LANCASTER — There were several standout individual performances during the high school baseball season, but two stood out above the rest.
Lancaster senior pitcher/outfield Brody Broeckel and Fairfield Union senior shortstop Ashton Waldrop put together tremendous seasons. For their efforts, they are the 2026 Eagle-Gazette Co-Baseball Players of the Year.
Fairfield Christian Academy’s AJ Holbrook, Fairfield Union’s Garrett Dilcher and Cameron Silcott, Liberty Union’s Tanner Famer and Amanda-Clearcreek’s Nick Holland were finalists for the award.
Fairfield Union’s Greg Burke, who guided the Falcons to the state tournament for the first time since 1986 as well as a 24-7 overall record and a Mid-State League-Buckeye Division championship is the 2026 Eagle-Gazette Coach of the Year.
Broeckel, a junior, had an all-around stellar season in the field, at the plate and on the mound. He was almost unbeatable, compiling a 9-1 record and a 1.82 earned run average. He had five complete-game shutout wins, including a 2-0 win on the road against rival Newark to clinch the Ohio Capital Conference-Buckeye Division championship.
At the plate, Broeckel had a .414 batting average and .517 on-base percentage. He scored 24 runs and was 21-for-21 in stolen bases. He was the OCC-Co-Player of the Year, first team all-district and second team All-Ohio.
Waldrop, a senior, was the straw that stirred the drink for the Falcons. He was exceptional in the field at shortstop in helping lead the Falcons to a league, district and regional championship, and a trip to the final four. He was named Mid-State League-Buckeye Division Player of the Year as well as first team All-District.
Waldrop led the Falcons with a .442 batting average and had a .521 on-base percentage. He finished with 46 hits, scored 30 runs and had 11 stolen bases.
Eagle-Gazette All-Area Baseball Team
Co-Players of the Year: Brody Broeckel, Lancaster; Ashton Waldrop, Fairfield Union
Coach of the Year: Greg Burke, Fairfield Union
FIRST TEAM
BRODY BROECKEL, Lancaster
ASTON WALDROP, Fairfield Union
AJ HOLBROOK, Fairfield Christian Academy
CARSON MILLER, Lancaster
GARRETT DILCHER, Fairfield Union
CALEB HINKEL, Bloom-Carroll
NICK HOLLAND, Amanda-Clearcreek
TANNER FARMER, Liberty Union
BRAYDEN MONTGOMERY, Lancaster
CAMERON SILCOTT, Fairfield Union
BRAYDEN STEM, Fairfield Christian Academy
ETHIN REDINGER, Berne Union
SECOND TEAM
KAM GRIFFITH, Lancaster
LEVI GREINER, Lancaster
BREECE STONE, Amanda-Clearcreek
JOHNNY KAUT, Bloom-Carroll
CALEB WHITE, Fairfield Christian Academy
NICK YINGLING, Millersport
ELI WOLFE, Fairfield Union
JACK POMPEY, Lancaster
HOLDYN BURNETTE, Liberty Union
ALEX BURKE, Fairfield Union
BRADY ANDREWS, Fairfield Union
HOGAN DEIBEL, Bloom-Carroll
HONORABLE MENTION
Coleson Ross, Lancaster; Matt Cline, Warren Rawlins, Bloom-Carroll; Codi Andrews, Fairfield Union; Owen Thomas, Liberty Union; Andrew Miller, Gary Kimmerling, Amanda-Clearcreek; Colton Moore, Jeremy Hartmann, Berne Union; Josh Witte, Ben Vance, Connor Blair, Fairfield Christian Academy; Brody Kersell, Sam Tenzca, Simon Martin, Fisher Catholic.
Tom Wilson is a sports reporter for the Lancaster Eagle-Gazette. Contact him at 740-689-5150 or via email at twilson@gannett.com for comments or story tips. Follow him on X at twil2323.
This article originally appeared on Lancaster Eagle-Gazette: Broeckel and Waldrop named Co-Eagle-Gazette Baseball Players of the Year
Reporting by Tom Wilson, Lancaster Eagle-Gazette / Lancaster Eagle-Gazette
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Tom Wilson, Lancaster Eagle-Gazette | USA TODAY Network
