Serving Lucas, Ottawa, Sandusky and Wood Counties
Oak Harbor, Eastwood and Lake find themselves in the thick of the Northern Buckeye Conference baseball race.
The Flyers, who are coming off an appearance in the Division III state final last season, and the Eagles find themselves tied atop the league with Maumee at 7-2 – as of May 7. Overall, Eastwood is 13-3 and Lake is 13-4. The two teams split their season series. Oak Harbor resides at 6-3 in league play, just one game back of the pack.
In each of the last six seasons, Eastwood and Lake have won three league titles apiece.
Eastwood, Lake and Oak Harbor are filled with good, capable players, but there are some that stand out and have done a magnificent job leading their respective teams.
Senior P/1B Drew Kachmarik is one of the best players for Eastwood, hitting .472 with two doubles, 21 RBIs and seven runs scored.
"I go up looking for a pitch that I can do damage with and don't let good pitches go by," Kachmarik said.
Kachmarik, who will continue his career next year at Defiance College, is 3-0 with a 1.72 ERA and three saves in eight relief appearances and one start on the mound. He recently tossed an eight-inning complete game in a victory over Lake that moved the Eagles into a tie for first place.
"He's been one of our most productive players both hitting and pitching," Eastwood coach Kevin Leady said. "He is our top relief option. We joke that he is live almost every game. He always tells me he's ready to throw in any situation. He bats in the four hole, has the highest batting average, and he has the most RBIs on the team."
Kachmarik is excited about the Eagles' chances of making a postseason run.
"I feel we are at a great point heading into the latter part of May,” he said. “We have many players stepping up for us and we want to be playing our best in May. I think we have many kids stepping up for us to get to where we want to be."
Four-year starter Michael Lalonde leads the way for Oak Harbor. The senior, who pitches and plays shortstop, is a force at the plate and on the mound. He is hitting. 300 to go with an on-base percentage of .500, one double, one triple, nine RBIs, 11 stolen bases and 17 runs scored. On the mound, he is 2-0 with a 0.35 ERA and one save.
"It's been a ton of fun these last four years playing the best game on Earth with the guys I've grown up with all my life," Lalonde said. "We're playing for the town and the community. And then just being able to go out and compete and win is what makes it fun."
Oak Harbor coach Nick Lance said the future University of Findlay student-athlete brings a lot to the table.
"He is extremely athletic and versatile,” he said. “He can take over a game on the mound, he can shore up a defense at short and drive in a winning run at the plate. He's a threat no matter what he's doing."
Lalonde also starred as the quarterback of the football team and the point guard of the basketball team.
"He's a three-sport talent that comes to work every day and wants to win and wants those around him to be the best they can be,” Lance said. “He is an extension of our coaching staff. Like most good teams, typically your best player is the shortstop. Things can be tricky with arm care and managing the workload. Playing those positions can be demanding, but Mike has been up to the task these past four years."
Drew Tajblik was instrumental in leading Lake to the state finals last season, and he's hoping the Flyers have another deep run left in them.
"I feel like we are playing really well together,” Tajblik said. “And I feel like our team chemistry is there. We are very strong on offense from top to bottom, so it's really hard to get us out. I'm seeing the ball really well right now. Defensively, I'm making the routine plays, and being a leader on the field. Pitching-wise, I could be better, but I'm still doing everything I can to win.
"We have to keep hitting like we have been and stealing bases as much as we have. We've also been playing really well defensively. Most importantly, we have a strong pitching staff."
Lake coach Casey Witt talked about what the University of Toledo signee has meant to the program for the last four years.
"It's been enjoyable beyond words, and he has helped me develop into a better coach,” he said. “Drew and I have a great relationship on and off the field, and that is part of what allows me to coach him really hard. He wants to get better each day we play or practice, and being able to help him achieve that has been a lot of fun and extremely rewarding.
"Last season, he went 12-0 and was a bulldog on the mound. He was a guy we could rely on to compete and keep us in every game he pitched."
Clay vying for NLL crown
And then there's the Clay Eagles, who are in their second year in the Northern Lakes League Cardinal Division, where they find themselves in first place.
Coach Jim Phillips' club is 11-6 and 8-2 in the conference, despite having had to replace eight starters from last year’s team.
“I am happy with our progress considering the amount of starters we replaced from last year’s team, but we’re not satisfied,” Phillips said. “Our pitching and defense overall have been strengths of this team. We need to continue to improve our offensive production and our baserunning down the stretch.”
One of the top players on the club is Landon Eversman. The senior 3B/P is hitting .364 with four doubles, one triple, one home run, eight RBIs and 11 runs scored. He's been even better on the mound, going 2-1 with a 1.03 ERA in six starts.
“Landon has been outstanding for us all the way around,” Phillips said. “The thing that I'm proudest of is his growth from a leadership standpoint. He has stepped up into that role, and it has really helped this young team have some consistency to this point.”
Eversman has committed to continue his career at Owens Community College, and Phillips said they are getting a steal.
"As we knew coming into this season, our team is very young and has a bit of the inexperience factor, but honestly, every game, we are continuing to get better at the little things, and we are getting better at executing in game, whether it's bunting, defensive plays, etc.,” Eversman said.
“We dropped one league game to Napoleon, but other than that, we remain unbeaten in the Cardinal Division and hope to carry that to a championship. Personally, I think our strong suit is pitching. I have been very strong on the mound, and so has Darin (Fussell), Bryce (Besgrove) and others. I am hitting well, but need to find the consistency factor as well as our team as a whole does at the plate."
Fussell is 1-2 with a 1.58 ERA and Besgrove is 0-1 with a 3.78 ERA.
"I'm confident we have the talent to win a few tournament games and make a run," Eversman said, "but we have to play our best ball and execute."
