Anticipation At A Fever With Return Of High School Baseball

March 24, 2021
Bruce Hefflinger
PBR Ohio Senior Writer

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Anticipation At A Fever With Return Of High School Baseball

It’s baaaccckk.

After a one-year hiatus because of the coronavirus, high school baseball returns with the start of the season across the state of Ohio set for Saturday, March 27.

“Last year felt like the world was dead,” explained Hunter Kauser, a senior at Paulding High School. “You couldn’t go out on the field and didn’t have a chance to be kids anymore.”

But reality is back, at least to a degree, with spring sports in the state slated to begin on Saturday.

When the high school baseball scene last existed, Saint Ignatius, Chaminade-Julienne, Coldwater and Toronto were bringing home state championships back in June of 2019. Saint Ignatius needed 10 innings to outlast Mentor 4-2 for the Division I crown. C-J sent head coach Mike Barhorst into retirement with its second consecutive D-II title, beating Gilmour Academy 4-2 in the finals. Coldwater, in the title game for the second year in a row, defeated Ridgewood 1-0 in the D-III finals. Toronto knocked off top-ranked Hillsdale 3-1 to claim the Division IV championship, the second ever at the school.

Looking ahead, this year’s regular season features the inaugural PBR Ohio High School Spring Classics across the state. High school fields at Austintown Fitch, Defiance, Oregon Clay, Massillon Jackson, Gilmour Academy and Walsh Jesuit along with Frank Robinson Field at Ross Park in St. Bernard, Chillicothe’s VA Memorial Stadium and Mercy Field in Toledo will host weekend events beginning in April and running into early May.

The state tournament will be held at Akron’s Canal Park for the second time, the other in 2019, with postseason action starting May 15 with sectionals. District tournaments run May 24-29 with regionals slated June 3-4 before the state tourney on June 10-12.

The following is a small sampling of thoughts from players across the state about what the return of high school baseball means.

Tommy Barth OF / LHP / Brecksville Broadview Heights, OH / 2021

The Brecksville Broadview Heights senior is uncommitted. An outfielder/LHP, Barth has had an exit velocity of 100 while running a 6.82 time in the 60.

PBR: What does it mean to you to be able to be back playing high school ball this year?
I am so excited for this upcoming high school baseball season. We have a very strong senior class, and have been playing ball with each other for a while. We have always dreamed of winning the State Championship, It’s my last chance at winning the state title and I plan to help lead my team toward this goal to the best of my ability!

PBR: How difficult was it to miss playing in 2020 and what did you miss the most?
It was very difficult missing the 2020 spring season. Last year was a huge year for recruiting and college coaches were unable to come watch us play. Also our junior and senior classes had a lot of talent and great team chemistry. I missed playing with them one last time and I felt bad for them not being able to wear the Bees’ baseball jersey one last time.

PBR: What did you learn from not getting to play and is there a renewed excitement in the program now that playing this year is a reality?
We learned not to take high school baseball for granted. We are a very hungry team this year with a lot of good players. It is my final year so I will be leaving it all out there on the field.

Michael Conte RHP / 3B / Walnut Hills, OH / 2021

The Walnut Hills senior is committed to play in the Mid-American Conference at Central Michigan. The 14th-rated 2021 right-handed pitcher in Ohio has a fastball that has topped out at 89.

PBR: What does it mean to you to be able to be back playing high school ball this year?
This is the most excited that I have ever been to be playing high school baseball. It’s my fourth year on varsity, and I really think Walnut is going to have one of our best seasons ever. I’m really excited to get out there with my guys.

PBR: How difficult was it to miss playing in 2020 and what did you miss the most?
It was really difficult to have last year’s season canceled. Just from the practices, we were really clicking. Fortunately, we have been able to continue that same energy into this year’s practices and scrimmages. The biggest thing I think the whole team missed out on last year was playing with the seniors. We were all incredibly close.

PBR: What did you learn from not getting to play and is there a renewed excitement in the program now that playing this year is a reality?
The biggest takeaway from having last year taken away was a sense of maturity from the current senior class. We have very little varsity experience, especially pitching. Knowing it’s our last year together, everyone has really been stepping up. And it has resulted in wins in our first two scrimmages over Madeira and McNick. Ever since my sophomore year, Walnut has steadily been improving within the ECC and in the program’s culture. There is an excitement in practice and scrimmages. I am really excited to see what type of run we can make. We’ve got a lot of talented guys with something to prove.

Matthew Giberti OF / C / Saint Ignatius, OH / 2021

A Harvard commit and Saint Ignatius senior, the 30th-rated 2021 in the state is being counted on in the outfield for the defending (2019) Division I state champions. Giberti, who was formerly a catcher, has speed to burn with a 6.40 in the 60 at the PBR Ohio Procase in February, the fastest time at the event.

PBR: What does it mean to you to be able to be back playing high school ball this year?
It means so much to me. Competing with the “I” on your hat, knowing that you're playing for something bigger than yourself is a feeling you just can’t replicate.

PBR: How difficult was it to miss playing in 2020 and what did you miss the most?
It was very difficult to accept when we started to see the writing on the wall last year that there would be no season. I really felt for the senior class that I had grown close to over the past two years who never got a chance to defend their state title.

PBR: What did you learn from not getting to play and is there a renewed excitement in the program now that playing this year is a reality?
I learned to appreciate every moment spent with your teammates. Don’t take anything for granted - nothing is guaranteed and we are so lucky to be able to play the game we love everyday. Our team motto this year is “win the day”. With this motto, we are focused on doing the little things right to win every day and not taking them for granted.

Hunter Kauser C / RHP / Paulding, OH / 2021

The senior at Paulding has started since his freshman year, helping the Panthers to the 2019 Northwest Conference championship. A catcher, pitcher and shortstop, Kauser - who bats in the leadoff position in the Paulding lineup - has committed to play baseball collegiately at Ohio Northern University.

PBR: What does it mean to you to be able to be back playing high school ball this year?
It means a lot to be back on the field. Getting your favorite sport taken away from you isn’t easy. When you put in all the work in the summer and winter leading up to that season, it just went away because we had nothing to work for.

PBR: How difficult was it to miss playing in 2020 and what did you miss the most?
It was very hard missing the 2020 season because we had high expectations with that team to win the NWC again. What I missed the most was being able to go out every day playing the game that I love the most with my best friends and having fun.

PBR: What did you learn from not getting to play and is there a renewed excitement in the program now that playing this year is a reality?
The thing I learned was any day something can be taken from you and you have to go to practice or a game and play your heart out knowing that tomorrow you might not be able to play that game the next day, or even go to school the next day. There is definitely a renewed excitement. Knowing that we have the chance to play this year has brought good vibes to practices and our last two scrimmages. We know when we can laugh and have fun but when it’s time to get focused and put the work in, we get focused and work our butts off.

Johnathan Kulich OF / RHP / Massillon Jackson, OH / 2021

The Massillon Jackson senior is one of the top uncommitted players in Ohio. The 6-3 180-pound right-hander headlines a deep pitching staff for the perennial Division I state power this year. A three-sport athlete, Kulich is an outfielder when not on the mound.

PBR: What does it mean to you to be able to be back playing high school ball this year?
After the heartbreak of last year's season being cancelled, I am extremely happy for all of the players that lost their season to go out and compete once again. Every one of my teammates worked extremely hard with nothing to show for it. This year they will be able to receive the recognition deserved for their hard work.

PBR: How difficult was it to miss playing in 2020 and what did you miss the most?
I missed my teammates the most. What makes a team special is the players and coaches around you. We had a great group of seniors last year that would have been a lot of fun to compete with. I also missed playing in general because I was bored out of my mind with no sport to play.

PBR: What did you learn from not getting to play and is there a renewed excitement in the program now that playing this year is a reality?
I learned that tomorrow is not a guarantee and coach Gamble really preached that to us. There is definitely renewed excitement with the team. We have a relatively young team and everyone is eager to prove themselves. Knowing that no day is promised, everyday is a chance to get better so everyone does their best to give 100 percent on every rep.

Austin Lichty RHP / 3B / Antwerp, OH / 2021

The four-year starter at Antwerp is an uncommitted senior who was the starting pitcher in the 2019 Division IV state semifinal game against Toronto. A third baseman or shortstop when not pitching, Lichty did not permit an earned run until the state tourney his sophomore season. He is one of six returnees on the Archers this year.

PBR: What does it mean to you to be able to be back playing high school ball this year?
It’s definitely a great feeling to be back playing high school baseball after last year was cancelled. Hearing that news last year was definitely gut-wrenching as we had very high expectations following our state run the previous year.

PBR: How difficult was it to miss playing in 2020 and what did you miss the most?
What I missed the most was just being able to play the game of baseball and being around my teammates. That was my last chance to be able to play with those seniors and with that group. Getting that news was terrible and I could not imagine hearing that news as a senior when you are having your last go at making a deep run.

PBR: What did you learn from not getting to play and is there a renewed excitement in the program now that playing this year is a reality?
What I learned most from last year was just to never take anything for granted and make the most of everything because things like that can be taken away from us at any time. There is definitely a renewed excitement this year as the season is full-go now. The atmosphere has been great and we are definitely ready to get rolling and see what we can do.

Bobby Perebzak LHP / OF / Walsh Jesuit, OH / 2021

The Walsh Jesuit senior is an Ohio University commit. The southpaw had a 0.69 ERA as a sophomore for the Warriors, who this season are considered one of the top teams in all of Ohio with four Division I commits.

PBR: What does it mean to you to be able to be back playing high school ball this year?
Coming back to play high school baseball is huge this year. I am very excited with the group of guys we have now and especially for the state tournament.

PBR: How difficult was it to miss playing in 2020 and what did you miss the most?
Missing the 2020 high school season was hard. For me especially, it was my older brother’s senior season and the last time that we would ever play together. I still remember the practice when they cancelled the NCAA Basketball Tournament and then after practice we were told to bring all of our stuff home in case we had to stay home for a couple of weeks. Then the only time we came back to Walsh was to clear our lockers of everything because of Covid-19.

PBR: What did you learn from not getting to play and is there a renewed excitement in the program now that playing this year is a reality?
The thing I learned the most from not having a season was to not take things for granted. You never know when the last time you’ll be running out on the field and for most seniors last year, that was it. Everyone at Walsh is pumped for this season. The last time we played a game was at the beginning of June 2019. I was only a sophomore and it’s crazy to think that my next competitive game in a Walsh Jesuit uniform would be over 600 days away.

Brady Shannon OF / 3B / Youngstown Ursuline, OH / 2022

The Youngstown Ursuline junior, a three-year starter for the Fighting Irish, is “one of the hotter names on the recruiting scene” PBR National Crosschecker Nathan Rode said about Shannon prior to his recent commitment to Central Florida. The second-ranked 2022 outfielder in Ohio is also the starting quarterback on a football team that advanced to the Division IV Region 13 finals.

PBR: What does it mean to you to be able to be back playing high school ball this year?
We’re excited to get out there. The team is looking good, we have a solid rotation and I think we can do well.

PBR: How difficult was it to miss playing in 2020 and what did you miss the most?
Last year we were all bummed out. It was so tough to not get to play. It has us motivated this year.

PBR: What did you learn from not getting to play and is there a renewed excitement in the program now that playing this year is a reality?
This year is different. We’re more anxious. It’s been one-and-a-half years since we last played a true spring season game and it’s exciting for us all to get out on the field. We’re motivated with something to prove.

TJ Takats LHP / 1B / Perrysburg, OH / 2023

Only a sophomore, the third-rated left-handed pitcher in Ohio’s 2023 class has committed to Bowling Green. A left-handed hitter, Takats also plays in the outfield for a Perrysburg program that has advanced to the district finals or beyond the past four seasons played.

PBR: What does it mean to you to be able to be back playing high school ball this year?
It means a lot for me because last year would have been my first year playing varsity baseball but it got canceled so this is still like my first year.

PBR: How difficult was it to miss playing in 2020 and what did you miss the most?
It was very difficult missing high school baseball last year. I missed hanging out with teammates in the dugout and competing on the field.

PBR: What did you learn from not getting to play and is there a renewed excitement in the program now that playing this year is a reality?
I learned that you can’t take things for granted and play every game like it is your last. I think our program is very excited to get back out there and compete day in and day out.

Connor Till C / 3B / Olentangy Orange, OH / 2021

The senior catcher is one of six returning players, all college commits, who are back for Olentangy Orange, one of the Division I preseason favorites in Ohio. “Till is as accurate as they come behind the dish,” said Jordan Chiero, PBR Ohio Director of Scouting about the highly-regarded backstop, A three-year starter, Till is committed to King University, a Division II school in Tennessee.

PBR: What does it mean to you to be able to be back playing high school ball this year?
To be back and playing high school ball this year is extremely exciting for me, especially because of the close-knit group we have on our team. It almost feels like one big family who is always rooting for others' success and not just their own. It will be fun to see how the season turns out.

PBR: How difficult was it to miss playing in 2020 and what did you miss the most?
It was extremely difficult not getting a high school season because of the bond our team had last year.

PBR: What did you learn from not getting to play and is there a renewed excitement in the program now that playing this year is a reality?
What I learned the most from last year was that something could be over in the blink of an eye and you have to make the most out of the time you have because you never know when it could be over. There is definitely an excitement within our program this year because we all get to be back with each other again and we have all worked extremely hard for this season.