Coming off of a second-place finish in the Northern Lakes League's Buckeye Division last year and a perfect 14-0 run through the NLL and final-four tournament run the year before, Anthony Wayne is poised to get back on top this year with a strong nucleus of starters returning.
The Generals were unanimous picks in a preseason poll of Buckeye Division coaches to win the crown. Northview, which captured a Division I state title in 2022, was voted to finish second, and Perrysburg was tabbed for third in the poll after reaching the D-I semifinals last June.
Here is a look at the teams in predicted order of finish.
Anthony Wayne (21-7, 9-5) brings back a quintet of returning starters for fourth-year coach Ryan Donley, who will look to seniors Owen Graf (pitcher; 3-1 record, 3.61 earned run average), an Ohio State University commit, Ben Nieckarz (utility), and Max Crandell (third base; .446 batting average, 21 RBIs), and juniors Lukas Potkanowicz (shortstop; .415, 5 home runs, 28 RBIs) and Jackson Urenovitch (P).
Nieckarz and Potkanowicz were each named first team All-Buckeye last season. Crandell was chosen to the second team.
In Donley's first three seasons, AW reached a D-I regional in 2022 before falling 5-1 to eventual state champion Northview, advanced to the D-I state semifinals in 2023, and lost 4-0 to St. Francis in last year's district semifinals.
Anthony Wayne is seeking its 10th league title overall.
“We are an experienced group with a lot of potential,” Donley said. “However, our success this season will largely depend on how our individual talents grow together as a team. We're expecting pitching to be a strength, and we're hopeful that our experience and attention to detail will translate into consistently playing at a high level this season.”
Northview (20-7, 11-3), two years after becoming the first NLL team to capture a state baseball championship, finally won its program's first league title last year by taking the Buckeye crown in the first year of the league's two-division alignment.
In his third season as head coach after 16 as a Wildcats assistant, Aaron Tullis will rely on a solid group of returnees, including seniors Roman McKarus (P-outfield), Josh Sprenger (catcher-P), Colin Tomanski (IF; .319, 16 RBIs), and Gabe Peace (OF-P), juniors Carson Holmes (P-OF; .316, 14 RBIs) and Charlie Paulson (IF), and sophomore Conner Draper (SS; .320).
Last season, Northview reached the D-I district semifinals before falling 9-8 to Whitmer.
“We are a veteran team with a very young, unproven pitching staff competing in one of the top conferences in the state,” Tullis said. “Our conference has sent a team to the state final four three straight years.”
Perrysburg (25-8, 8-6) shook off a fourth-place finish in the five-team Buckeye Division last year to make a strong tournament run all the way to the D-I state semifinals. Once reaching Akron, the Yellow Jackets and then senior ace Matt Hubbard suffered a heart-breaking 1-0 loss to eventual champion Mason.
As he begins his 40th season as Perrysburg head coach, Dave Hall (738-377 record) has 12 of the program's 14 all-time NLL titles on his resume along with guiding three Jackets teams to the state final four. His 2011 team was Ohio's D-I runner-up.
As he seeks a 13th league title, Hall will be counting on heavy contributions from seniors Connor Kessinger (SS; .367, 18 RBIs), Landon Winters (OF; .342, 19 RBIs), and Braxton Mefferd (OF), and juniors Brayden Heitmeyer (3B; .301) and Tyler Palmer (P-1B; 7-1 record, 1.72 ERA).
Kessinger and Mefferd were each chosen second team All-Buckeye in 2024.
“If our pitching develops, we could be very good,” Hall said. “This team should be very competitive.”
Findlay (14-12, 6-8) looks to improve this season under second-year coach Jordan Nell, who will rely on an all underclassmen roster to lead the way while they gain experience.
Expected to make an impact will be juniors Reece Stillings (IF-P), Jack Rhoades (OF-P; .366, 2 HR, 17 RBIs), and Blade Wendt (IF-P), sophomore Jackson Flechtner (OF-P), and freshman Landon Echelberry (IF-P). They should get help from juniors Luke Crates (OF-P), Chase Harris (utility), Ryan Maas (C-P), and Alex Gonzalez (C).
The Trojans were ousted from 2024 tournament by St. Francis, 5-1, in a D-I sectional final.
“We are a very young program this year but we have some experience, and our program culture continues to improve,” Nell said. “Our players are playing more comfortable and with confidence. We expect this to continue to build throughout the season, and going forward.
“We are excited, and we are preparing for everything that is ahead. You must respect the NLL in baseball, and the challenges that always come with playing in this outstanding league.”
Whitmer (19-8, 9-5) tied for second in the Buckeye Division and made a solid tournament run before falling to St. Francis, 9-1, in a D-I district final.
As the Panthers transition to a new head coach in Matt LaPoint, they also do so with a roster hit hard by graduation, including three first team all-league players and three second-teamers.
LaPoint will be looking for leadership from top returnee Brody Lajiness (1B; .408, 22 RBIs), a senior who was a first team All-Buckeye Division honoree in 2024.
Other Panthers ready to step up include senior Jaiden Mahon (P), and juniors Anthony Leroux (C), Drew Brindley (utility), Dom Arent (OF-P), Marquise Hunter (IF-P), Tyler Summers (OF), Collin Lawrence (3B), and Mason Huston (P).
“We are trying to find out who we are after graduating almost our entire starting lineup from last year,” LaPoint said. “We also have multiple players recovering from serious injuries.
“This is the toughest league in the state, where you will see D-I college pitchers, day in and day out. Our focus is simply to keep working on getting better, both on and off the field, every day.”
In the Ohio High School Athletic Association's new seven-division tournament format, Perrysburg and Whitmer will compete in Division I, and Anthony Wayne, Findlay, and Northview will compete in Division II.
First Published April 5, 2025, 11:00 a.m.
