Here are the top players to watch this high school baseball season in the Muskingum Valley
The basketballs and wrestling mats have been put away for safe keeping.
Soon — at least we hope — the sun will return to Ohio. That means baseball will return with some measure of regularity for area high school teams.
In the meantime, here is a look at some players to watch this season.
Big school baseball: Sheridan aims to defend MVL title; Zanesville led by a familiar face
Caden Sheridan, Sheridan, C/P
This is hardly a surprise.
The Generals' senior, coming off a first-team All-Ohio senior season at quarterback, has already inked a scholarship offer from Division I Morehead State (Kentucky) for his skills on the diamond.
Small School Baseball: Race should be tight for division crown
He batted .582 with 19 extra-base hits in 98 at-bats as a junior, collecting 39 RBIs in the process. His five homers trailed only John Glenn's Colt Emerson, who was a first-round draft choice of the Seattle Mariners.
While focusing mainly on his catching duties last season, he still managed a 2.03 ERA with 30 strikeouts across 20 2/3 innings.
Brady Kaufman, Tri-Valley, P/IF
Kaufman, who reaches the mid-80s with his fastball, was one of the MVL's top right-handed pitchers by season's end as a sophomore, forming the back half of a 1-2 punch at the top of the rotation with senior Landon Harney.
It was Kaufman who drew the Division II district final against New Philadelphia, when he allowed three runs over five innings with five strikeouts. He finished with a 1.20 ERA with 28 strikeouts but will be in for a bigger role this season.
He was equally valuable at the dish, where he hit batted .313 with 13 doubles and 21 RBIs. He will play shortstop this season as senior Ashton Sensibaugh moves to the outfield.
Isaac McGill, New Lexington, P/IF
Like Kaufman, he owns one of the biggest right arms in the MVL.
The hard-throwing senior was first-team All-MVL and second-team All-Southeast District in Division II as a junior, teaming with Tatem Toth and Garrett Blosser to form the top rotation in the Small School Division.
McGill and Blosser are back and thriving in a small sample size. McGill struck out 11 in a four-hitter on March 28 against Maysville; Blosser fanned 18 in a one-hitter against Coshocton.
The Panthers, with four three-year starters, figure to be a threat to all comers following a 14-9 season.
A.J. Winders, Sheridan, SS
Winders, in his third year as a starter for coach Doug Fisher's Generals, batted .385 with six doubles and 19 RBIs as a junior. He was also a threat on the bases.
That athleticism helped him become a vital two-way starter at receiver and cornerback during an All-Ohio football campaign. It also helps his defense on the diamond, which is equally valuable for one of the league's top pitching staffs.
Nate Better, Tri-Valley, CF
An all-around talent, Better hit .328 with five doubles and 18 stolen bases as a junior on the Scotties' district runner-up squad.
He's part of a veteran unit this year, where he, Sensibaugh and Kaufman anchor a formidable top of the order.
Jack Lincicome, Philo, P
A lanky lefty, Lincicome was thrust into a key pitching role as a freshman and more then held his own, posting a 4-0 record with a 2.90 ERA and 39 strikeouts.
A second-team All-MVL pick, he will be one coach Hunter Smith's anchors this season on a team replacing nine seniors from an 11-13 squad in 2023.
Carson Mummey, Morgan, P/IF
Mummey is more than a basketball scoring machine, as evidenced by his .371 average at the plate and 2.06 ERA in 34 innings pitched as a junior. It was enough for first-team All-MVL honors.
He is back with classmate Logan Niceswanger to form one of the MVL's top senior tandems — Niceswanger hit .381 with 16 RBIs in an All-MVL campaign as a junior.
Mikey Burkhart, Rosecrans, IF/P
The versatile Burkhart, a veteran, can play left field, shortstop and third base. But his pitching will be most valuable this season after posting a 1.83 ERA for the Bishops during a 12-8 campaign in 2023.
He's also solid at the plate, hitting combining a .280 average with 15 RBIs.
Burkhart and classmate Brendan Bernath, who hit .297 with 23 runs scored last season and also pitches, will lead a veteran Bishops team hoping to claim the Mid-State League-Cardinal Division.
Coby Moore, Coshocton, P/SS
Moore, the team's No. 2 starter behind All-Ohioan Hudson Wesney as a junior, is the team's ace this season. Also a shortstop, he has lettered each of his three previous years.
His play garnered first-team All-MVL and first-team All-East District in Division III.
First-year coach Scott Loomis, in his second stint as head coach, will lean heavily on Moore, Gage Wright and Evan Unger after losing five seniors from a 13-10 squad to graduation.
Others on the radar ...
Brady Cottrell, Crooksville; Mack Wilson, River View; Coyle Withrow, Sheridan; Bryson Ruff, Sheridan; Ryan Kuhn, Sheridan; Gage Wright, Coshocton; Cam Fowler, West Muskingum; Wes Houston, West Muskingum; Tyler Debolt, Maysville; Coen Fink, Maysville; Riley Needles, Zanesville; Canon Mercer, Zanesville; Noah Winland, John Glenn; Kyler Brennen, Tri-Valley; Mason Pyle, New Lexington; Bentley Hanson, New Lexington; Jerek Braglin, New Lexington.
sblackbu@gannett.com; X: @SamBlackburnTR
This article originally appeared on Zanesville Times Recorder: This season's top high school baseball players in the Muskingum Valley
