Former Licking County rivals lead Utica Post 92 in American Legion state tournament
LANCASTER — A last-minute decision gave Chase Boroff one more summer in the sun.
The Utica Post 92 baseball team is happy to have the Johnstown graduate. Boroff has been one of the top players at the plate and in the field for Utica this summer, which began play Monday in the American Legion state tournament at Beavers Field in Lancaster.
“I wasn’t supposed to play, but I couldn’t give up the sport that fast,” said Boroff, whose twin brother Cole will play collegiately at Capital. Chase, however, saw his baseball career coming to a close.
Not so fast. Boroff has hit over .350 from Nos. 1 and 2 spots in the order and has split time at second base and shortstop.
“In the summer compared to school ball, the pressure is off your shoulders, and it’s just good to have a good time out there with the boys,” Chase Boroff added.
On Monday, Utica dropped its first game 3-1 to Sidney Post 217 before rebounding in an elimination game Monday night and leading Wayne County Post 68 8-0 in the sixth inning when storms suspended the game. The winner advances to play at 7 p.m. Tuesday with the tournament continuing through Thursday’s championship round.
Newark senior Thomas Olon threw six solid innings in the loss to Sidney, allowing single runs in three separate innings hurt by a couple of bad bounces on hit and pitched balls.
“Some of my pitches I could have executed a little better, but obviously you are going to have a few misses,” Olon said. “Overall, I thought it was pretty good. Still always room for improvement.”
Olon has been Utica’s ace, reaching the 40-inning mark on the summer with 44 strikeouts. He struck out six and walked one on Monday after picking up a victory in the regional tournament against Westerville Post 171 on July 17.
Olon will be a candidate next spring for Newark to replace some of the 95⅓ innings that left with the graduation of Owen Poole and Jayce Dansby.
“The big thing for Thomas is he was just trying to get reps and show what he could do,” Post 92 coach Tyler Osborne said. “He is getting a lot of experience and has done really well for us. That’s why he deserved the Game 1 start for us.”
Added Olon: “I am looking to hopefully go farther with my pitching career, hopefully play some type of college ball. I have the ability with decent off-speed and get my fastball a little faster to get some good opportunities.”
Watkins Memorial graduate Trace Hartman, who joined Post 92 midway through the summer as a first baseman and designated hitter, singled and scored in Monday’s first game, and Johnstown senior Caiden Scholl had a hit and an RBI.
Newark Catholic graduate Braylon Bates was dominant in Monday’s second game, striking out 12 in five innings. Hartman homered and doubled, driving in three, and and Newark graduate Cole Kesman also homered. Newark graduate Hunter Vogel and Watkins graduate Alec Bennett each added a double.
“You usually are playing against all of these kids during school ball, so it’s definitely a different experience to play with them, cheer with them, support each other,” Chase Boroff said. “Definitely big Trace from Watkins, you always kind of have a grudge against players from over there. He is a great kid and a great player. I am glad I got to play with him.”
Post 92 also has received strong work on the mound from Utica junior Aidyn Burgess, Northridge graduate Quentin Felhofer and NC senior Nathan Riggleman.
Bennett has been an ignitor at the top of the order, and Vogel and Kesman are the veterans of the group, sticking with a program that has been Osborne’s since he played in the summer while starring for Newark and rejoined as a coach when his playing career at Capital ended.
“The more schools we pull from makes the program expand a lot more,” Osborne said. “The summer team is getting talked about at that school. It used to be I almost had a full roster of Newark kids and maybe a couple Utica kids. It’s widening the pool of players and making us better and better every single year.”
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This article originally appeared on Newark Advocate: Licking County rivals Utica Post 92 in Ohio American Legion tournament
