Division I Team Of The Week: Week 2 - Louisville

April 12, 2023
Bruce Hefflinger
PBR Ohio Senior Writer

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Division I Team Of The Week: Week 2 - Louisville

LOUISVILLE - Three pitchers is all Louisville needed to produce three victories last week while earning accolades as the Prep Baseball Report Division I Team of the Week.

Connor Morley and Bryce Graziani threw five-hitters against Green and Chardon, respectively, while Cole Miller sandwiched in a three-hit shutout over Hoban to help the Leopards improve to 4-2 on the young campaign.

“Pitching is something we rely on,” noted Louisville head coach Brian Warner, whose squad is rated 27th in the state in the new PBR Division I rankings. “We had three quality starts and our defense was solid and steady, making plays we needed them to make.”

Morley, a three-year starting pitcher who is a two-way commit with Mount Union, struck out three and did not walk a batter in a 1-0 win over Green to open the week, throwing just 73 pitches.

On Saturday in a matchup of three teams that jumped from Division II last year to D-I this year, Miller, a junior right-hander, struck out three and walked three in a 2-0 victory over Hoban before Graziani, a 2024 southpaw, gave up two earned runs and one walk while striking out four in a 4-2 triumph over defending D-II state champ Chardon.

“They’re staying composed,” Warner said of his pitchers. “Every game there is adversity and there are two ways to go at that point. They’re pitching with good tempo and we’re making the plays.”

Junior right-hander Zach Root is a fourth pitcher being relied on this season by Warner, whose squad reached the regional finals last season before losing to Chardon.

”We just want to focus on us, control what we can control, play great defense, get great pitching and try to score runs,” Warner explained. “We have good athletes all over the field. We just try to be the best we can be and trust one another.”

Only six boys over the limit for Division II, Warner is taking the move up a division in stride.

“We’re not overwhelmed by it,” related Warner, whose team’s lone losses came to highly-regarded Tennessee teams, Tennessee High and Daniel Boone.

Warner pointed to Charlie Roberts as a catalyst last week.

“He had two doubles against Hoban and two hits against Chardon,” Warner said of the senior three-year starter in center field who is committed to Malone. “In the seventh inning against Chardon with one guy on he layed out to get the second out. I think he’s the best center fielder in Ohio.”

Morley, a left-handed hitting second baseman when not pitching who bats in the three-hole, was 3-for-3 in the win over Chardon, which was a big one for the team after being knocked out of the postseason by the eventual state champions last season.

“It was satisfying,” Warner admitted. “We played them four times last year counting a scrimmage and they were all well contested. I know our guys really wanted it. They had something to prove.”

Cleanup hitter Karson Siegfried, an uncommitted senior catcher who set school season records last year for doubles and RBIs, had two big hits and drove in the first run of the game in the bottom of the fourth in the win over Hoban.

The week started with a thrilling victory against Green. Scoreless with two outs and nobody on base in the bottom of the seventh, senior nine-hole hitter Kyle Vesely had a two-out hit. The Heidelberg commit promptly stole second and third before coming home on a wild pitch.

Warner pointed to leadoff hitter Andrew Corona, who played behind all-stater JT Popick (now at Akron) last year, as another key player this season. The junior shortstop was 2-for-4 with a run, double and stolen base against Chardon and is now hitting .316 with six steals.

“We just need to continue to keep our approach as a team, get quality starting pitching, compete offensively and find a way to score runs,” concluded Warner, whose Leopards face SVSM Tuesday and Wednesday this week before home contests with Hoover on Friday and Perry on Saturday.