LANCASTER — There were several standout individual performances during the high school baseball season, but two stood out above the rest.
Lancaster senior catcher Zach Mowder and Bloom-Carroll senior pitcher/designated hitter Markus Roberson both put together tremendous seasons. For their efforts, they are the 2025 Eagle-Gazette Co-Baseball Players of the Year.
Lancaster’s Darren Ramsey, Fairfield Christian Academy’s AJ Holbrook, Fairfield Union’s Micah Hartman and Berne Union’s William Bolton were finalists for the award.
Fairfield Christian Academy’s Josh Baker, who guided the Knights to 18 wins and their third consecutive Mid-State League-Cardinal Division championship and Central District Division VI runner-up finish, is the 2025 Eagle-Gazette Coach of the Year.
Mowder, who has committed to Denison University, was one of the top catchers in the state. In 25 games he had a .364 batting average and a .615 on-base percentage. He scored a team-leading 32 runs and had a great eye at the plate by drawing 29 walks with 10 pitches hitting him. Once on base, he stole 27.
Defensively he had a .988 fielding percentage and only had one passed ball all season. He threw out 13 runners attempting to steal.
Mowder was the Ohio Capital Conference-Buckeye Division Co-Player of the Year, first team All-District and earned second team All-Ohio honors.
Roberson, best known for his pitching and committed to Easter Michigan University, had a huge year at the plate. His pitching was cut short because of an injury, but when he was on the mound he was dominant.
He had a .500 batting average, going 33 for 66 at the plate, had a .609 on-base percentage and an .894 slugging percentage. He finished with 33 hits, including nine doubles, one triple and five home runs, and 39 RBIs. He walked 16 times.
On the mound he was 3-0 with a 1.862 earned run average. In 23 innings pitched, he had 30 strikeouts and opposing teams batted just .188 against him.
Roberson earned first team All-District honors and was the Mid-State League-Buckeye Division Player of the Year as he helped lead the Bulldogs to a league championship.
Eagle-Gazette All-Area Baseball Team
Co-Players of the Year: Zach Mowder, Lancaster, and Markus Roberson, Bloom-Carroll
Coach of the Year: Josh Baker, Fairfield Christian Academy
FIRST TEAM
ZACH MOWDER, Lancaster
MARKUS ROBERSON, Bloom-Carroll
MICAH HARTMAN, Fairfield Union
DARREN RAMSEY, Lancaster
AJ HOLBROOK, Fairfield Christian Academy
NICK HOLLAND, Amanda-Clearcreek
WILLIAM BOLTON, Berne Union
TANNER FARMER, Liberty Union
TRYCE CHAFFIN, Bloom-Carroll
BRAYDEN MONTGOMERY, Lancaster
BRAYDEN STEM, Fairfield Christian Academy
CARSON MILLER, Lancaster
SECOND TEAM
PARK TRUEX, Bloom-Carroll
LEVI GREINER, Lancaster
BREECE STONE, Amanda-Clearcreek
ROBERT SAVAGE, Liberty Union
CALEB HINKEL, Bloom-Carroll
GAVIN STEWART, Fisher Catholic
GARRETT DILCHER, Fairfield Union
JOHNNY KAUT, Bloom-Carroll
CALEB WHITE, Fairfield Christian Academy
NICK YINGLING, Millersport
CLAYTON MOORE, Berne Union
GARY KIMMERLING, Amanda-Clearcreek
HONORABLE MENTION
Aiden Henson, Coleson Ross, Lancaster; Ethan Moore, Bloom-Carroll; Aston Waldrop, Ben Barringer, Brady Andrews, Fairfield Union; Noah Chambers, Amanda-Clearcreek; Colton Moore, Ethin Redinger, Berne Union; Harrison Teal, Josh Witte, Fairfield Christian Academy.
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, formerly known as Twitter, @twil2323.
This article originally appeared on Lancaster Eagle-Gazette: Lancaster’s Zach Mowder and B-C’s Markus Roberson named 2025 Co-Eagle-Gazette Baseball Players of the Year
Reporting by Tom Wilson, Lancaster Eagle-Gazette / Lancaster Eagle-Gazette
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
