Lewis Center Olentangy 2, Springboro 1
AKRON, Ohio – Lewis Center Olentangy scored two runs in the first inning and never looked back to defeat Springboro 2-1 in the 2025 OHSAA Division I state championship at Canal Park on Sunday.
Olentangy (24-7-1) hit three consecutive singles with two outs in the first inning to bring around the game's first two runs.
Cameron Birch started the two-out rally with a single that advanced Rocco Bucci to third. Dominic Pirrone followed that with a single that scored Bucci before a base knock from Luke Chilicki scored Birch and gave the Braves a 2-0 lead.
Springboro (25-8) would have its first scoring chance in the third inning after singles from Vince Fortkamp and Micah Brandon put runners on first and second with two-outs for Jacob Cane who knocked in Fortkamp with a single and cut the deficit to 2-1.
The three hits in the third inning would be all Springboro could manage in the game as Olentangy pitching excelled down the stretch to hold the Panthers off the scoreboard and secure the first OHSAA Division I baseball state title in school history.
Birch started on the mound for the Braves and earned the win, working five innings allowing one run and striking out seven. Cooper Tracy came on in relief and worked two scoreless innings to earn the save. He struck out four of the seven batters he faced.
Dylan Brabston started on the hill for Springboro. He allowed five hits and two runs in 2-2/3 innings. On in relief for the Panthers was Jacob Rhinehart who fired 3-1/3 perfect innings with three strikeouts.
Olentangy was making its second state tournament appearance, its only prior appearance coming in 2006 when the team finished runner-up. Springboro was making its second state tournament appearance as well, and its first state championship game appearance.
Whitehouse Anthony Wayne 7, Amherst Steele 3
AKRON, Ohio - Whitehouse Anthony Wayne scored five times in the first three innings and defeated Amherst Steele, 7-3, in the Division II state championship game at Canal Park.
Anthony Wayne (25-4) won its first baseball state title in its third trip to the state tournament. The General finished runner-up in 2018. Amherst Steele (29-3) was making its first appearance in the state tournament.
The game featured the two top-ranked teams (No. 1 Amherst Steele, No. 2 Anthony Wayne) in the season’s final statewide coaches poll.
Anthony Wayne scored single runs in the first and second innings and tacked on three more in the third to build a 5-0 lead.
Eli Donawa led off the game with a walk, was sacrificed to second, moved to third on a passed ball and scored on Lucas Potkanowicz’s base hit.
Ben Nieckarz reached on a fielder’s choice in the top of the second, stole second, went to third on a wild pitch and scored on Crue Carroll’s single to left.
Nieckarz singled home Max Crandell with Anthony Wayne’s third run in the top of the third. Two batters later, after Nieckarz had stolen second, both he and Jett Smith came home on a wild pitch to stretch the AW lead to 5-0.
Amherst Steele answered with two runs in the bottom half. Cole Marquez scored on Caleb Melendez’s groundout, and Cole Charles scored from third on a wild pitch. Anthony Wayne, however, took advantage of an Amherst Steele error and scored a pair of unearned runs in the top of the fourth to make it 7-2.
Amherst Steele used a single and two Anthony Wayne errors to load the bases in the sixth, but scored just one run—Spencer Leibolt came home from third on a wild pitch.
Jackson Urenovitch worked six innings to earn the win for Anthony Wayne. He allowed three runs, two earned, on four hits while striking out seven and walking three. Carter Johnson worked a one-two-three seventh to close out the win.
Potkanowicz, Smith and Crue Carroll each had two hits for Anthony Wayne. Four different players accounted for Amherst Steele’s four base hits.
Newark Licking Valley 1, Hunting Valley University School 0
AKRON, Ohio - Evan Roberts tossed a complete-game, three-hit shutout and Adam West manufactured the game’s only run as Newark Licking Valley defeated Hunting Valley University School, 1-0, in the Division III state championship game.
Both teams were making their first appearance at the state tournament. Licking Valley (26-6 overall) closed its season by winning its final 12 games, while University School finished 26-7 overall.
Roberts allowed just four baserunners and set University School down in order three times in seven innings. He struck out eight hitters and walked just one, needing just 85 pitches.
West scored the game’s only run in the bottom of the fourth. He singled to lead off the inning, moved to second on a wild pitch, then scored when Carter Sopher’s ground ball was misplayed near the first base bag.
University School threatened in the top of the sixth. Cayden Zelenak singled, pinch runner Sal Prolizo was sacrificed to second, then moved to third on a groundout. Prolizo broke for home on an errant return throw between the Licking Valley catcher and pitcher, but shortstop Brody Rodgers scooped the loose ball and threw Prolizo out at the plate.
Crew Bellan pitched all six innings for University School. He allowed just the one unearned run on four hits, struck out seven and walked none.
Rodgers was 2 for 2 and hit by a pitch out of the leadoff spot for Licking Valley. West and Zane Hancock had the other two hits; all four of Licking Valley’s hits were singles.
Mentor Lake Catholic 3, Sandusky Perkins 2
AKRON, Ohio – Mentor Lake Catholic scored three runs in the fifth inning to defeat Sandusky Perkins in the OHSAA Division IV state championship game at Canal Park on Sunday.
Perkins (22-10) scored once in each of the first two innings to take an early 2-0 lead.
In the first, Dylan Crabtree manufactured a run, singling and stealing second before scoring on an error while stealing third. In the second, Carter Koch grounded out to plate the second run of the game in Kash Koch.
Lake Catholic (25-4) was held to only one hit in the first four innings before breaking through in the bottom of the fifth. The Cougars sent eight men to the plate beginning with a double from senior Sean Walsh. Back-to-back walks followed to load the bases, setting up a two-run single by senior AJ Trobenter and an RBI single by junior Brayden Mann to put Lake Catholic ahead 3-2.
Perkins loaded the bases in the top of the seventh inning with two outs, but pitcher Tyler Hribar induced a fly out to left field to secure the 3-2 Lake Catholic victory.
Perkins starter Talon Walton surrendered three runs across five innings while striking out two. Braxden Martin worked a scoreless inning in relief.
Shea Sievers was the starting pitcher for Lake Catholic. He pitched 3-2/3 innings giving up two runs (one earned) and firing three strikeouts. Pitching in relief was Hribar who pitched a scoreless 3-1/3 innings with two strikeouts to pick up the victory.
Both teams were making their third state tournament appearances and first appearances in the state championship game.
Apple Creek Waynedale 3, St. Paris Graham 0
AKRON, Ohio - Logan Troyer threw a complete-game five-hit shutout to lead Apple Creek Waynedale to a 3-0 win over St. Paris Graham in the Division V state championship game at Canal Park.
Waynedale (30-3 overall), making its fourth consecutive appearance in the state tournament, adds the championship trophy to state titles it won in 2022 and 2023. Graham (20-11) was in the final four for the first time since finishing runner-up in 1995; Graham also won baseball state titles in 1930 and 1973.
Troyer, a left-handed sophomore, scattered five hits and threw just 72 pitches over seven innings. He struck out six and walked one.
Waynedale took the lead for good in the second inning. Jayden Schlabach led off with a single, then came home two batters later when Josh Yoder’s double and a throwing error allowed him to score from first.
Graham threatened in the fifth, opening the frame with back-to-back singles. Waynedale catcher Tristan Franks picked off the runner at second, and Troyer struck out the next two hitters looking to get out of the inning.
Waynedale still led 1-0 into the sixth, when it added a pair of insurance runs.
Brayden Steiner doubled and Yoder walked; a double steal moved them to second and third with one out. Hudson Barkman’s infield single scored Mast, and Shane Coblentz followed with a double that scored Yoder and extended Waynedale’s lead to 3-0.
Troyer set Graham down in order in the seventh, his third one-two-three inning of the game, to close out the win.
Schlabach was 2 for 3 for Waynedale; four other Golden Bears had one hit apiece. Five different players had one hit apiece for Graham.
Hayden Van Hoose tossed four innings for Graham, allowing just one unearned run on three hits. He struck out three and walked one. Breyton Reisinger allowed two runs on three hits in two innings of relief for Graham.
Berlin Hiland 5, Hartville Lake Center Christian 4
AKRON, Ohio - Berlin Hiland won its third consecutive baseball state title in dramatic fashion, scoring two runs in the bottom of the seventh inning to rally past Hartville Lake Center Christian, 5-4, in the Division VI state championship game at Canal Park.
Hiland (31-1) joined Cincinnati Elder (1958-60) and Newark Catholic (2002-04) as the only schools to win three straight baseball state championships. The Hawks have won 23 straight postseason games dating back to 2023, the third longest streak in OHSAA baseball history.
Lake Center Christian (28-5) finished runner-up in its first trip to the state tournament.
Hiland (No. 1) and Lake Center Christian (No. 2) finished the regular season as the state's top-ranked teams in the coaches poll. And on the season's final day, they traded the lead in the game's final inning.
Hiland led 3-1 when Lake Center Christian’s first two hitters walked to open the seventh, and a Hiland throwing error on a bunt attempt allowed Chance Klingelhofer to score and put runners on the corners with one out. A wild pitch brought Grant Coblentz home with the tying run and moved Luke Heckert to third; Caleb Shelly’s sacrifice fly scored Heckert and gave Lake Center Christian a 4-3 lead.
Hiland’s Caden Coblentz was hit by a pitch leading off the bottom of the seventh, went to second on a wild pitch, and scored the tying run from there on a throwing error by Lake Center Christian. A sacrifice bunt and two intentional walks loaded the bases for Logan Yoder, who lined a single to left that brought home Mike Miller with the game-winning run.
Kaden Kandel started and threw five shutout innings for Hiland. He allowed two hits, walked five and struck out three. Colin Coblentz, who came on in relief with two runners on base in the seventh, surrendered one unearned run but earned the win.
Miller, Grady Monigold and Keith Hershberger all had two hits for Hiland. Miller scored twice and drove in the tying run in the seventh; Monigold added a walk, RBI and run scored; and Hershberger drove in Monigold with the game’s first run in the second inning.
Grant Coblentz was 1 for 2, walked twice and scored the tying run in the seventh for Lake Christian; he also pitched 1-2/3 innings in relief. Shelly started for Lake Center Christian and allowed three runs on five hits, striking out five and walking one, over the game’s first 4-2/3 innings. He also walked and scored in the sixth before driving in Lake Center Christian’s go-ahead run in the top of the seventh.
Minster 8, Newark Catholic 0
AKRON, Ohio - Minster scored five times in the second inning and added three insurance runs late, defeating Newark Catholic 8-0 in the 2025 Division VII state championship game at Canal Park.
Minster (26-6 overall) claimed its fourth baseball state title (2011, 2012, 2017, 2025) in its fifth appearance in a state championship game.
Newark Catholic (21-10) finished runner-up for the fifth time to go along with nine state titles won between 1988 and 2016.
Minster’s five-run second inning, a frame in which the Wildcats batted around despite the ball never leaving the infield, was aided by two Newark Catholic errors. Three of the runs were unearned.
Ian Homan and Rylan Edwards walked to open the Minster second, Jace Hemmelgarn reached on a fielder’s choice and an error on the play allowed Homan to score. Andrew Wiss singled to load the bases, and after a popout Dylan Heitkamp drew a walk to force in a run. Hemmelgarn then scored on Reese Beair’s infield single, and with two outs, James Niemeyer’s infield single combined with a throwing error allowed Heikamp and Wiss to score to extend the lead to 5-0.
Connor Schmiesing’s one-out single in the fifth drove in Edwards and Hemmelgarn with Minster’s sixth and seventh runs. Louis Magoto scored the eighth run on a sacrifice fly by Edwards in the sixth.
Minster starter Caleb Couse earned the win on the mound, scattering three hits while striking out seven and walking three. Niemeyer allowed just two hits and struck out two in two scoreless innings of relief.
Beair (3 for 5, RBI) and Wiss (3 for 4, run) accounted for six of Minster’s 10 hits. Magoto, Niemeyer and Edwards all reached base twice.
Hal Gillespie had a pair of hits for Newark Catholic.