24 in 2024: Players to watch in Stark County-area high school baseball

The high school baseball season is underway in Ohio, and there is no shortage of talent around the Stark County area.

Here are 24 of the top players to watch locally in 2024.

Mason Ashby, North Canton Hoover, senior

One of the fastest players in the area, Ashby became Hoover's career leader in stolen bases in the Vikings' season-opening win. He batted .337 with 25 runs scored and 25 stolen bases last year. The Mount Union football recruit also went 4-2 on the mound with a 1.95 ERA.

Jackson Boles, GlenOak, senior

The Cuyahoga Community College recruit was one of the Federal League's best run producers last year. He batted .315 with 22 RBIs and 11 extra-base hits, including two home runs, in helping the Golden Eagles win a share of their first league title since 2011.

Ryan Bruni, Alliance, senior

A four-year varsity catcher, Bruni batted .355 with two home runs, four doubles, 15 RBIs and 26 runs scored last year, earning EBC Player of the Year. The Walsh University recruit led the Aviators to an outright EBC title, their first league championship of any kind since 2009.

Nathan Bryant, Lake Center Christian, sophomore

A 6-foot-3 right-hander, Bryant hit the ground running as a freshman for the Tigers. He went 6-2 with a 1.87 ERA, striking out 62 batters in 45 innings as Lake Center won league and district titles. Bryant also batted .366 with eight doubles and 19 RBIs.

Owen Burick, Louisville, senior

Burick comes over to the Leopards from St. Thomas Aquinas, where he batted .512 last season. That led the area by 30 percentage points. Burick had eight doubles and 18 runs scored.

Austin Coy, Canton Central Catholic, junior

Coy is Stark County's leading returner in ERA (0.62 last year). The right-hander went 3-0 in eight appearances (five starts) with a 0.72 WHIP.

Landen Doll, Jackson, junior

The 6-3 lefty is a Marshall recruit. He was good in limited varsity action as a sophomore (2-0, 0.57 ERA). Expect him to play a much, much bigger role this season in a deep pitching staff for the Polar Bears, who shared last year's Federal League title with GlenOak.

Wyatt Fether, Jackson, senior

The Lake Center Christian transfer — a Clarion University recruit — was last year's Portage Trail Conference Player of the Year, helping the Division IV Tigers to their first league title in program history and first district championship since 2009. Fether, who led the county with 34 RBIs to go with a .367 batting average and 13 extra-base hits, joins another talented Jackson team.

Tyler Hackenbracht, Massillon, junior

Already a three-year starter, Hackenbracht homered in the Tigers' opener and could be lined up for a big season. The University of Toledo football recruit batted .299 with 14 stolen bases, 15 RBIs and 17 runs scored last year as Massillon won 17 games and finished as district runner-up.

Jimmy Kane, Canton Central Catholic, senior

The Mercyhurst University recruit drove in a team-high 23 runs last year with nine doubles, 11 runs scored and a .306 batting average. An outfielder and pitcher, Kane also sported a 2.30 ERA and struck out 53 batters in 42⅔ innings on the mound.

Noah Kubasky, Lake, junior

The big lefty first baseman and pitcher — a Kansas State recruit — led the Federal League in batting (.439) and RBIs (27) last year. Kubasky added seven doubles, two triples and OPS of 1.098 while working 28⅓ innings on the mound.

Dylan Maninga, Lake Center Christian, senior

The coaches association Division IV district pitcher of the year a season ago, Maninga went 10-2 with a save and a 1.33 ERA. He also played third base, batting .316 with 25 runs scored and 21 RBIs as the Tigers won their first league title in program history and first district championship since 2009. Maninga is a Malone University golf recruit.

Quincy Mazeke, GlenOak, junior

The outfielder is a University of Cincinnati recruit with the ability for a breakout season.

Cole Miller, Louisville, senior

A three-year starter for the Leopards who helped them get to a Division II regional final as a sophomore and a Division I district final last year. The Malone University recruit drove in 19 runs and had nine extra-base hits last year while going 4-3 on the mound with a 1.72 ERA.

Carter Mottice, Jackson, senior

The Bowling Green recruit is a tremendous defensive centerfielder who batted .363 with 23 runs scored, 16 RBIs and 15 stolen bases last season, helping Jackson to a share of its second straight Federal League title (and eighth in the last nine seasons).

Nick Petro, Sandy Valley, senior

A three-sport standout and one of Stark County's best all-around athletes, it's baseball Petro plans to play at Walsh University. The shortstop/pitcher led the area in walks (28) while ranking second in runs scored (32) and third in batting (.463) and stolen bases (27). On the mound, Petro ranked second in saves (five), fourth in strikeouts (70) and sixth in ERA (1.30). He's already thrown a no-hitter this season.

AJ Pierson, Canton South, senior

The hard-throwing right-hander is a Lake Erie College recruit and a fourth-year varsity player. Opponents went into this season batting .155 off him. Pierson struck out 34 batters in 27⅔ innings and sported a 3.04 ERA last year. Also a third baseman, he batted .333.

Brock Polilli, Massillon, junior

Polilli has the responsibility of being the Tigers' No. 1 pitcher and starting catcher. As a sophomore, he went 4-2 with a 1.51 ERA on the mound. He also was a productive bat with a .302 average, 14 RBIs and 17 walks for a Massillon team that went 17-7 and advanced to a district final.

Brady Rollyson, Green, senior

The 2023-24 Federal League Boys Basketball Player of the Year also happens to be the reigning Federal League Baseball Player of the Year. The shortstop Rollyson, an Ohio State recruit, batted .417 last year with 21 runs scored, 17 stolen bases and 15 walks.

Olly Schrader, East Canton, senior

Schrader produced one of the best all-around seasons in the area last year, which netted him second team All-Ohio in Division IV. The outfielder/pitcher, a Muskingum University recruit, led the area in runs scored (34) and stolen bases (36) while batting .438 with nine doubles, three triples and 11 RBIs. He also went 5-3 with a save and a 2.17 ERA on the mound, striking out 62 batters in 48⅓ innings.

Ben Sibert, GlenOak, junior

Sibert produced a remarkable sophomore season on the mound, going 7-1 with a 1.15 ERA. The wins and the ERA led the Federal League among qualifying pitchers. The right-hander was a big reason GlenOak earned a share of its first League title in 12 years.

Jake Sweetnich, Jackson, senior

The right-hander emerged as Jackson's No. 1 starter last season, going 5-1 with a 1.67 ERA. He also made the most out of limited plate appearances, posting a .355 average with nine RBIs in 31 at-bats.

Landon Thiel, Jackson, sophomore

A 6-7 lefty, Thiel quickly became a major weapon both as a starter and out of the bullpen for Jackson last year. He went 5-0 with two saves and a 1.66 ERA over 13 appearances as a freshman, helping the Polar Bears to a share of the Federal League title. Thiel might be the most heavily recruited player currently in Stark County, with Prep Baseball Report ranking him as the No. 3 left-hander in the state in the class of 2026.

Savian Wilkins, Canton McKinley, senior

A workhorse for the Bulldogs, Wilkins logged 60⅔ innings last year, going 4-7 with three saves and a 2.08 ERA. He also drove in 17 runs at the plate as he earned All-Federal League first team.

Reach Josh at josh.weir@cantonrep.com

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This article originally appeared on The Repository: Ohio high school baseball | Stark County-area players to watch in 2024