Not many things will drive a high school baseball coach to distraction quite like giving up a big inning that shouldn't have happened.
After serving up four two-out, first-inning runs to visiting Worthington Kilbourne in an 8-6 loss Wednesday, April 7, Upper Arlington coach Matt Middleton let the senior-laden Golden Bears know just how unacceptable that was.
Especially since UA stranded eight baserunners, and collected nine walks from Wolves pitching. Especially in the Ohio Capital Conference Central Division opener.
"We talk about that all the time with our pitchers and our defense; my philosophy is pitching and defense wins, anyway," Middleton said.
"When a pitcher's struggling a defensive player's mindset should be, 'I have to make a play for my pitcher.' If a pitcher's doing well, he has to say, 'I'm going to make a good pitch and get out of this inning.' You can't give up big innings and expect to win."
Against Kilbourne there were stretches where the Bears didn't seem to have much of a particular mindset going of any kind.
But it looks like UA (5-3) has gotten the message, going 2-1 since then, including a doubleheader split at highly regarded Dublin Scioto (7-3) Saturday, April 10 (an opening 12-8 slugfest loss followed by a 3-2 win).
"I thought we hit the ball extremely well, we scored eight runs and all were earned," said Middleton. "We peppered the ball all over the field. Unfortunately, we also had four errors. They only had six earned runs."
Left-handed pitcher Charles Cooper gained the win over the Irish in what Middleton called his best outing of the year, turning in six strong innings before yielding the mound to Eddie Miller for the save.
Prior to the twinbill, UA struggled early but swatted visiting league opponent Hilliard Darby 15-5 Friday, April 9.
Against the Panthers it was the Bears who broke through for a huge inning, scoring seven times in the bottom of the second.
"We were able to do to them what other people have been doing to us," said Middleton.
Several Bears have turned in some standout statistics at the plate so far. Andy Bean is hitting .476 with only two strikeouts.
"He's gotten some big hits in key moments," said his coach.
Miller is clicking at a .429 pace with 6 RBI, while Phil Jaskot is hitting .350 with four doubles and a .517 on-base percentage.
Jaskot, obviously, does whatever it takes to get on base.
"He's walked four times, been hit by a pitch four times, reached base three times on errors," said Middleton. "He's the guy right now where as he goes, we go."
Should the Bears continue to progress, they could be a dangerous team in the upcoming weeks.
"We have a long way to go, we're only eight games in," said the coach. "But I think our kids are getting it a little bit. If we play like we're capable of playing, we're tough to beat."
UA plays five times over an upcoming four-day stretch. The Bears visit Thomas Worthington Tuesday, April 13, before hosting Westland Wednesday, April 14.
That's followed by a trip to Hilliard Davidson Friday, April 16, with all those games starting at 5 p.m.
On Saturday, April 17, two squads come to town, first Westerville North at 10 a.m., then Cincinnati Milford at 3 p.m.
"We have a long way to go, we're only eight games in. But I think our kids are getting it a little bit."
MOUNT VERNON — Saturday was a special night for one Mount Vernon resident.
Former Mount Vernon High School boys basketball coach Dave Moore was inducted into the Ohio High School Basketball Coaches Association District 11 Hall of Fame along with three other individuals. Moore, Frank Dalton of Delaware Hayes, Keith Ebright of Pickerington and Dick Torbert of Licking Valley were honored for their contributions to the sport of basketball during a banquet at the Olde Summit Towne Restaurant in Summit Station.
For Moore, who coached at Mount Vernon for 15 years, this honor is not just about himself or what he accomplished.
“This is a measure of respect for me as a coach and Mount Vernon as a basketball community,” said Moore. “That was one thing I always hoped would result from my coaching days, not unlike when I came. It was only a few years before that we went to state under Keith Merrin. I think the program was pretty well established, and I wanted to maintain that. At the end of my tenure, anyway, the respect for Mount Vernon basketball was still there.”
The four coaches served a total of 90 years as girls and/or boys varsity basketball coaches at the high school level and accumulated 1,525 victories. Moore finished with a record of 244-95 at Mount Vernon. He had 275 wins total in his career, which spanned 31 years at four different schools.
Moore knows that he never could have accomplished much on his own. He had several talented assistants along the way that provided great insight. His greatest attribute as a head coach may have been listening to what those coaches had to say.
“I think it was my willingness to listen to my assistant coaches, and then kind of pull together what might be the best course of action to follow,” said Moore. “I wasn’t so sure of myself that I wouldn’t listen to other people. Of course, I had Doug Savage, Kent Miller, Jerry Groves and any number as assistants over the years. The current superintendent (Steve Short) was my freshman coach at one time. I had a willingness to listen to other people and then make an informed decision. I think the kids understood that while I was demanding, I cared about them. As a result, they wanted to play hard and do as well as they could.”
Moore also is aware that he didn’t have the success he did just by coaching alone. It took talented players to win eight Ohio Capital Conference titles. Moore’s teams won three district titles and were runners-up one other year. Five of his teams won 19 or 20 games, including his last season when the Yellow Jackets went 20-3 in 1995-96.
“My success is a combination of (my coaching and the great athletes we had at that time),” said Moore. “We had a program pretty well established from the seventh grade on up. We had assistant coaches who knew what kind of drills and things we wanted to be taught. That carried over from one year to the next. The kids, as a consequence, were doing things in the seventh grade that we would expect them to do, albeit a little bit better, when they got to the varsity level. It was a program that our kids believed in, and that led to success. We beat some pretty good teams along the way, some that maybe talent-wise were better than we were, but we were a better team. It was a lot like this year’s team.
“I’ve asked my players over the years, ‘Why were we so successful?’ and most of them gave credit to the program that was in place. We weren’t teaching different things from one level to the next. We stayed true to what we’d done in the past, and add a few new wrinkles along the way. We were not wholesale changing things.”
Moore coached several extremely talented players during his tenure at Mount Vernon. Among them were Joe Perry, Steve Gregory, Scott Dapprich and his son, Andy. Year after year, it seemed another great player was coming down the pipeline to help Mount Vernon succeed.
“I asked them to do a little bit more because they had that talent,” Moore said. “I think we were good at developing talent. The way we conducted practices, the way we put demands on their performances and the discipline that was installed made us a little different in that talented kids got better. Our program was structured so that the role players felt like they were a part of the whole thing. They were contributing to our success, and the ‘stars’ understood that without the role players, they weren’t going to be as good as they could be.”
Moore was never a star player growing up, which might be why he related so well to his players. He went to Columbus North High School, and then The Ohio State University for his college education. He did learn a lot during his playing days, however.
“I was never a great basketball player. I played all sports, but I was what you’d call an average athlete,” said Moore. “I loved coaching, and I always knew I wanted to coach because my life was so influenced by the coaches I had. I think, because I wasn’t a great athlete, it helped me understand kids better.”
“Competition taught me to respect our opponent,” Moore added. “You don’t ever go into a game or a match thinking you just have to show up. You’ve got to be prepared. If you don’t take your opponent seriously, you’ll get beat. You can’t leave anything to chance. I wanted our kids to understand that we needed to do as well as we could for as long as we could. Then we would accept the outcome. Everybody wants to win, but I wanted us to play as long and as smart as we could. Then, whatever happened, we could live with that.
“Competition sometimes gets a bad rap, but if you understand how to use it, it can be a great tool in the development of young people. I believe so strongly in that.”
With 32 years of teaching and 31 years of coaching behind him, Moore has a lot of knowledge to pass on to younger coaches. From time to time, when the opportunity arises, he does just that.
“Those years just flew by,” said Moore. “At the time, you really don’t think about it. I tell young coaches, ‘Enjoy it because it all goes by so fast. You don’t realize it, so take time to enjoy your success.’ I’ve talked to Kurt (Kaufman) about that from time to time. When we beat Brookhaven, he was really excited. Five minutes later, he was already plotting for what we have to do when we played Westerville North. I understand that; it is hard to enjoy your success during the season, but at some point and time, you’ve got to relax and say, ‘That wasn’t too bad.’”
Moore dusted off his gym shoes this past season after Kaufman, head coach at Mount Vernon, asked him to be his varsity assistant. The end result was a 19-4 season for the Jackets, and a Division I Central District Semifinal appearance.
“I was a little skeptical at first because I wasn’t sure how the kids would accept me,” said Kaufman. “As it turned out, they were very welcoming, and that made me feel like I was part of the team. Because Kurt has similar philosophies to mine, it was easier. He was very helpful; he would give me assignments to take care of in practice, and was very good about listening to my suggestions. He encouraged me to speak up. I wasn’t sure how it would work out, but I can honestly say it was 100 percent an enjoyable experience. Kurt had a lot to do with that; the players had a lot to do with that; parents had a lot to do with that.”
Moore was extremely grateful to have had the opportunity to coach once again. While he is only 25 wins away from the hallowed 300-mark, he has no grand thoughts of hitting the hardwood full-time again.
Coach Rob Hays has to be impressed with the Newark High School boys tennis team's fast start.
Sandwiched around a 4-1 setback in last Tuesday's OCC-Ohio Division opener at Reynoldsburg, the Wildcats posted a pair of 5-0 victories. They beat Canal Winchester last Monday and visiting Watkins Memorial last Wednesday as senior Alex Brest set the tone in that all-Licking County matchup with a 6-1, 6-2 win at first singles over Stephen Heiliger.
"We're definitely encouraged," said Hays, whose team defeated Zanesville 5-0 last Thursday and played Big Walnut last Friday. "I'm really not surprised, though. This is the most experienced team I've had."
The Wildcats, who finished 7-6 overall a year ago as champion Gahanna (63 points) dominated in the OCC-Ohio Division, return two other veterans to play singles in seniors Brad Becktell on the second court and Corey Nabors on the third. Both are fourth-year varsity contributors.
In doubles, senior Alex Vanatta and junior Andy Lovrak are playing on the first court with senior Joe Colby and sophomore Geoff Rank team on the second court. Hays said he does not expect to play a lineup any deeper than his top seven.
"We don't need any injuries," said Hays, whose team finished 10-8 overall in 2008. "If we stay healthy, I don't see why we couldn't get back to double-digit wins and maybe get some kids to (the Division I) district (tournament).
The Wildcats, who haven't been represented at the district meet since Geoff Becktell and Kyle Barnaba qualified in doubles in 2006, face another full slate this week. They'll play host to Groveport on Monday, Mount Vernon on Tuesday and Gahanna on Wednesday before competing in the eight-team Bob Raica Tournament Saturday at Westerville South.
• Watkins Memorial dropped to 1-2 overall with last Wednesday's loss, which included a 4-1 victory in the opener last Monday at Teays Valley. The Warriors also fell 5-0 in the OCC-Capital opener last Tuesday at three-time defending-champion New Albany, which totaled 71 points to win last year's title but graduated Ohio State-recruit Peter Kobelt, who won the Division I state singles title.
"We're still playing a bunch of young kids," coach Shawn Walter said. "We should be a little deeper, though. We've got 25 out and that's about 11 more than I've ever had here, but 12 of them are freshmen and 10 are sophomores. The kids are competitive in practice and that should make getting better a little easier."
The Warriors, who finished 5-9 overall a year ago, return junior Halle Cheplowitz at second singles and classmate Andrew Stocker at third singles. Cheplowitz is permitted to play boys tennis because she plays volleyball in the fall. Junior Josh Crumbliss and sophomore Justin Thomas are back to play first doubles, and playing second doubles last week were senior Isaac Smith and sophomore Reid Wolfe.
Others to look for include sophomore John Barnett, and Walter might have a hard time keeping freshman Austin Williams out of the lineup.
The Warriors have home OCC-Capital matches Monday against Big Walnut and Tuesday against Delaware. They also play visiting Bloom-Carroll Wednesday and Thursday at Hartley.
•Mike O'Callaghan, who led Gahanna to its first league title since 1981, is the new coach at Granville after Keith Mullins stepped down following his fourth season.
As manager of the Division II district tournament, however, O'Callaghan isn't happy about the fact that central Ohio will advance only two singles players and two doubles teams to the state tournament instead of four. The combined East and Southeast district picked up additional state-berths even though DeSales and Watterson both dropped down from Division I this spring.
"The bottom line is the district is way harder. It's been stacked, anyway, and now it's even more so," he said. "I'm not looking at it as a defeatist or anything; I'm just a realist."
One of the players most affected might be sophomore Daniel Gardner, who advanced to a state-qualifying match in singles a year ago and returns to play on the first court. Senior Eric Hall, who advanced to a state-qualifying match in doubles and was named ThisWeek's Player of the Year after posting a 27-7 combined record in singles and doubles, also returns. He teamed with senior Dan Miller for a victory at first doubles last Wednesday as the Blue Aces defeated Bloom-Carroll 5-0 in the opener.
"Dan looks real good, but we'll know more after playing DeSales (Monday)," said O'Callaghan, whose team also plays Tuesday at Grandview, Wellington at home Wednesday and Friday at Coshocton. "I'm still getting a read on the boys, but I know after Dan it's not a clear-cut. It gets blurry after that and we're working to get the right doubles combinations."
Senior Will Trautman and sophomore Greg Kerr opened at second and third singles, respectively. Junior Adam Seeds paired with sophomore Ryan Rosinski at second doubles. Senior Ollie Male, who played with Hall in last year's postseason as Columbus Academy won the combined MSL-Ohio-Cardinal title (50 points) and also a second Ohio Tennis Coaches Association team championship, opted not to return.
"I'm not as familiar with some of the Division II schools, either, so I'm working my way through that," said O'Callaghan, who will be assisted by Chris Lucas-Miller and Torey Dougan, both of whom are Granville graduates. "When I first started teaching (in the early 1970s) I was here for a couple of years and coached girls tennis. It's nice to be back, but so much has changed."
Not sure what goals to set for the Big Walnut High School baseball team this season, first-year coach Kyle Bennett left it up to the players.
"And Grant Beam looked at me and said, '.500. I want to be realistic and say .500. Let's get above .500,'" said Bennett, a 2004 Big Walnut graduate. "So that's the goal we've set.
"Obviously, it would be great to compete for the (OCC-Capital Division championship), but before you can compete for the league, you have to be above .500."
Big Walnut, which hasn't had a winning season since Bennett's senior year when the Golden Eagles finished 16-13, is on pace to accomplish that goal, as it was 4-3 overall and 0-2 in the OCC-Capital before playing Hilliard Bradley last Friday.
The Golden Eagles were 4-1 after beating Cardington 7-6 on April 2 and sweeping Mount Gilead in a doubleheader on April 3, winning 11-1 in six innings and 10-2. They then lost their first two league contests, falling 11-2 to Watkins Memorial last Monday and 4-2 to Olentangy Orange last Wednesday.
Trailing Orange 4-2 in the bottom of the seventh inning, Big Walnut appeared to be on the verge of rallying as it loaded the bases with no outs. However, second baseman Andrew Bower struck out and left fielder Aaron Dattilo lined out to third baseman Joe Haskins, who then stepped on third to complete a game-ending double play.
"That's one of those plays that you can't do anything about," Bennett said. "(First baseman Luke Woerner) is taking a secondary lead off of third and (Haskins) makes a stabbing play down the line and lands right on the bag. You just have to tip your cap to him."
Big Walnut entered the seventh with just three hits off Orange pitcher Richard Bailey, but loaded the bases with back-to-back singles by Woerner and outfielder/catcher Aaron Gase and a walk by catcher/outfielder Ryan Hardy.
"I'm excited about what I saw in the last inning," Bennett said. "It shows their heart. They're not going to quit. I told them, 'I see it in you. I know you've got it. You guys have just got to start believing.' I think that's all we need. We just need that one time for them to start believing and then I think the train will be rolling and it will be hard to stop."
Bennett would like to see his team improve in all facets of the game: fielding, pitching and hitting.
"The walks and unearned runs are hurting us and another thing is we're (striking out) too much," he said. "We struck out (11) times (against Watkins Memorial) and we struck out six or seven times (against Orange). We have to put the ball in play."
Three errors led to three unearned runs against Orange and spoiled a solid outing by pitcher Dillon Walls, who had 11 strikeouts and allowed one earned run and only one hit in seven innings, though he did walk two and hit two.
"If we don't give up three unearned runs, we win 2-1," Bennett said. "(Against Watkins Memorial), we had 12 free passes. (Against Orange) we limited (the number of walks), but we still had those three errors that cost us.
"But I'm not disappointed at all. The kids fought hard."
Bennett continues to evaluate his personnel and tinker with the lineup, though some players are beginning to settle into positions.
"We've got a lot of guys we've been moving around," he said. "Basically, our entire starting outfield is not there right now, but the guys who are in there are doing a great job."
Beam, who started in center field last season, continues to recover from a shoulder injury suffered during football season and has been limited to being the designated hitter. Ben Romer, who was expected to start in left field, is out indefinitely with a back injury. And Braden Hale, who was expected to start in right field, is out for the season with a knee injury sustained during wrestling season.
Among the players who have seen time in the outfield are Tyler Beam, Dattilo, Gase, Hardy, Daniel Pike and Seth Wandling. Tyler Beam and Dattilo also have seen time at shortstop, as has Joe Curran.
Curran also has played second base along with Andrew Bower. Gase and Hardy have split time behind the plate, while Townley and Woerner have seen most of the action at third and first base, respectively.
"We have a lot of guys playing a lot of different positions, which is kind of nice," Bennett said. "It makes it easy to move guys around when we have somebody on the mound who isn't throwing strikes."
"Coach Bennett has done a good job putting guys where they need to be," Woerner said.
Big Walnut has league games Monday at Delaware, Wednesday at home against New Albany and Friday at home against Mount Vernon.
"The day it all jells together I think we're going to be all right," Bennett said. "Hopefully we're moving in the right direction. I feel like we are. I think we're making strides."
•The boys tennis team has OCC-Capital matches Monday at Watkins Memorial and Tuesday at home against Hilliard Bradley and a non-league match Thursday at home against Westerville South.
Big Walnut, which defeated Worthington Christian 4-1 last Thursday and was 3-1 overall before playing Newark last Friday, opened league play with a 4-1 win over Olentangy Orange last Tuesday. Posting victories were Nathan Randall at first singles (6-4, 6-4), Sam Lawless at second singles (6-0, 6-1), Dan Violet at third singles (6-3, 7-6) and Nate Fagan and Russell McMurry at second doubles (6-3, 6-3).
The Golden Eagles lost to Buckeye Valley 3-2 last Wednesday. Winning were Lawless at second singles (6-0, 6-2) and Violet at third singles (6-0, 6-4).
•The track and field teams play host to Olentangy Orange on Tuesday in an OCC-Capital dual meet before competing in Teays Valley's Kiwanis Invitational on Friday and Heath's Hank Smith Invitational on Saturday.
The boys team won the Kiwanis Invitational last season, scoring 138 points and finishing ahead of Teays Valley (120), Newark (110), Amanda-Clearcreek (89), Columbus West (40) and Village Academy (27). The girls team placed third (104) in the meet last year, behind Amanda-Clearcreek (138) and Newark (128) and ahead of Teays Valley (94), West (19) and Village Academy (7).
The boys team also won the Hank Smith Invitational last season, scoring 129 points in the 15-team meet to finish well ahead of runner-up Watkins Memorial (108.5). The girls team finished third (79) of 16 teams, behind Heath (96) and Watkins Memorial (91).
Big Walnut, which played host to the 33rd-annual Red Edwards Golden Eagle Relays last Saturday, competed in a league dual against Watkins Memorial last Tuesday. The boys team defeated the Warriors 76-61, but the girls team lost 72-65.
•The boys lacrosse team plays host to Marysville on Tuesday, Bexley on Wednesday and Brunswick on Saturday. The game against Marysville had been set for last Wednesday but was rescheduled.
Big Walnut was 0-1 before playing Wellington last Saturday.
•The girls lacrosse team was 1-1-1 after playing the DeSales junior varsity to a 7-all tie last Thursday.
Midfielder Courtney Palmer had three goals, midfielder Paige Schott and defender Schuyler Kuhlman each scored two. Goalkeeper Nici Bregel had 22 saves.
Big Walnut, which lost 7-4 to Granville last Wednesday despite getting two goals from Palmer, plays Tuesday at Hartley and Wednesday at Gahanna. The Golden Eagles defeated Gahanna 5-4 on March 25.
The Delaware Hayes High School boys club lacrosse team hopes its second season will be an improvement from last year.
It appears it could be, as the Pacers beat Big Walnut 9-7 in the opener March 24 to match last year's win total. Delaware was 1-11 a year ago, with the win coming via a forfeit after losing to Watterson 13-0 on the field.
There are quite a few changes this season. Dick Sanfillipo replaced former coach Tom Favorito, who left to coach at Olentangy Orange. Assistant Tony Nieto went with him.
Another change is that the Pacers have aligned themselves in the Club Division for the postseason. Last year, Delaware chose to compete in the Division I postseason and then elected not to play its first-round contest.
But perhaps the biggest difference is the program got an infusion of freshmen who have played the sport for three seasons.
"It means a lot to have a great number of freshmen come in who know the basic skills, have been playing for going on four seasons now and have been together," Sanfillipo said. "They do some of the little things that some of our older athletes are just learning how to do."
That doesn't necessarily mean the freshman class will be dominant.
"The other side of the issue is that these freshmen don't have the strength of the juniors and seniors they'll be playing against," Sanfillipo said. "They also have to adjust to the speed of the varsity game, which will be a big adjustment for them. We're playing established programs and it's a big jump for them."
The team's second game March 26 against Westerville South was postponed because of weather. No makeup has been announced. The Pacers won't play again until Friday at Johnstown.
Delaware has seven seniors in midfielders Brian Johnson and Maxx Motter, attackers John Gilliam and Jay Groth and defenders Evan Bull, Jacob Naegele and Nick Spalsbury.
Defender Forest Wilson is the lone junior on the roster. Sophomores include midfielder Josh Bender and attackers Charlie Darrough, Christian Groth and Austin Naegele.
The large freshman class includes goalkeepers Michael Duffy and Brad Fitzpatrick. Midfielders are Austin Arthur, Collin Goble, Paul Golden, Griffin Kinney, Andrew Meiser, Steffan Mowry, Phoenix Neitzelt, Dom-inic Sanfillipo, Riley Windsor and Jordan Zinader.
Also in the class are attackers Kyle Gabbert, Jesse Hauger, Lane Kleilein, Anthony Sanfillipo and Tyler Smith, as well as defenders Jordan Carlson, Jacob Jantvoid, Jonathan Lindeboom, Ryan Lobmiller, Andrew Ward and Zak Worthy.
Coach Sanfillipo said he has been impressed with the play of Spalsbury, Bull, Jacob Naegele and Wilson on defense, as well as Darrough, Gilliam and Austin Naegele on attack and Bender, Johnson and Motter in the midfield.
He expects Carlson and Ward to be strong with the long poles and Duffy is expected to start in goal.
"Those guys have been working hard, and out of the freshmen, I think Golden, Zinader, Neitzelt and Dominic Sanfillipo will be strong in the midfield and that Anthony Sanfillipo will be solid in attack," coach Sanfillipo said. "But like in any sport, the defense is always ahead of the game early. We're going to get better every week, but we're still extremely inexperienced.
Brandon Harrison; WATKINS MEMORIAL, BOYS TRACK
Harrison, a senior, won the 110-meter high hurdles (14.79 seconds) and the 300-meter intermediate hurdles (39.67) in the Bryce Dallas Invitational at Cumberland Valley, Pa. Harrison's time in the high hurdles set a meet record.
Jessica Hoover; HILLIARD DAVIDSON, GIRLS TRACK
Hoover, a junior, won the 1,600 (5:33.9) and 3,200 (11:56) and helped the 3,200 relay team take second (10:09.8) as Davidson finished runner-up overall in the Premier Invitational at Davidson with 92 points.
Kevin Metka; WORTHINGTON KILBOURNE, BOYS TENNIS
Metka, a junior, didn't lose a game in winning three matches to start the season. He defeated Sam Prewitt of Pickerington North, Tyler Dubiak of Hilliard Darby and Harrison Chang of Thomas Worthington all by 6-0, 6-0 scores. Metka won a Division I state title in doubles last season.
The Dispatch high school Athletes of the Week, based on performances from the week of March 29-April 4:
Savannah Dorsey; CENTRAL CROSSING, SOFTBALL
Dorsey, a sophomore pitcher, hit two solo home runs, including the game-winner in the 12th inning, to lead Central Crossing over Thomas Worthington 4-3. Dorsey also went the distance for the pitching win.
Brett Hollenbach; GAHANNA, BOYS VOLLEYBALL
Hollenbach, a senior middle hitter, led Gahanna to a 4-0 start. He totaled 40 kills, 14 blocks and six solo blocks, served 97 percent with two aces, averaged 90 percent in service receptions and 2.5 digs per match as the Lions beat Pickerington Central, Hilliard Bradley, Worthington Kilbourne and Olentangy Liberty.
First-year Reynoldsburg varsity baseball coach Rob Gravatt will be attempting to parlay a host of returning veterans with some key first-year players into a winning Raider program.
"We're taking steps in the right direction," Gravatt said of the early season performance of his Raiders (1-3), noting the team had to improve its defense to achieve top performance while relying on a stout offense to carry the load.
"So far our team batting average is .350 after four games and we only had six hits in the first game (a 14-2 loss to Westerville South)," the coach said.
While the Raiders have accomplished a .520 slugging percentage, the coach is still frustrated with the timeliness of the big hits as his charges left 12 players on base in the opening game of a double header against Worthington Kilbourne Saturday, April 3.
The team's offensive stud is sophomore Jeff Murray. In then two games against Kilbourne he had six hits in seven at bats, including a pair of home runs, a triple and double, and eight RBI. Murray will handle duties at third and first as well as taking turns on the mound.
"He's just a player," the coach said
The Raiders took the first of the twin bill, 9-8, with junior Halen Core earning his and the Raiders' first win of the year and 11th as a varsity pitcher. He had five wins in each of his freshman and sophomore seasons.
One of the team's captains, Dillon Gray, a senior and two-time letterwinner, picked up the save, ending the game with a double-play pitch.
In all, Gravatt welcomes back 12 letterwinners.
"We have a junior-loaded team, but we will be tested with a tough Ohio Capital Conference schedule," Gravatt said.
Joining Murray as a two-time letterwinner is junior Taylor Snare. The center fielder will share captains' duties and contributed with a triple Saturday.
Junior John Sheline qualifies as an "athlete" catching, playing at the corners in the infield and patrolling the outfield. Mike Castro is a returning letterwinner and will play second.
Jonathon Hammond leads a list of third-year players. Another of the team's captains, Hammond plays wind-swept left field on the Raiders' home diamond (gusts of up to 45 mph raked over his head Saturday).
Junior Weston Weiss is playing his third varsity season and is anchored at shortstop and will get some innings as a right-handed starter.
JC Gibson will play right field and first, and Tom Nobile is battling for innings behind the plate.
Craig Andrews pitched in the second game against the Wolves, a hit fest that saw the Raiders drop a 19-6 decision.
Among newcomers this spring is freshman catcher Nick Hedrick, a name familiar to Reynoldsburg baseball followers.
"He's just an outstanding young man on the field and in the classroom," Gravatt said. "We planned on him playing jayvee this year but we gave him the ball and he just hasn't let it go. He caught the first game of Saturday's double header and did a good job."
Joining him as new additions to the varsity are senior Brad Lybarger and junior Matt Barrett. Junior Dane Pierro will also be battling for playing time for the first time on the varsity.
Junior Nick Anloague is recovering from elbow surgery so the coach is holding him out of pitching duties for the time being, but he might see work at first or third in early season contests.
"I'm really proud of these boys," Gravatt said. "They are really working hard and I really believe we are going to improve on last year."
The Raiders ended 2009 with a 12-13 mark.
Recent slated contests included a trip to Grove City Monday, April 5, Westland Tuesday, April 6, and a home game Wednesday, April 7, vs. Newark.
Upcoming games include a double header at Liberty Union Saturday, April 10, with the first pitch at 12 p.m. There'll be a trip to Lancaster Monday, April 12, and home games against Pickerington North, Tuesday, April 13, and Groveport Madison Wednesday, April 14. Start time for these games is 5 p.m.
"I'm really proud of these boys. They are really working hard and I really believe we are going to improve on last year."
After a No. 1 state ranking, a fourth straight Ohio Capital Conference Capital Division title, and an anticlimactic season-ending Ohio Tennis Coaches Association district loss to Upper Arlington in 2009, the New Albany boys tennis team is rebounding with plans to win one match at a time again this season.
Key players Peter Kobelt and John Buell both graduated, and their talents will be missed. Kobelt was last year's Division I state singles champion, one of New Albany's all-time greatest players, and is currently on OSU's team.
But the good news is this year's squad remains experienced, strong, and ready to play yet another all-star schedule.
"I've got a really deep team," said Eagles coach Andy Sinclair. "This year all my guys got better. It's going to be close. We've got a lot of winning to do.
"All seven of my top guys qualified for the districts last year. Kobelt and Buell are gone, but (John) Hendrix looks to move into the starting lineup. And that leaves about four other guys competing for that other spot."
The Eagles' lineup includes seniors Riyad Bennoui, Ryan McNutt, and Nate Williams, juniors Hendrix, Sam Romanoff, and Sean Yun, and sophomores Oliver Sybert, Jordan Rabe, Ameen Farwana, and Julian Judge.
Returning player Riyad Bennoui is a force to reckon with this season. At the same time adding to the team's depth, Hendrix, a transfer student with a bloodline of talented tennis players, is added strength for this year's lineup.
"For Riyad (first singles), I think the sky's the limit," Sinclair said. "He had a 23-1 record last year. He's a contender. He has the ability to win every match this year.
"John Hendrix is a transfer from Columbus Academy. He has a strong lineage -- his grandfather had been the OSU tennis coach years ago and his father is a former OSU varsity player.
"I'm looking for him (Hendrix) to play second or third singles and first doubles this year, depending on the matchup with other teams."
As is often the case in tennis, the biggest challenge for Sinclair is to find the right combinations for doubles and matchups against other teams.
"It's going to be difficult to put the lineup out there and not be successful because they're all going to succeed," said the coach. "It's just a matter of having the right chemistry in the doubles combinations."
It's not a surprise after last year's district loss that the goal this year is to try to make it to the state final four tournament.
"I always tell our players that our expectations are to try to make it to the final four team-wise and to do as well as we can individually. Once you get to that point, then you have to have a little bit of luck and you have to be good and you have to be injury-free. And if the luck and the injuries don't go your way, you might not even make it that far."
To go the distance, Sinclair views Olentangy Liberty and Upper Arlington as the two best local teams to beat.
"Olentangy Liberty and Upper Arlington are both going to be really good again," he said."
"Once you're in the final four, anything can happen. And we have just about as good of chance as anybody in the state at doing that."
In the season openers last week, the Eagles served in a strong start with a 5-0 victory over DeSales (March 29) and a 5-0 win over Hilliard Bradley (March 31).
Contending with sometimes ferocious winds throughout the day, the Gahanna girls team and the Medina boys squad took top honors in the annual Wildcat Premier track and field meet at Hilliard Davidson Saturday, April 3.
Gahanna's girls scored 97 points to beat runner-up Pickerington Central (88). And Medina's boys tallied 129.5 points to outdistance Pickerington North (101.5).
In all, 18 teams were on hand. Twenty-one events were scored.
Local winners were:
In the high jump, Hilliard Darby's Brianna Rispriss won with a leap of 5 feet while Brookhaven's Nigel Preacher topped the field at 6-8.
In the long jump, Hilliard Davidson's Rachel Trautman paced the event (16-3).
In the discus, Dublin Scioto's Hannah Miller won (112-06) as did Westerville South's Collin Smith (190-02).
In the 6,400 relay, Davidson's girls team won (23:47) as did Pickerington North's boys (18:39.1). Lauren Hoover, Elsa Saelens, Caroline Hildebrand and Heather Coonfare made up the Davidson team, while Nick Hissrich, Daniel Garleb, Justin Simmons and Abuckar Shegow made up the Pickerington North contingent.
In the 400 shuttle hurdles, Darby's girls squad came out ahead of the pack (1:09.0). Xerina Hughey, Rispriss, Jordan Alexander and Ellen Ransom ran for Darby.
In the 3,200 relay, Gahanna's girls paced the field (10:04.4). KayKay Garber, Haley Schmitt, Kassy Thomas and Meghan McGuff made up that unit.
Westerville South's Leah Coleman earned the girls' 100 dash crown (13.0) and Brookhaven's boys team took the 800 relay title (1:28.6). Jonzelle Meek, Michael Sellers, Aryton Preacher and Deshawn Alston ran for Brookhaven.
Davidson's Jessica Hoover won the 1,600 (5:33.9) run while Pickerington North's Garleb (4:32.1) also took top honors.
Gahanna's girls won the 400 relay (51.5) with Tianna Morris, Myeshia Parker, TaVen Caruthers and Lynnsey Brim.
Pickerington North's Zena Kolliesuah (58.7) took the 400 dash as did Brookhaven's Alston (50.9) in the boys event.
Pickerington Central's girls (14:16.6) won the distance medley as did Davidson's boys (11:24.8). Nevada Brancifort, Jordon Robinson, Kaitlin Peters and Annie Curie ran for Pickerington Central while Jack Kincade, Austin Shafer, Kenta Shimizu and Nathan Moore ran for Davidson.
Davidson's Coonfare (2:28.6) brought home the 800 run title as did Westerville South's girls (1:54.8) in the 800 sprint medley. Edna Akora, Nikia Buckingham, Alex Hall and Coleman ran for Westerville South.
Gahanna's Brim (26.9) was victorious in the 200 dash as was Sellers (23.5) of Brookhaven.
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