CVCA, Highland, Hoban, Nordonia, STVM, Tallmadge, Twinsburg, Walsh are baseball standouts
The 2024 calendar has reached May and the OHSAA sectional and district baseball tournaments begin this month.
Several teams in the Greater Akron area are playing at a level required of a champion, and we rank the Akron area's eight best below.
The OHSAA state tournament is in June once again at Canal Park in Akron.
Check out what's happening with these talented teams:
1. Walsh Jesuit (11-4, 4-1 Crown)
Coach Joe Bowers has a much younger team this season after 22 seniors graduated last season, but WJ has pitching depth and earned recent wins over St. John's Jesuit, North Royalton, St. Edward, Padua, ND-CL and Kenston.
Senior left-hander Sam Pece, a Miami (Ohio) recruit, is 2-1 with a 2.10 ERA and 20 strikeouts in 16⅓ innings. He also plays first base and is batting .273 with a grand slam home run and eight RBIs. Sophomore right-hander Shawn Sullivan, an Alabama recruit, is 1-1 with a 0.56 ERA and 18 strikeouts in 12⅓ innings. Sophomore Caleb Mecurio is 1-0 with one save, a 0.95 ERA and 19 strikeouts in 14⅔ innings.
Walsh's other reliable pitchers are juniors Nathan Bonus (2-0, one save, 19 strikeouts, 13⅓ innings, 1.57 ERA); Anthony Alberty (two saves, 0.00 ERA, 12 strikeouts, 9⅓ innings) and Andrew Pryzbyz (3-0, 21 strikeouts, 12⅔ innings).
Sophomore Matt Mansbery, junior Zach Swiderski, senior Connor Romanini and junior Aiden Henry have each hit one home run. Mansbery, Swiderski and Henry all have 11 RBIs. Mansbery is batting .308 with 13 runs. Henry has 13 runs.
2. Archbishop Hoban (12-4)
Hoban features seniors Parker Falkenstein (Wright State recruit), Michael Ciavolella (Eastern Michigan) and Noah LaFine (Vanderbilt), who all started as freshmen on the Division II state championship team in 2021. The trio helped the Knights finish as Division II state runner-up in 2022 and win a Division I district title in 2023.
Hoban, coached by Derek Carmichael, has wins over Hamilton Badin, University School, Strongsville and Louisville, as well as reigning state champions Kenston and Berlin Hiland.
Falkenstein (.341, 14 runs, one home run) and Ciavolella (four home runs, 11 RBIs, 14 runs) are starters in the outfield. LaFine, a right-handed pitcher, is 3-0 with a 1.41 ERA and 33 strikeouts in 24⅔ innings.
Junior Andrew Karhoff, an Ohio State University recruit, is 3-0 with a 0.53 ERA in 13 innings, and is batting .316 with seven RBIs and 10 runs.
Hoban's other top players are senior Landan Browning (Dayton, .381, 2-1, 3.26 ERA, 15 innings); junior Will Givens (.350, seven RBIs, eight runs, three saves); junior Justice Buckner (one home run, 13 RBIs); senior Masud Jennings; junior Peyton Weigand (3-0, 1.53 ERA, 15 strikeouts, 13⅔ innings); sophomore Zach Karhoff (.450); and freshman Dashel Hemlick (1-0, one save, 17 strikeouts, 14 innings).
3. Twinsburg (11-3, 8-0 SLNC)
Twinsburg is tied with North Royalton atop the SLNC standings under first-year coach Jim Lipinski. The Tigers have two wins apiece over Wadsworth, Stow and Solon and victories over Brecksville, Hudson and Amherst Steele.
Senior pitcher Josh Stalnaker, an Ashland recruit, is 3-0 with a 1.12 ERA and 36 strikeouts in 25 innings. He also plays third base and is hitting .333, 21 runs and nine RBIs.
Twinsburg's other key pitchers are junior Lucas Tinter (1-1, 1.16 ERA) and seniors Tommy Polen (1-0, one save, 0.65 ERA) and Leyton Torok (1-0, one save, 0.75 ERA).
Twinsburg's other top players are seniors Kris Kimmel (.471, two home runs, 16 runs, 15 RBIs), Jack Phillips, AJ Taneja and Jaden Dye and juniors Jason Cox (.306, nine RBIs), Bobby Lemieux (.275, 15 runs, 10 stolen bases) and Lane Conway. Tigers junior Owen Shinada, an Indiana University recruit, has been sidelined by an injury.
4. CVCA (13-3, 9-0 PAC)
CVCA, coached by Jason Herblet, has won 12 games in a row, including two victories apiece over Manchester and Canton South and victories over St. Vincent-St. Mary, Canton McKinley and Triway.
Senior second baseman/outfielder Juilan Hernandez is batting .383 with 17 runs and junior catcher Ryan Wiehe is hitting .354 with a home run, 17 runs and 14 RBIs.
Junior John Harabedian is CVCA's ace at 4-1 with a no-hitter against Manchester, a one-hitter versus Triway, a 1.16 ERA and 47 strikeouts in 30 innings.
CVCA's other top players are sophomore Kyle Shaw (.364, 3-0, 3.07 ERA, 19 strikeouts, 13⅔ innings); senior Nicky Rovelli (.372, 13 runs, nine RBIs); senior Luke Wiggers (.354, 19 RBIs); junior Thad Eaton; sophomore Jacob Lancy; sophomore Connor McGough; and junior Nik Wirsching (3-0, 1.61 ERA, 22 strikeouts).
5. St. Vincent-St. Mary (15-4)
First-year coach Ben Shepherd and the Irish are enjoying success with quality wins over Latrobe (Pennsylvania), Norton, Otsego, Padua, Tallmadge and Nordonia.
Senior shortstop Devon Lehman, a Walsh University recruit, is batting .508 BA with 31 hits and 23 RBIs. Senior catcher/first baseman Dan Krabill, an Oberlin recruit, is batting .438 with 28 hits and 18 RBIs. Lehman and Krabill both have a home run.
STVM's top pitchers are junior Tyler Slone (3-0, 28 strikeouts, 25 innings, 1.40 ERA); junior Matt Large (5-0, one save, 1.89 ERA, 50 strikeouts, 33⅓ innings) and senior Connor Christie (John Carroll recruit, 3-0, three saves, 0.32 ERA, 26 strikeouts, 22 innings). Slone is also batting .327 with a home run and 14 RBIs and Christie is batting .344.
STVM's other top players are senior Max Milkovich (.290, 10 RBIs), juniors Zack Kurkey and Ashton Tamzarian (.300, 11 RBIs), sophomore Rylan Hurley (.349, 13 RBIs) and freshman Matt Engelhart.
6. Nordonia (12-7, 7-2 SLNC)
Nordonia coach Drew Hoisington has guided the Knights to wins over Highland and Padua, a split with Wadsworth and two wins apiece over Brecksville and Solon.
Senior pitcher Dash Lanzilotta, a Grove City College recruit, is 3-0 with a 1.25 ERA and 31 strikeouts in 28 innings. He also plays outfield and is batting .308 with seven RBIs.
Junior catcher Owen Smotek is hitting .457 with three triples, 13 RBIs and 14 runs. Senior center fielder Kyan Freyhauf, a Baldwin Wallace recuit, is batting .415 with six doubles, 15 RBIs and 10 runs. Senior shortstop Trent Alvord, a Mount Union recruit, is hitting .386 with eight RBIs and 20 runs.
Nordonia's other top players are seniors Vinny Hack (nine RBIs, 10 runs), Matt Janosek (1-1, 1.31 ERA) and Michael Ebert and juniors Ben Chesser (2-1), Evan Leitner (3-3) and Dominic Gundic (1-1, 0.47 ERA).
7. Tallmadge (8-6, 6-1 SLAC)
Veteran coach Kenny Linn has over 400 career wins and a team atop the SLAC. Tallmadge split with Highland, and has quality wins over Revere, Copley, Aurora and Pittsford (New York).
Tallmadge's top pitchers are seniors Keagan Gilbride (5-0, 57 strikeouts in 36 innings, 0.77 ERA) and Mark Manzo and juniors Mac Williams (1-1, 2.50 ERA) and Braden Moses. Manzo also is hitting .409 with 13 runs, and Williams is at .303 with 10 RBIs.
Tallmadge's other top players are juniors Brady Headrick (.357, 11 runs), Izaac Zraik, Caleb Reifsnyder and Gabe Jones (.292, 10 RBIs) and seniors Carson Davis and Ryan Peters.
8. Highland (10-6, 7-2 SLAC)
Highland, coached by Jay Grissom, has nonleague wins over Granville, Buckeye and Westlake. The Hornets split with league rivals Tallmadge and Aurora and topped Copley, Revere, Barberton and Kent.
Senior Hunter Winston, an Ohio University recruit, is Highland's ace at 4-1 with a 0.81 ERA and 63 strikeouts in 34⅓ innings, and also has hit a home run. Sophomore Dan Miller is 3-1 with a 0.95 ERA and 27 strikeouts in 22 innings.
Junior Peyton Ganda has four saves, a 1.61 ERA and 13 strikeouts in 8⅔ innings. Junior outfielder Jayden Barr is Highland's leading hitter at .314 with a home run, nine RBIs and nine runs.
Other key Highland players are seniors Shane Cope (10 RBIs), John Toth (Ashland recruit) and Matt Fillinger, sophomore Casey Myser and juniors Landon Sooy (.292, 10 stolen bases) and Noah Radigan.
Michael Beaven can be reached at mbeaven@thebeaconjournal and is on Twitter at @MBeavenABJ.
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: CVCA, Hoban, STVM, Tallmadge, Twinsburg, Walsh top Akron-area baseball
