The Northern Lakes League has long been regarded as one of Ohio's top high school baseball leagues, and for the first time last season, it had a state champion.
Northview, which has still never won an NLL baseball title, had never even won a district crown until going all the way last June. The Wildcats captured the Division I state championship, beating Grove City, 6-1, in the June 11 finals at Akron's Canal Park.
The Wildcats of now retired coach Greg Szparka were NLL runners-up to perennial league power Perrysburg.
Entering 2023, neither of those teams are favored to win this year's title. According to a preseason poll of league coaches, Anthony Wayne, which tied for fifth place a year ago, is favored to take the crown this season.
The Generals of second-year coach Ryan Donley collected six of the eight first-place votes and 60 of a possible 64 voting points to place first in the coaches poll. Northview picked up the other two first-place nods and was second in the vote at 55 points, followed by Perrysburg (46) and Bowling Green (41).
The margin for error is small in a league as competitive as the NLL, which also recently saw AW finish as D-I state runner-up in 2018 under former longtime coach Mark Nell.
“The NLL is the premier conference, definitely in our area, and I would rival it with any conference in the state,” Donley said. “We have some teams that are just flat-out good, and anybody can be beaten on any given day. You have to come with your A-game.
“We are honored and humbled that the coaches have picked us to win it, but there's a lot to be determined and it'll be settled on the field. We have to come ready to play every day.”
Here is a look at the teams in predicted order of finish.
ANTHONY WAYNE
■ Coach: Ryan Donley, second year
■ Last season: 14-12 overall, 8-6 NLL
■ Top players: Seniors Jack Behnfeldt (1B; .317 batting average, 2 home runs, 25 runs batted in), Mitch Harder (OF; .394, 17 RBI), Tyler Mull (2B-P; .384, 11 RBI), Marco Morrison (OF; .346, 17 RBI), Dom Carlson (P), Brayden Weis (P; 5-1 record, 2.90 ERA), Hadryn Nowicki (C). Junior Bryce Anderson (SS).
■ Scouting report: The Generals will rely most on team chemistry, experience, hitting, and defense. Pitching, developing depth, and team speed are concerns.
■ Outlook: Anthony Wayne found some success late in the year while advancing to the regional semifinals, where they fell 5-1 to Northview. The Generals return eight experienced players from that squad, including pitchers Harder (0.89) and Mull (1.71), who were each among top eight in lowest earned-run averages in the league in 2022. Both players were also among the NLL's top six hitters last season, Harder at .394 and Mull at .384. Behnfeldt, Harder, Mull, and Morrison were each named first team All-NLL in 2022.
“We have a good team with a lot of experience back,” Donley said. “We have 14 seniors, which is pretty rare in baseball. We're excited about the group. What it's going to come down to though is the just little things – throwing strikes, playing good defense.
“We do have a good offensive team and I think we'll move the ball around and do some good things with a mix of power and speed. We have guys who can hit for average. I'm really confident as far as that goes, but we'll need to play a little cleaner game of baseball.
“Last year, if you look at the games we lost,” Donley continued, “we gave things to teams with walks and hit batters. We kind of got behind, and this year we're looking to change that, and play a cleaner game.”
NORTHVIEW
■ Coach: Aaron Tullis, first year
■ Last season: 26-8, 10-4
■ Top players: Seniors Garrett Zimmermann (P-IF; 9-4 record, 1.53 ERA), Alex Dupree (IF; .351, 4 HR, 32 RBI), Riley Ames (OF; .317, 2 HR, 34 runs), Benny Seals (IF; .298, 26 runs), Ayden Hall (IF-P; 2.33 ERA), Austin Patnode (IF-P; 2.26 ERA), Kaden Decker (OF-P, 2.17 ERA). Sophomore Roman McKarus (P-OF; 4-1, 2.71 ERA).
■ Scouting report: Tullis sees pitching, hitting, experience, and chemistry as major positives, and looks to develop depth, improve team speed, and shore up the defense.
■ Outlook: The Wildcats return pitching ace Zimmerman, who was second team All-Ohio, DuPree, Ames, and Seals, who were all significant contributors to last year's state title team. Since Tullis was a long time assistant before being elevated to head coach, there won't be much of a system transition for the players.
“Coming off of a state championship and having a target on our back, our focus from day one has been to get better every day,” Tullis said. “With a strong senior class, and some depth on the mound, we will look to some young kids to fill the voids left from a talented graduating class.
“Playing in arguably the toughest conference in the state, our goal is to be competitive on a daily basis, and to compete for an NLL championship.”
PERRYSBURG
■ Coach: Dave Hall, 38th year
■ Last season: 23-6, 11-3
■ Top players: Seniors T.J. Takats (1B-P; .356, 17 RBI, 2-1 record, 3.38 ERA), Matt Gast (OF-P; .338, 14 RBI), Nick Hartzell (P; 3.09 ERA). Juniors Jack Losee (2B-P; .273), Matt Hubbard (3B-P; 6-1 record, 0.58 ERA).
■ Scouting report: The Yellow Jackets should lean on good defense, timely hitting, decent team speed, and chemistry as strengths. There is a lack of overall experience and depth, and pitching will need to develop.
■ Outlook: Defending champion Perrysburg is a perennial NLL title contender, having won 12 league crowns under Hall. One major loss was the early graduation of would-be senior standout Connor Walendzak, a one-time Purdue University baseball commit who switched his college sport of choice to the University of Toledo. Walendzak topped the Jackets at .420 last season with 35 RBI.
But, Takats, Gast, and Hubbard, in particular, offer a good nucleus to build around.
“We return five players who saw varsity action last year,” Hall said. “We will be very young and inexperienced. The players have been working hard and will get better every day as the season progresses. They are starting to develop a team personality. As always, we hope to be in the NLL race the last week of the season, and hope to get back to the districts for the 13th time in 14 years.”
BOWLING GREEN
■ Coach: Fred Riggs, third year
■ Last season: 18-12, 9-5
■ Top players: Seniors Nate Kress (P-1B; 5-2 record, 1.20 ERA), Brock Hastings (P-IF-CF; .333), Alec Ross (IF). Juniors Braden Loomis (P-3B), Brent Boston (P-OF), Jack Brown (P-IF).
■ Scouting report: Pitching, hitting, and team chemistry should serve the Bobcats well. BG looks to overcome an overall lack of experience, and to improve defensively while developing depth.
■ Outlook: A reliable title contender in recent years, with its last NLL crown coming in 2019, BG will need to overcome some inexperience if it is to join the title chase this year. But, in a crucial one-game scenario, Kress is a proven stopper.
“We are going to be young in 2023,” Riggs said. “We have a lot of arms, but they are untested outside our No. 1 guy. I’m excited to see what we can do.”
NAPOLEON
■ Coach: Eric Sprague, first year
■ Last season: 17-13, 8-6
■ Top players: Seniors Blake Wolf (P-1B; 6-3 record, 1.75 ERA), Bryce Martinez (3B-1B). Juniors Lucas Gerken (P-3B, .303), Luke Hardy (C-P), Devin Dietrich (OF). Sophomore Trey Rubenstein (OF-P; .368).
■ Scouting report: Sprague points to team speed, defense, hitting, and pitching as chief strengths. He looks to create chemistry, develop some depth, and overcome a lack of overall experience.
■ Outlook: The Wildcats were in the mix in the top half of the NLL a year ago, but may find climbing from the middle a challenge this season.
“This group is young but has a lot of potential,” Sprague said. “How we go about the details will help this group improve, and maximize that potential throughout the season.”
SPRINGFIELD
■ Coach: Dave Whitmire, 14th year
■ Last season: 11-16, 3-11
■ Top players: Seniors Jack Semler (SS; .365, 29 runs), Collin Leasure (P; 4-2 record, 3.65 ERA), Tanner Whitmire (OF; .301). Juniors Dallas Allen (1B; .338, 26 RBI), Evan McGannon (IF; .320), Will Scott (P-utility; .304, 3-1 record).
■ Scouting report: Coach Whitmire looks to experience, defense, depth, and chemistry as strong suits. He is concerned most with a lack of team speed, and improving the team's pitching and hitting.
■ Outlook: The Blue Devils seem poised to fit in around the middle of the NLL chase this year, but may not have the necessary tools for a run at a first NLL crown.
“We are looking forward to the season, as we have played a lot of young guys the last few years,” coach Whitmire said. “We have a lot of experience back. We will rely on our pitching and defense to keep us in games, but need to score runs this year.”
SOUTHVIEW
■ Coach: Tim McCarthy, third year
■ Last season: 10-19, 2-12
■ Top players: Seniors Sammy Rogenski (SS; .393), Gavin Johns (IF). Juniors Avery Offenburg (P-OF), Brayden Posner (C), Ramzee Abuhashish (IF-P; .345). Sophomore Drew Young (P-utility; .314).
■ Scouting report: McCarthy likes his team's prospects in the areas of pitching, hitting, and defense, and looks for improvements in depth, team speed, and chemistry.
■ Outlook: The Cougars hope for improvement in the NLL standings this season, and having more experienced players should help that cause. But, any huge climb may be a challenge
"We bring back five starters along with several other lettermen this spring,” McCarthy said. “Overall, this will be a young team, but the youth does carry a decent amount of experience. I am hoping the experience gained last year as freshmen and sophomores will pay off.
“We have pretty good depth on the mound, albeit mostly inexperienced. They will be tested with a tough non-league and Northern Lakes League schedule. I believe our ability to throw strikes and play defense will determine our overall success.”
MAUMEE
■ Coach: Todd Ery, first year
■ Last season: 10-17, 5-9
■ Top players: Seniors Sam Archambeau (C; .257), Ayden McCarthy (OF; .254), Zach Gronau (P-IF; 4-1 record, 2.83 ERA), Landen Patterson (DH-1B; .309), Caden Brown (OF), Michael Dembski (P-1B), Ben Lanier (3B). Junior Chase Maulucci (P-SS; .284).
■ Scouting report: Coach Ery is optimistic about his team's experience, depth, chemistry, and its pitching potential. The Panthers will need improvements in defense, hitting, and team speed.
■ Outlook: In their final NLL season before departing for the Northern Buckeye Conference, the Panthers look to make a climb in the standings this season.
“We have a veteran group coming back this year, with 10 seniors on the roster and over 255 games of varsity experience amongst them,” Ery said. “Our emphasis is on consistency in the fundamentals, and being detail-oriented.
“There is a good amount of depth and balance on the roster, so we’re looking for contributions from a number of returning players, as well as some new faces. We know that the NLL is a meat-grinder of a league, but this group is ready to compete.”
First Published March 29, 2023, 9:14 p.m.
