Serving Lucas, Ottawa, Sandusky and Wood Counties
Lake baseball coach Casey Witt is confident in his team’s athleticism and defensive potential despite the graduation of a very talented senior class.
“One through nine, we have a chance to be really athletic,” Lake’s fifth-year head coach Casey Witt said. “We've had some guys really work hard in the offseason and in the weight room. I’m really, really excited about our defense. You don't know what you're going to get on the mound, but I know that if we throw strikes, I'm pretty confident we're going to field it.
“The thing that kind of goes unnoticed, and obviously I don't know how quantifiable it is, but this team all gets along. The energy right now at our practices and in our program is as good as I've seen in my five years, and it just feels like a lot of guys are on the same page and a lot of guys have similar views, similar goals of how they want to approach a season. That's really reassuring as a coach when that's the case.”
All that is great news for a program that graduated players like Drew Tajblik, Jay Blazevich, and Korbin Adkins from a team that finished 20-7 overall and 11-3 in NBC play. The Flyers shared the league title with Oak Harbor and Eastwood.
On top of that, all three of those players were integral in Lake’s run to a state championship game appearance two seasons ago and a district runner-up finish a year ago.
Tajblik, who now plays for the University of Toledo, and Blazevich also formed a 1-2 duo atop the pitching staff last year.
Tajblik graduated with a litany of school records as arguably the best pitcher in program history while also hitting .476 with 10 doubles, four triples, three home runs, 39 runs, 35 RBIs, and 35 stolen bases.
“It's funny because for as much pitching as we lost, I feel that we have a chance to be better offensively and defensively than we were a year ago, which, in theory, should help our inexperience on the mound,” Witt said. “I’m really looking forward to our offense and the potential that it has.”
Witt’s offensive lineup returns six players who started all last season, as well as late season designated hitter Riley Lawniczak.
That group is highlighted by a pair of four-year starters in Jack Sobczak, who will likely assume the team’s top spot in the rotation while also seeing time in the middle infield, and Gavin Kohlhofer, the team’s starting catcher.
“Their talent speaks for itself,” Witt said. “Being a four-year starter in our program is rare and special. They’re just two guys that we can really count on. They know the expectations and know how we operate. Going into a year where you've got two guys that have that, that takes a lot off of my plate as a coach.”
The lineup also returns junior outfielders Jaxson Rymers and Kaiden Cousino, while Rymers should also see some innings on the mound. First baseman Grady Snoderly and third baseman Jace Ayers are also back after starting as freshmen.
Kohlhofer (26), Sobczak (23), and Cousino (21) combined for 70 stolen bases last year, which speaks to the team’s athleticism. Kohlhofer (.403), Sobczak (.371), and Cousino (.306) each hit over .300 last year. Sobczak (33) and Kohlhofer (23) combined for 56 RBIs.
“There’s been a really good level of competitiveness,” Witt said. “They have a sense of urgency and a level of focus that has been really nice. It's been good.”
The team’s new-look rotation on the mound will likely include Sobczak, Rymers, Snoderly, and freshman Mason Csortos. From there, it’s a bit unknown, but Witt feels they have a nice group despite returning just 31 of 166 innings last year.
“It’s going to be a little bit more by committee,” he said. “We think that we have the guys that can do it. They’ve just never had to do it. That's been a big focus of our offseason in terms of just developing arms that can get us outs.”
Despite some basketball players and wrestlers arriving to camp late, Witt is also excited about some newcomers to varsity, including juniors Evan Barta and Charles Wallace, who will compete for time in the outfield.
“Charles had a really good year last season, and we think he can really help,” Witt said.
With a slew of graduations across the NBC from last year, and not just Lake, this could be a year of opportunity for players in several programs last year. And Witt is looking forward to it.
“It’s going to be fun,” he said. “It speaks volumes to how good that senior class was in our league last year. It really gives our guys some opportunities to grow early and not feel the pressure per se, because everybody is in that same boat, and it's a lot nicer when it's a league-wide issue and not just a program-wide issue.”
