From Eric Geddes to Jack Pincoe, 15 Portage County baseball players to watch in 2024

Let's take a look at some of the area's top baseball talent, which includes returning all-state selections Brandyn Bogucki and Eric Geddes of Garfield, and eight all-district honorees from a year ago:

Tony Karp, Rootstown senior

A standout at the hot corner since his sophomore season, Karp returns as the "leader of the infield," said Rovers coach Keith Waesch. With a powerful build, Karp can drive the ball a long way, but what makes him special is that, at heart, he is a brilliant line-drive hitter. Indeed, last season he hit a whopping .508 with 31 RBIs en route to first team all-district honors.

Austin Biggin, Rootstown senior

While Karp leads the Rovers infield, the team will lean just as heavily on Biggin at the plate (where he hit .426 last year), in the outfield and on the mound. A second team all-district selection in the outfield a year ago, Biggin also unquestionably has the stuff to lead Rootstown's talented rotation.

Nate Fletcher, Aurora senior

A University of Rhode Island commit, Fletcher was already regarded as one of the area's top pitchers. His preseason all-state selection only put that in bold letters. With 39 strikeouts in just 29⅔ innings a year ago, Fletcher brings serious swing-and-miss stuff to the mound.

Brandyn Bogucki, Garfield sophomore

Bogucki proved he wasn't your ordinary freshman last year, serving as an extraordinary leadoff hitter for the G-Men (.520, 42 runs, 36 SBs, 21 RBIs) and earning second team all-state honors. Finding a good leadoff hitter can be a challenge for high school baseball coaches. It looks like G-Men coach Michael Paes won't have that issue anytime soon.

Eric Geddes, Garfield senior

The G-Men had not one all-state selection a year ago, but two. Simply put, Garfield was awfully tough to beat with Geddes on the mound, where he went 9-1 with a 1.30 ERA. That included a masterpiece against Kirtland in a district semifinal. The Mahoning Valley Athletic Conference Grey Tier Player of the Year and Ohio Dominican University commit was also a force at the plate, batting .456 with 34 RBIs and 25 runs.

Kayden Smith, Field senior

A big-time pitcher last year for the Falcons, excelling as their number three starter and top reliever, Smith will take on an even bigger role on the mound with the graduation of their top two starters. Smith (5-1, 2.10 ERA, 39 strikeouts in 30 innings) boasts "nice movement on his pitches," per coach Joe Peterson. And that's not even where the versatile Smith earned his all-district honors a year ago, as he was instead recognized for his work in the infield and at the plate, where he hit .381 with 10 doubles, 26 runs and 35 RBIs a year ago.

Grady Eader, Field junior

A year ago, the Falcons entrusted a sophomore to handle the critical shortstop position for them, and Eader shone in that role. Per coach Joe Peterson, Eader is "super smooth in the field with a ton of pop at the plate," batting .318 last year with 11 extra-base hits, including nine doubles, and nine stolen bases.

Aric May, Waterloo junior

May earned first team all-league honors as a sophomore. For good reason. As coach Jeremy Randles put it, May is "as athletic as they come," as demonstrated by his 42 stolen bases. It helps that May reaches base an awful lot, batting .480 in 2023. Oh, and May plays a fine shortstop, where he boasts "a ton of range."

Jack Pincoe, Streetsboro senior

A year ago, Pincoe worked alongside Noah Newman to give the Rockets a remarkable one-two punch on the mound. Now, Pincoe steps into the role of Streetsboro's undisputed ace after posting a remarkable 0.72 ERA last year. He finished with 49 strikeouts against just 16 walks. Moreover, Pincoe is equally effective when he's off the mound, playing an outstanding shortstop and batting .279 last year.

Braden Craft, Streetsboro junior

Don't forget about Pincoe's battery-mate. Craft was "our best hitter" last season, per coach Chris Scisciani, in addition to his work behind the plate. Craft batted an impressive .338 as a sophomore, earning second team all-league honors, and also boasts the flexibility to play middle infield for the Rockets.

Ronnie Skye, Mogadore senior

It's been a while since we saw Skye after he missed his junior season with a wrestling injury. Perhaps people have forgotten how good Skye was as a sophomore, when all he did was go 7-1 with a 1.40 ERA with just nine walks in 50 innings.

Teddy Maccarone, Roosevelt sophomore

Maccarone was a natural last season at the plate (.299, 21 runs, 18 RBIs), second base and on the mound (with a 2.52 ERA in 25 innings). Among the impressive things he did as a freshman, Maccarone drew nearly as many walks (12) as he had strikeouts (15). With the graduation of Donovan Daetwyler, Maccarone will shift over from second base, where he earned second team all-Suburban honors a year ago, to shortstop, where he should excel.

Nate Muncy, Southeast senior

Muncy joined a rare club when he committed to play college baseball at Kent State. Simply put, there haven't been many Portage County ballplayers who have suited up for the Golden Flashes in recent years. It's no mystery what KSU saw in Muncy as a big lefty with plenty of heat on the mound to go with a beautiful 12-6 curveball he developed throughout his high school career (along with his long-standing change-up). Oh, and Muncy has always been an outstanding hitter, even topping .400 as a freshman.

Zach Williams, Aurora senior

Williams oozed potential last season, amassing a 0.98 ERA through 21⅓ innings. Remarkably, he struck out nearly three times as many batters (22) as he walked (eight) last year. His junior season included holding an always strong Tallmadge team to just one run over six innings with eight strikeouts. With the graduation of ace Ben Schechterman, expect Williams' role to increase along with that of Fletcher.

Jack Eye, Windham junior

"A staple for us over the last couple years," per coach Jake Eye, Jack Eye hit .524 with 21 RBIs a year ago. The junior "has matured both physically and mentally and has the ability to change a game at any given time," per Jake Eye, including with his power at the plate and his "strong arm" in the field and on the mound.

This article originally appeared on Record-Courier: From Geddes to Pincoe, 15 Portage County baseball players to watch