(PHOTO BY RENEA KESSLER / THE VILLAGE REPORTER)
2024 NWOAL PLAYER OF THE YEAR … Bryan’s Carter Dominique delivers a pitch in last year’s district semifinal versus Napoleon. Dominique leads a solid core of returners for Bryan as they look to compete for a league title.
By: Nate Calvin
THE VILLAGE REPORTER
sports@thevillagereporter.com
BRYAN – The NWOAL looks to be as wide-open as ever with defending league champion Archbold reloading after graduating ten letterwinners while other teams bring back a strong contingent from a year ago.
Leading that list are the Bryan Golden Bears, who bring back nine letter winners from last year’s team that advanced to the Division II district semifinals, led by returning NWOAL player of the Year in Carter Dominique.
Patrick Henry brings back a solid group after advancing to the Division IV district final last season as Ohio State commit Mack Hieber fronts a group of eight letter winners returning for third-year head coach Brett Youngman.
Last year’s league runner-up Swanton brings back nine letter winners, including four pitchers, from a season a ago for head coach Josh Siewert as they look to continue the momentum from last season.
Below are team-by-team previews for this season, obtained from information provided by the coaches, in order of last season’s league standings with last year’s record in parentheses.
1. Archbold (14-9, 6-1 NWOAL; Lost in Division III district semifinal to Ottawa Hills, 8-1)
HEAD COACH: Jeff Brunswick (2nd Season)
LETTERWINNERS LOST FROM LAST SEASON: Brady Bacik (IF/OF), Jett Baun (C), Brian Burrowes (IF/P), Stephen Diller (IF/P), Josiah Gomez (OF), Jack Hurst (OF), Jerry Rodriguez (OF), Jayden Seiler (IF/P), Mason Siegel (IF), Anthony Williams (OF)
RETURNING LETTERWINNERS: Kole Boettger (C), Broden Piercefield (IF) – .234 avg., 8 RBIs; Zach Short (P) – 56 IP, 5-4 record, 2.64 ERA, 81 strikeouts; Jace Castillo (P) – 23 IP, 2-3 record, 4.94 ERA, 21 strikeouts
NEWCOMERS: Senior – Kurt Krueger (P); Juniors – CJ Arroyo-Thompson (OF); Max Burrowes (OF), Sean Garcia (IF), Joe Williams (IF); Sophomores – Isaiahs Gracia (IF/P), Aranjer Krieger (IF/OF)
STRENGTHS: Pitching
WEAKNESSES: Replacing last year’s seniors
SEASON OUTLOOK: “We are looking forward to the season. We need to stay healthy and improve every day.”
LEAGUE OUTLOOK: “As always, our league is very strong and competitive. Pitching is incredible this year.”
ABOUT THEIR SCHEDULE: NWOAL Opener: April 14 – Patrick Henry (A)
2. Swanton (12-9, 5-2 NWOAL; Lost in Division III sectional semifinal to Fairview, 7-4)
HEAD COACH: Josh Siewert (6th Season)
LETTERWINNERS LOST FROM LAST SEASON: Brennon Mersing (OF)
RETURNING LETTERWINNERS: SENIORS: Adam Lemon (P/OF) – .270 avg., Pitching – 7-3 record, 1.80 ERA, 77 strikeouts; Drake Harris (C) – .377 avg.; Isaiah Bolyard (2B); Evan Smigelski (1B); Vinnie Fanelli (OF); JUNIORS: Carsen Lemons (3B/P) – .304 avg.; Pitching – 2-2 record, 33 strikeouts; Luke Marlow (SS/P); Brady O’Shea (OF/P) – 18 IP, .80 ERA; Sophomore – Brendan Upham (1B)
NEWCOMERS: Junior – Drew LaPoint; Sophomores – Carson Bond, Evan Reinhard, Drew Koder, Dennis Robinson, Dominic Cook, Owen Hurst
STRENGTHS: Experience, Pitching, Leadership, Defense
WEAKNESSES: Offensive consistency
SEASON OUTLOOK: “If we can continue to do the little things well and execute on the offensive side of the ball, we will have a very successful season.”
LEAGUE OUTLOOK: “We play in one of the toughest leagues around the area, it will take a complete season to be on top of the NWOAL.”
ABOUT THEIR SCHEDULE: NWOAL Opener: April 14 – Liberty Center (H)
3. Bryan (15-12, 5-2 NWOAL; Lost in Division II district semifinal to Napoleon, 8-7 in 8 innings)
HEAD COACH: Corey Walker (4th Season)
LETTERWINNERS LOST FROM LAST SEASON: Jase Kepler (IF/P), Noah Huard (IF/P), Lazarus Lane (IF), Cole Uran (OF), Zaven Alyanakian (OF), Austin Causey (OF)
RETURNING LETTERWINNERS: SENIORS: Carter Dominique (P/IF) – Pitching: 63.2 IP, 6-3 record, 70 strikeouts, 20 walks, 1.42 ERA; Hitting: .377 avg., 29 hits, 7 doubles, 17 RBIs; Landon Bassett (P) – 20.2 IP, 1-2 record, 19 strikeouts, 1.78 ERA; Masen Welling (OF); Dameon Wolfe (Utility) – .119 avg., 3 doubles; Gavin Pittman (P/OF) – .250 avg.; Pitching: 15.2 IP, 0-1 record, 14 strikeouts, 2.68 ERA; Elijah Fry (OF/P) – .172 avg.; JUNIORS: Cade Carlin (P/OF) – .267 avg., 4 doubles, 11 stolen bases; Pitching: 35.1 IP, 3-3 record, 44 strikeouts, 2.77 ERA; Carter Luce (IF) – .300 avg., 2 doubles, 10 RBIs; SOPHOMORE: Camden Bukowski (C/P)
NEWCOMERS: Seniors – Kole Batt, Hunter Muehlfeld; Juniors – Jaymison Longoria, Brennen Mosier, Tucker Miller; Sophomore – Jacob Uran; Freshman- Hunter Watson
STRENGTHS: Pitching depth, outfield play, leadership
WEAKNESSES: Infield experience, power hitting
SEASON OUTLOOK: “With nine returning letter winners and new underclassmen, there will be great competition for playing time. Our focus is on the daily tasks and competing every day to get better. If we can do this, we can compete with anyone on our schedule.”
“We return the majority of our innings on the mound from last year and look for our pitching to be a strength. We are replacing most of our starting infield, so how quickly we get up to speed at those positions will go a long way in determining our success.”
“We have a great group of seniors who we expect to be our leaders both on and off the field. We will look for them to help get our younger guys up to speed to compete in and out of our league schedules.”
LEAGUE OUTLOOK: “The NWOAL this year should be extremely competitive top to bottom. This is truly the most balanced I have seen the league in my time here.”
“Many teams bring back top pitching talent and deep lineups to compete against. We are going to have to play our best game every night out in league play to compete for a league title.”
ABOUT THEIR SCHEDULE: NWOAL Opener: April 14 – Delta (H)
4. Patrick Henry (14-11, 4-3 NWOAL; Lost in Division IV district final to Leipsic, 13-5)
HEAD COACH: Brett Youngman (3rd Season)
LETTERWINNERS LOST FROM LAST SEASON: Nash Meyer – .306 avg., 14 RBIs 5 doubles, 22 hits; Houston Miranda – .221 avg., 1 HR, 13 RBIs, 15 hits, 14 runs; Landon Johnson – Pitching: 23.1 IP, 1-0 record, 21 strikeouts, 0.90 ERA; Hitting: .278 avg., 1 HR, 10 RBIs, 22 runs, 20 hits
RETURNING LETTERWINNERS: SENIORS: Lane Jackson (P/OF), Ian Schwab (P/1B/OF); Jaden Bishop (C) .308 avg.; JUNIORS: Grant Schwab (IF) – .232 avg., 15 runs, 16 hits 7 RBIs; Mack Hieber (P/IF) – .418 avg., 23 hits, 15 runs, 15 RBIs; Mason Jardine (IF) – .243 avg., 18 hits, 11 RBIs; Lane Biederstedt (C/1B) – .246 avg., 15 hits, 10 RBIs; Cal Schroeder (P/OF) – .257 avg., 18 hits, 12 runs
NEWCOMERS: Freshmen – Sullivan Cray (OF), Jackson Meienburg (IF), Henry Gibson (IF)
STRENGTHS: Starting pitching – “We return four starting pitchers that accumulated 85% of our innings last year including 1st team all-league and district player of the year Junior Mack Hieber.” Defense – “We return seven defensive starters.”
WEAKNESSES: “We will be starting the year with a new catcher as our starting catcher is injured.”
SEASON OUTLOOK: “With eight returning lettermen and four returning pitchers, we should be competitive in our league and our district.”
“We have some talented players returning, led by junior pitcher Mack Hieber. We are excited to see how the young players can fill open positions and how our returning players can take our team to the next level and win some championships.”
LEAGUE OUTLOOK: “Our league is always very competitive, filled with a lot of talent. It is always our goal to compete for a league title and we have enough returning players that we could make a run at it.”
ABOUT THEIR SCHEDULE: NWOAL Opener: April 14 – Archbold (H)
5. Evergreen (11-11, 4-3 NWOAL; Lost in Division III sectional final to Lake, 10-2)
HEAD COACH: Chris Owens (1st Season)
LETTERWINNERS LOST FROM LAST SEASON: Ryder Hudik, Brady Kanneman, Cory Kanneman, Hunter Vaculik, Blade Walker
RETURNING LETTERWINNERS: Layne Vance, Colton Robertson, Sean Rafferty, John Herdman, Chris Shrader, Troy Manz, Bryce Bolger
SEASON OUTLOOK: “Our seniors have been very successful in multiple sports this year. We are going to use their leadership to guide us through the season. We will continue to develop the mental side of the game. The goal being to not take pitches off and be mentally ready for every opportunity that presents itself.”
“The first goal will always be to win the NWOAL. This is a very competitive league, with a lot of history. We also striving to play our best baseball in May to put ourselves in the best position for a postseason run.”
LEAGUE OUTLOOK: “The NWOAL is very competitive and successful in every sport at the state level. Most of the athletes play multiple sports, and they know how to compete against each other at a high level.”
“Every year there are favorites to win the league, but in this league, you have to bring your best every game. You cannot take pitches off. You have to play your best baseball against your league opponents.”
ABOUT THEIR SCHEDULE: NWOAL Opener: April 14 – Wauseon (A)
6. Liberty Center (10-10, 2-5 NWOAL; Lost in Division III sectional semifinal to Evergreen, 7-2)
HEAD COACH: Paul LaPlante (2nd Season)
LETTERWINNERS LOST FROM LAST SEASON: Landon Amstutz, Zander Zeiter, Brooks Behnfeldt, Landon Smith, Aiden Tallent, Landon Kruse, Zak Weaver, Ethan Gray
RETURNING LETTERWINNERS: Kaiden Kreinbrink, Braden Vicars, Mason Smith, Tyler Ley, Heath Atkinson
NEWCOMERS: Isaiah Badenhop, Tatum Murdock, Drew Silveus
STRENGTHS: work ethic, team speed, defense
WEAKNESSES: Inexperience
SEASON OUTLOOK: “We are a very young team with many new starters. We will have seven new starters this year with 2-3 freshmen getting varsity work.”
“We should be very competitive this season. The guys have worked very hard I think they’ll surprise some teams considering how young we are.”
LEAGUE OUTLOOK: “The NWOAL looks to be very good again. The league should be very competitive and there should be a lot of great games.”
ABOUT THEIR SCHEDULE: NWOAL Opener: April 14 – Swanton (A)
7. Wauseon (13-15, 2-5 NWOAL; Lost in Division II sectional to Maumee, 4-0)
HEAD COACH: Trent Thomas (19th Season)
LETTERWINNERS LOST FROM LAST SEASON: Mason Thomas (P/Utility), Kaden Clymer (P/OF)
Xavier Martinez (OF), Tate Wyse (P/Utility), Cooper Balser (IF/P)
RETURNING LETTERWINNERS: Seniors – Caleb Kissel (C); Max Russell (P/IF); Braylon Miller (P/IF); Mykale Schneider; Juniors – Kahle Albright (P/OF); Jack Altstaetter (P/OF); Sophomore – Thad Reckner (P/Utility)
NEWCOMERS: Juniors – Brody Balser (P/OF), Cedric Taylor (OF); Sophomore – Lane Schindler (OF), Cam Sherman (P/IF), Rico Vazquez (P/3B), Jesus Canelon (P/IF)
STRENGTHS: Team defense, pitching depth, team speed
WEAKNESSES: Hitting for power, replacing leadership
SEASON OUTLOOK: “We have seven returning letter winners from the 2024 season, including five starters. We also return a varsity starter from the 2023 season who missed the entire 2024 season due to injury.”
“We will need to replace a major piece of our offense with the loss of our offensive leader in most categories due to graduation.”
“We do return some young athletes who greatly improved offensively last season and have had outstanding offseason and preseason workouts.”
LEAGUE OUTLOOK: “As always I believe the NWOAL is very competitive from top to bottom. Many of the top teams from 2024 return their top pitcher so it will be a tall task night in and night out in the NWOAL.”
“We hope that our work in the offseason, our scrimmages and non-league matchups against some of the best programs in the state, will prepare us for the grind of the NWOAL season as well as a run in the tournament.”
ABOUT THEIR SCHEDULE: NWOAL Opener: April 14 – Evergreen (H)
8. Delta (5-18, 0-7 NWOAL; Lost in Division III sectional semifinal to Genoa, 6-3)
HEAD COACH: Dustin Stickley (2nd Season)
LETTERWINNERS LOST FROM LAST SEASON: Joel Arroyo-Sierra (OF) – .254 avg., 14 RBIs, 7 stolen bases; Alex Brown (3B) – .302 avg., 10 stolen bases; Jose Fonseca (OF); Landon Griesinger (P/DH) – .383 avg., 23 hits, 10 RBIs; Caleb Lantz (OF); Maverick Mercer (OF/1B); Brody Waugh (P/1B) – .271 avg., 8 RBIs; Pitching: 19.2 IP
RETURNING LETTERWINNERS: SENIORS – Gabe Cansky (Utility); Vinnie Maurer (2B) – 9 stolen bases; Brady Morr (P/SS) – .279 avg., 17 runs, 19 hits, 21 stolen bases; Pitching – 39 IP, 62 strikeouts; Cody Stricker (OF); JUNIORS – Nathan Elton (IF/P); Hayden Boulton (OF/P); Jadon Lohman (1B/P); Jack Tedrick (OF); Gary Valentine (IF/P); SOPHOMORES – Carlos DeSantos (3B/P) – .262 avg., 9 runs; Pitching: 31 IP, 41 strikeouts; Lane Lopez (C) – .309, 17 hits, 7 stolen bases
NEWCOMERS: Junior – Wyatt Flickinger (OF/P); Sophomore – Jacob Walter (Utility/P)
STRENGTHS: Team speed, offense, versatility
WEAKNESSES: Varsity experience, pitching
SEASON OUTLOOK: “We look to be competitive with a very tough schedule early in the season. We have many kids that were on varsity last year, but didn’t get much game experience.”
“As some of the inexperienced players develop, I think we can get our proud program back on track. The kids have worked hard all off-season and early spring and are very motivated to get back to contending every day.”
LEAGUE OUTLOOK: “NWOAL is as deep as it has been in recent years. Every school has the talent and ability to beat anyone. Should be a fun year in one of the best baseball leagues in the area.”
ABOUT THEIR SCHEDULE: NWOAL Opener: April 14 – Bryan (A)