(6-4-24) The Ft. Recovery Indians, members of the Midwest Athletic Conference (MAC) will enter this week’s OHSAA’s D IV State Baseball Finals as the Cinderella team.

The Indians entered the tournament with a 9-11 record and are the only non-ranked team in D IV Final Four.

Division IV – FINAL FOUR

  • Fort Recovery vs. Jeromesville Hillsdale, Saturday, June 8, 4 p.m.
  • No. 1 Berlin Hiland vs. No. 4 Russia, Saturday, June 8, 7 p.m.

Division IV State Championship: Sunday, June 9, 7 p.m.

Courtesy OHSAA story – 2024 Baseball State Tournament Preview

Division IV

By Bruce Hefflinger, Prep Baseball

FORT RECOVERY: The sixth-place finisher in the Midwest Athletic Conference is a state participant after entering the postseason with a 9-11 record. Caden Grisez had a five-hitter with seven strikeouts and Gavin Faller and Grisez each produced a double in a 5-1 win over Leipsic in the regional finals. Alex Dues allowed one earned run, Troy Homan and Faller both had three hits and Reece Wendel scored four runs in a 14-4 win over Montpelier in the regional semis for the unranked Indians, which last went to state in back-to-back seasons in 2015 and 2016 when Homan was the batboy. Wendel is the top hitter on the team with a .301 batting average while Dues is 7-3 on the mound for head coach Kevin Eyink, who is one win away from his 100th coaching victory.

JEROMESVILLE HILLSDALE: Gavin Casdorph tossed a five-hit shutout, Braylen Jarvis had a single and triple and Brock Bower and Aiden Hoffman pounded out a pair of hits in a 3-0 win over Warren JFK, sending the Falcons to state for the first time since finishing as runners-up in 2019. Hillsdale, the 24th-rated team by the OHSBCA and 27th by Prep Baseball, dominated Ashtabula St. John 16-1 in the district finals after rallying past Mapleton 9-6 in the semis. Kollin Cline had a three-run double to tie the game with Mapleton at 5-5 and finished the day 4-4 at the plate.

Warren JFK Eagles vs. Hillsdale Falcons (OHSAA Div. IV Regional Final) (Baseball) (05/31/24)

Kee On Sports You Tube Video

BERLIN HILAND: The defending state champions, the No. 1 team in the state by the OHSBCA and third-ranked by Prep Baseball, will be making their sixth state appearance after an 18-0 demolition of Leesburg Fairfield in the regional finals. Hiland, which has never lost in the state semis, will take on Russia, a team the Hawks defeated 14-4 in last year’s state championship game. Hiland, which has outscored the opposition 76-9 in the tournament, has had just one close encounter in the postseason, an 8-5 victory over Strasburg-Franklin in the district finals. Trailing 5-3 in the bottom of the sixth, Cody Yoder hit a grand slam to put Hiland on top for good. Yoder leads the team in batting at .478 while Colin Coblentz is hitting .402, Caden Coblentz .369 and Brady Yoder .363. Caden Coblentz (8-1) and Finn Schneider (6-1) are the top two pitchers for head coach Chris Dages.

RUSSIA: The fourth-rated team in Ohio by Prep Baseball and the OHSBCA is back at state for the sixth time overall and third in a row. A seven-run six-inning proved to be the difference in a 12-3 win over Troy Christian in the regional title game, giving head coach Kevin Phlipot his 200th coaching victory. Leadoff hitter Felix Francis was 2-3 with three RBIs for Russia, which had eight hits, 11 walks and two HBPs in the win. Jude Counts was the winning pitcher for the Raiders, which won state in 2022 and finished second a year ago. Russia has won tournament games by a combined 61-9 this year, including a 20-1 win over Felicity Franklin in a game Ben Rinderle had a three-run homer, helping send the Raiders to its seventh consecutive regional appearance. Braylon Cordonnier, a junior committed to Marshall, has set the school record for career doubles (33), triples (9) and walks (70). Hayden Quinter holds the Russia mark for career hits (137) and Brayden Monnin for career runs (113), while Francis has established new records for runs in a season with 48 and stolen bases with 36. In addition to 2022, Russia won state in 1971 while placing second in 1975, 2017 and 2023.

Did you know….