Serving Lucas, Ottawa, Sandusky and Wood Counties
Coach: Kevin Leady, 13th year
Last year: 21-5 (10-4 NBC)
Key returning players: Drew Kachmarik (Sr., 1B/P); Connor Norton (Sr., C/IF); Kadyn Donnell (Sr., P/OF); Paul Lautzenheiser (Sr., P/1B/DH)
If your philosophy works, why change it?
For Eastwood coach Kevin Leady, the approach has always been about keeping things simple and getting his team to focus on working hard and taking care of the little things while trusting that the result will take care of itself.
Most recently, the Eagles won a district title in 2022, which followed an appearance in the regional semifinals, and they have won sectional titles in the two years since then. That mindset has helped Eastwood win multiple sectional and league titles during Leady's 13 years as the coach of the team, during which the team has gone 227-91.
"We want to get better every day, win the league title and go on a tournament run," Leady said.
Gone from last year are Brandon Falls, Xander Greulich and Andrew Badenhop, but the Eagles return some very good players, including seven starters.
The ace of the rotation is senior Paul Lautzenheiser, who went 7-2 with a 2.00 ERA last season. Kadyn Donnell is also back after posting a 5-0 record with a 0.98 ERA. Fellow senior Drew Kachmarik went 3-1 with two saves and a 2.00 ERA in '24.
Erich Hepler, Andre Lantigua and Jack Sensenig are the relievers.
At the plate, Kachmarik hit .372 to go with 12 doubles and 26 RBIs. Donnell batted .314 to go with eight doubles, 14 RBIs and 37 runs. Lautzenheiser hit .311 to go with a home run, 16 RBIs and 19 runs. Colton Woodward batted .314 to go with 15 RBIs and 37 runs.
Kachmarik also plays first base, Norton is an infielder, Woodward is a shortstop, Lautzenheiser also plays first and sometimes serves as the DH and Donnell is also an outfielder.
Fellow seniors Brock Messinger and Austin Bonfiglio play left and right field, respectively.
Some newcomers to the team are outfielder Cam Schumacher and second baseman Drew Luidhardt.
Leady sees Eastwood and Lake as the top teams in the Northern Buckeye Conference with Oak Harbor and Otsego close behind.
"This group has worked extremely hard all year to prepare for (the season),” he said. “We have a great core returning and are excited to see how we gel throughout the season. Expectations are high for this group, but we understand the work needed to be successful."
