There are a lot of strong, big-school baseball programs in Southwest Ohio looking to make it to the Ohio High School Athletic Association state tournament.
In 2025, Lakota West and Springboro advanced to the Final Four, but both fell to state champion Lewis Center Olentangy. Springboro was the state runner-up. In Division II, Loveland lost in the regional finals to eventual state champion Whitehouse Anthony Wayne.
Next week, the Cincinnati big schools will start a new postseason journey. As in other sports, Southwest Ohio teams in Divisions III and smaller begin their tournaments a week before the big-school divisions, I and II. The Enquirer previewed the smaller-school brackets, which begin this week.
Here is a look at the big-school draws.
Division I, Region 3
First-round matchups: Centerville vs. Wayne, Lakota East vs. Colerain, Moeller vs. Middletown, Princeton vs. Little Miami.
What to watch: This is the mashup region of teams from Southwest and central Ohio. Centerville (21-3) is the No. 1 team in the state coaches poll, and Moeller (20-6) is fourth. Centerville has a 2.21 team ERA and was 14-0 in the competitive Greater Western Ohio Conference. Moeller beat Centerville 9-1 on May 18, but the Crusaders featured junior Notre Dame commit Nathan McDowell, who threw a two-hitter, and the Elks did not use their two top pitchers.
Moeller has won four straight after a recent funk of four losses in six games. They could have a tough matchup with Princeton (16-9) in the district semis. Lakota East is on a roll, finishing second in the Greater Miami Conference, and likely won’t use ace Gavin Byrd in the first round against Colerain. The winner of Moeller’s bracket likely faces Olentangy Berlin (19-5) in the regional semis, ranked seventh in the state.
Regional semifinal predictions: Centerville vs. Pickerington North, Moeller vs. Berlin.
Division I, Region 4
First-round matchups: St. Xavier vs. Walnut Hills, Lakota West vs. West Clermont/Fairmont winner, Oak Hills vs. Springfield, Springboro vs. Sycamore, Mason vs. Western Hills, Fairfield vs. Lebanon, Milford vs. Beavercreek, Elder vs. Hamilton.
What to watch: Cincinnati has a lot of strong DI teams this year. Most have had ups and downs, but several have talented ace pitchers who can make a big difference in this bracket. St. Xavier (19-5) is the highest local seed in this bracket (third) and ranked sixth in the state coaches poll. The Bombers won 11 straight before losing to Fairfield, 8-5,with several of their secondary pitchers. Boston College commit Jack Ryan has been unstoppable on the mound lately, and will likely be saved for a district final, likely against Lakota West (13-12). The Firebirds, a state semifinalist last year, have had pitching issues this year but have several potent bats.
Springboro (17-7), last year’s state runner-up, is the No. 7 seed. The Panthers went 0-4 against high-ranked league foes Centerville and Beavercreek in the GWOC, and have lost three of five overall. Oak Hills (18-7), the No. 4 seed, has also slumped down the stretch, losing two to Mason in a battle for the GMC title. The Highlanders are really hard to beat with UC commit Ryan Murphy (9-0, 0.74) on the mound. He likely won’t see the hill in the Highlanders’ first game, so a matchup between him and the ‘Boro lineup led by Louisville commit Ben Veletean would be must-see.
Mason (17-9), the No. 6 seed, rallied to win the GMC for the eighth straight year with those two wins over Oak Hills. The Comets have won eight of 10 overall. Mason pitchers Ben Hanley, Brett Gandert and Liam Sander have been on a roll. The Comets went 2-0 against Fairfield (15-10), which can be dangerous at times. Lebanon (17-7) seems underseeded at No. 13. The Warriors finished third in the Eastern Cincinnati Conference and have won six of seven. The winner between Fairfield and Lebanon will have to face one of Mason’s aces.
Beavercreek (19-5) is ranked eighth in the state and finished second in the GWOC to Centerville. They have an outstanding pitching staff with a 2.00 team ERA. Milford (13-12) will likely attack the Beavers with senior ace Zach Wiener (4-1, 1.58), who was named player of the year in the ECC. Elder (16-10) has had its ups and downs with a tough schedule but should make the district final.
Regional semifinal predictions: St. Xavier vs. Beavercreek, Mason vs. Oak Hills.
Division II, Region 8
First-round matchups: Loveland vs. Miamisburg, Kings vs. Withrow, Edgewood vs. Sidney, Northmont vs. Harrison, Winton Woods vs. Troy, Anderson vs. Fairborn.
What to watch: Loveland (18-6) is the No. 2 seed and ranked sixth in the state. The Tigers have lost four of their last eight, including two to Turpin, which cost them the ECC title. The Tigers still have an explosive offense and a team ERA of 2.70, both led by one of the state’s top players, senior Drew Oerther.
Edgewood (17-9), the No. 4 seed, has two of the area’s best pitchers in junior J.J. Vogel (4-3, 2.45) and senior Carson Downie (5-2, 1.06), either of whom can be a tough matchup for the Harrison/Northmont winner. Northmont (17-9), the No. 5 seed, tied Beavercreek for second in the GWOC. Harrison (10-8), which is not in a league, has played a tough independent schedule.
Troy, 21-3, and ranked third in the state, is the No. 1 seed in the region. Anderson (18-7), the No. 3 seed, had won seven in a row before losing to West Clermont and Mariemont.
The winner of Anderson’s bracket likely faces fourth-seed Watkins Memorial or fifth seed Worthington Kilbourne, neither of which is state-ranked.
Regional semifinal predictions: Loveland vs. Edgewood, Troy vs. Kilbourne.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: A look at the OHSAA postseason baseball landscape for DI and DII
Reporting by James Weber, Cincinnati Enquirer / Cincinnati Enquirer
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
