th-year coach Dave Whitmire’s Blue Devils.
Heading that list are seniors Carter McGannon (C; .439, 17 RBI), Dylan Hall (C-3B), Matt McDougle (P-2B), Anthony Duncan (OF), Jacob Heizelman (P-1B) and Garret Harper (P-OF), and juniors Triston Todorowski (P-SS; .322, 2-2 record, 1.74 ERA) and Matt Christoffers (P-2B-SS; 2-2 record, 1.86 ERA).
McGannon was a first team All-NLL honoree.
“We have some returning players with experience,” Whitmire said. “We also have a few players that decided not to play, including a back-to-back all-league player [Kyle Rhonehouse]. Right now, we are not healthy. We have some injuries. If we get healthy, I think we can surprise a few teams, especially if we hit and score some runs for our pitchers.”
Napoleon (8-19, 1-13) has seven returning starters in place for fourth-year coach Jason Holubik, whose first mission will be trying to guide the Wildcats out of the NLL basement for the first time since 2014.
Back to lead that quest are seniors Mitchell Kruse (OF-P), Caleb Farr (P), Mitchel Bachman (OF) and Jake Smith (P), juniors Landon Willeman (P-3B; 4-6 record, 3.18 ERA) and Wesley Jeffries-Babcock (OF), and sophomore Jarrett Gerdemann (P-SS-C).
“I really like the group we have this year,” Holubik said. “Pitching depth is a strength, and you need that in our league. We just need to stay healthy and compete every pitch. I think we will surprise some people this year.”
Maumee (13-13, 6-8) has its first new head coach since 2002 with Todd Ery succeeding Cam Coutcher, who stepped aside when he took the post as the Panthers’ head football coach.
Ery will have his hands full with just three starters returning from 2018, when Maumee remained competitive following its ride to the Division II state semifinals in 2017. The Panthers’ last title share came in 2004.
Back to help Ery in his transition year are seniors Austin Pauken (IF-P; .282) and Matt Butler (OF-P; 2-3 record, 3.23 ERA), and junior Zach Marvin (IF; .361, 19 RBI).
New to the Maumee lineup will be senior Justin Key (C), and juniors Michael Henry (IF-P) and Caden Brookshier (OF-P).
“We have a number of first-year varsity guys who have worked extremely hard to prepare themselves for the opportunity to compete at this level,” Ery said. “As a program, we are going to continue to emphasize hard work, a team-first mentality, and focus on attention to detail and being fundamentally sound.
“Our goal will be to compete from the first pitch to the final out every time we step on the field.”
First Published April 3, 2019, 4:00 p.m.
