Serving Lucas, Ottawa, Sandusky and Wood Counties
Coach: Kyle Rase, 20th season
Last year: 18-11 (8-10 SBC River)
Key returning players: Grant Dawson (Sr., OF/P); Brady Hill (Sr., OF/P); Thomas Hockenberry (Sr., C); Nolan Hoover (Sr., SS/P)
Gibsonburg can expect eight upperclassmen, including five seniors, to be key contributors this season.
Nolan Hoover, who plays shortstop when he's not pitching, is one of the team’s top players, as he went 9-4 with an ERA of 1.26 and 114 strikeouts last season. The senior broke the program record for career strikeouts in 2024, while hitting .389 and driving in 27 runs at the plate.
Gone from last year are first baseman Jake Hall and catcher Corey McKnight.
There are a number of other pitchers on the team like Brady Hill (4-3), Grant Dawson (.300), Spencer Waugaman, Jeff Linton, Chuy Rodriguez (.291, 28 RBIs) and Reece Walby (.262).
Rodriguez's 28 runs batted in led the Sandusky Bay Conference River Division last season.
Hill and Dawson join Aidan Morant in the outfield, Hockenberry is the catcher, Waugaman plays first and second base, Linton plays first, Rodriguez is a third baseman and Walby plays short.
Dawson, Hill, Hockenberry and Waugaman are the other seniors in addition to Hoover, while Linton, Morant and Rodriguez are juniors. Walby is a sophomore.
“There's not one particular player that could have a great season, there are a lot (that could),” 20th-year Gibsonburg head coach Kyle Rase said.
Last year's squad won 18 games and lost to Tiffin Calvert in a Division IV district final.
During the offseason, the tournament was expanded from four to seven divisions.
"I thought the tournament was fine with four divisions," Rase said.
The Senecas are ranked No. 1 in Div. VII, and the River Division also includes the likes of Hopewell-Loudon, Lakota, St. Mary Central Catholic and others.
Northwood will join the conference next year, and Ottawa Hills will become a member of the River Division in '26
Rase, who led Gibsonburg to a state championship during his rookie campaign in '05, wants to keep it simple for now.
"We would like to improve every game, be competitive in our league and make a tournament run," he said.
