Preseason Power 25 Countdown: No. 17 Columbus

So far on this countdown, no team has yet had the luxury of being captained by two Division-I-bound seniors like Columbus’ RHP Randon Dauman (Ohio) and C Connor Manthey (Bradley). The two have been battery mates for a long time and have developed quite the rapport, and it shows on the mound.

Dauman and Manthey are entering their fourth year as starters on Coach Bob Jansen’s varsity team. The pair have accrued plenty of first team honors and individual awards along the way, but are locked in for 2018 to achieve something greater: a state title. Dauman, as just a freshman, was selected to the Capitol North Conference’s first team. He was all-district as a sophomore, all-area as a junior, and even earned the title of being named the CNC’s player of the year last spring. He’s lit up our radar, too, and is ranked No. 9 overall in his state class and is the No. 3-ranked right-handed pitcher entering the season. He’s a certifiable ace who can touch 90 mph and mixes in a sharp breaking ball. For reassurance, he went 7-0 with a 0.87 ERA in 2017.

Randon Dauman (3.12.17)

Giving Dauman the ball once a week lightens the workload significantly for the rest of this team. Dauman and Manthey rotate roles as the team’s best pitcher and hitter. It’s Manthey’s turn in the order on the mound right after Dauman’s. Since Manthey has skill behind the plate to earn a D-I offer as a catcher, he has an arm that plays well as a No. 2 on this high school staff. He was 2-0 last year with a 1.15 ERA when called upon, though he may eat more innings now that Henry, one of this team’s go-to arms after Dauman, graduated last spring.

Make no mistake, Manthey’s much better at catcher and in the batter’s box than he is on the mound. And that’s saying something. He’s very athletic for his size and was actually his high school’s star middle linebacker where he was named the North Capitol Conference Defensive Player of the Year. At the plate, he hit .429 and generates some easy pop. He’s on our state rankings, too, as his class’ No. 4-ranked catcher.

But this D-2 team is aware that it’ll need more than just the standard Manthey-Dauman show to make it further than the regional finals like it did last season.

Fellow senior and first baseman, Joey Kalafut, is going to be a critical part of this team and the type of season he produces will go a long way in measuring how far the Cardinals were able to go. He’ll be the best bat outside of Manthey and Dauman, most likely, and his experience on the mound will be vital, too. Kalafut is the third pitcher on this staff who finished last season with a sub-2.00 ERA so he’ll be penciled in right behind Manthey for the No. 3 starter’s role.

Shaking out the rest of this lineup, any contributions Columbus can get from seniors Noah Black and Alex Waltrud will be welcome, considering they did see the field some as juniors. And as mentioned in the X-Factor section, Caspers’ integration into daily lineup could be a huge wildcard.

BOTTOM LINE