MOUNT VERNON — High school baseball season has arrived in Ohio, whether Mother Nature likes it or not.
Knox County’s five teams will enter the 2022 campaign with the potential to make noise. Each program will return a considerable amount of experience, with no team welcoming back fewer than six starters from the year before.
Fredericktown will look to capture its third straight Knox-Morrow Athletic Conference title and its fourth straight district title this spring, albeit after graduating two all-Ohioans and eight seniors from last year’s squad.
East Knox will look to challenge for the KMAC crown and claim its second straight district title this season, having made history in 2021 by winning the program’s first. The Bulldogs will welcome back seven starters from last year’s storybook group.
Centerburg and Mount Vernon will look to contend for titles in their respective leagues. The Trojans will return several key pieces from last year’s team, which finished tied for fourth in the KMAC. The Jackets, meanwhile, will welcome back a similar amount of experience, and will look to contend for an Ohio Cardinal Conference title this year after placing third last season.
Danville, which finished last in the KMAC last year, will welcome back the most starters (eight) of any county team this spring. Behind a veteran core, the Blue Devils will look to improve and climb the conference ladder in 2022.
The county will feature a new head coach this spring, as Josh Moss takes the reins at Centerburg. The regular season began March 26 and will continue through mid-May.
Here’s what to expect from each team:
Centerburg Trojans
Record last year: 11-11 (7-7 in the KMAC)
Conference finish: Tied for fourth place in the KMAC
Tournament finish: Lost in the sectional final to Columbus Academy, 4-1. Trojans were seeded seventh in the Division III Central District, Vikings were seeded ninth.
Who graduated: Brock Hurtt, IF (first-team all-KMAC); Joe Tepper, P (second-team all-KMAC); Ian Arny, IF (all-academic KMAC)
Who’s back: The Trojans will welcome back nine varsity letter-winners and six starters from last year’s team. Among the key returners:
- Dakota Baer, senior OF | Baer earned first-team all-KMAC and second-team all-Ohio honors last season. He batted .405 with 3 home runs and 8 doubles. He also recorded a team-high 16 stolen bases.
- Dalton Hall, senior C | Hall earned honorable mention all-KMAC honors last season. The four-year starter batted .321, while collecting 25 RBI and 10 stolen bases.
- Isaiah Reynolds, senior IF | Reynolds batted .300 last year with 20 RBI and 8 doubles.
- Griffin Collins, senior P | The two-year starter struck out 40 batters in 42 innings pitched last year.
Coach’s quote: “We return a strong nucleus of players while still having competitive opportunities to fill spots vacated by graduation. Pitching will be young with several guys competing for roles on the staff,” first-year head coach Josh Moss said.
“We have high expectations, and I am excited to see how this team develops throughout the season.”
Danville Blue Devils
Record last year: 5-24 (0-14 in the KMAC)
Conference finish: Last in the KMAC
Tournament finish: Lost in the district semifinal to Fisher Catholic, 10-0. Blue Devils were seeded 10th in the Division IV Central District, Irish were seeded first. Danville beat ninth-seeded Tree of Life Christian in the sectional final, 6-4.
Who graduated: Trevor Sturgeon (honorable mention all-KMAC)
Who’s back: The Blue Devils will welcome back eight varsity letter-winners and eight starters from last year’s team. Among the key returners:
- Wyatt Weckesser, senior IF/P | Weckesser earned second-team all-KMAC honors last season. (Stats unavailable)
- Darren Mickley, senior OF/P
- Levi Lyons, junior IF
- Joey Mickley, junior IF/P
Coach’s quote: “This upcoming season is going to be a fun one,” 11th-year head coach Brian Bratton said. “We have a great group of kids coming back this year. We are very young in key position but the boys are picking things up and learning very fast.
“We play in a very tough league (in the) KMAC, and every night will be grind. We just have to prepare for each day and go out and do our job.”
East Knox Bulldogs
Record last year: 15-13 (8-6 in the KMAC)
Conference finish: Third place in the KMAC
Tournament finish: Lost in the regional semifinals to Berlin Hiland, 8-0. The Bulldogs won their first district title in program history last spring and were one of 16 Division IV teams remaining statewide.
Who graduated: Weston Melick, IF (first-team all-KMAC, first-team all-Ohio); Sam Printz, P (second-team all-KMAC); Logan Adams, UTL (all-academic KMAC)
Who’s back: The Bulldogs will welcome back nine varsity letter-winners and seven starters from last year’s district title team. Among the key returners:
- Bryar Householder, sophomore P/IF | Householder earned first-team all-KMAC honors as a freshman. He went 6-4 on the mound, finishing the year with a 2.67 ERA. He struck out 71 batters in 60 innings. Householder was also one of East Knox’s leading hitters, batting .371 with 21 RBI and a .457 on-base percentage.
- Peyton Lester, senior UTL | Lester earned honorable mention all-KMAC honors last season. He batted .340 with 19 runs scored and 18 RBI.
- Shane Knepp, senior IF/OF/P | Knepp served as one of East Knox’s most reliable batters in 2021, boasting a .396 on-base percentage and scoring 19 runs.
- Carson Steinmetz, junior OF/P | Steinmetz batted .325 last spring, scoring 19 runs.
- Cole Delaughder, sophomore OF/IF | Delaughder tallied 16 RBI and scored 14 runs during his freshman campaign.
Coach’s quote: “We have a really nice group of multi-sport athletes who learned how to win important baseball games last season,” fifth-year head coach Randy Baugher said. “They are also good young men who are fun to be around. We will be competitive.”
Fredericktown Freddies
Record last year: 24-6 (13-1 in the KMAC)
Conference finish: Tied for first in the KMAC (with Highland)
Tournament finish: Lost in the regional semifinals to Barnesville, an eventual state semifinalist, 3-2. The Freddies won their fourth straight district title last spring and were one of 16 Division III teams remaining statewide.
Who graduated: Ty Hatfield, C (first-team all-KMAC, all-academic KMAC, KMAC Player of the Year, second-team all-Ohio); Caleb Sheriff, IF (first-team all-KMAC, second-team all-Ohio); Lincoln Cunningham, OF (second-team all-KMAC); Evan Rine, UTL (honorable mention all-KMAC)
Who’s back: The Freddies will welcome back seven varsity letter-winners and six starters from last year’s district title team. Among the key returners:
- Brady Lester, junior OF | Lester earned first-team all-KMAC honors last season. He batted .419 for the senior-laden Freddies.
- Kaid Carpenter, junior P | Carpenter earned second-team all-KMAC honors last season. He pitched 47 innings and finished the season with a 8-1 record.
- Juniors Ben Mast, Xavier Mullens, Luke Bean, Braden Sapp and senior Trevor Jobes will all return with varsity experience this season as well.
Coach’s quote: “Our goal is to take it one day at a time and get better each day at practice or games, so that we are playing our best ball in May,” said sixth-year head coach Ryan Hathaway, who was named KMAC Co-Coach of the Year last season, alongside Highland’s Don Kline.
Mount Vernon Yellow Jackets
Record last year: 15-11 (8-4 in the Ohio Cardinal Conference)
Conference finish: Third in the OCC
Tournament finish: Lost in the sectional final to Gahanna-Lincoln, 16-1. Yellow Jackets were seeded 14th in the Division I Central District, Lions were seeded 21st.
Who graduated: Trenton Kane-Sapp, P (first-team all-OCC); Blake Meyer, OF (first-team all-OCC)
Who’s back: The Yellow Jackets will welcome back seven varsity letter-winners and seven starters from last year’s team. Among the key returners:
- Konner Daughriety, sophomore IF | Daughriety earned first-team all-OCC and second-team all-district honors last season. (Stats unavailable)
- Jonny Askew, sophomore OF | Askew earned second-team all-OCC honors last season.
- Caden Rowland, junior P/OF | Rowland earned second-team all-OCC honors last season. He went 9-0 as a starter during his sophomore campaign.
- Logan Trace, junior C | Trace earned honorable mention all-OCC honors last season. He caught every game for the Jackets in 2021.
- Owynn Gleason, senior IF | Gleason earned honorable mention all-OCC honors last season. He is currently committed to Bluffton University.
Coach’s quote: “This is a young, tough group of guys who work very hard. I have never coached a team that has this much chemistry this early in the season,” third-year head coach Nate Hunt said.
“Our goal is to win everyday. Practice, games, and in the classroom, our goal is to win the day. The one thing about this group of men is that they compete.”
