WCAL baseball race could come down to last pitch
- col-aaron-dorksen
- May 4, 2023
- 804
A few thoughts from the week in sports …
The Wayne County Athletic League baseball title chase is a fantastic four-team race, which could come down to the last pitch next week.
Norwayne (13-2, 9-1) leads the way, followed by Hillsdale (13-4, 8-2), Waynedale (11-6, 8-2) and Dalton (10-7, 8-2).
If this was a horse race, the Bulldogs would definitely be the longshot bringing people to their feet down the stretch.
Ninth-year Dalton coach Scott Huth admits his team is the unexpected member of that quartet.
“It’s definitely a pleasant surprise,” said Huth, who had to replace seven graduated seniors. “Waynedale won a state title last year, Hillsdale went to the regionals and Norwayne had a lot back from a very good team.
“We only have three seniors, but we still thought we had the potential to be pretty good depending on how quickly the younger players came along. With the way we’ve been playing, we’re probably a year ahead of schedule.”
Huth didn’t know just how good the Bulldogs would be. Dalton showed everyone it was for real by handing the Falcons their first two league losses last week.
The Bulldogs will be favored in a two-game series against Chippewa (6-11, 1-9) this week and then close with two huge contests against the Bobcats. Hillsdale will play Norwayne in a crucial series this week.
“We played Waynedale the second week of the season, and maybe the lights were too bright,” Huth said. “But we’ve played really well since then. Lots of our guys also play basketball and football, which are very successful programs here. I think they just have that confidence that they can win, and it’s carried over.”
Huth said senior Jack Steiner is one of the best defensive high school shortstops he's ever seen. In addition to providing stellar glove work, Steiner leads the team with .400 batting (24 for 60) and 18 runs.
Classmates Justin Basinger (.353) and Bryce Johnson (.300) trail only Steiner and junior Trey Dunn (.386) among the team’s leading hitters.
Junior Seth Wyckoff (4-1, 0.76 ERA, 51 strikeouts, 9 walks, 36.2 IP) and Basinger (2-0, 3.64, 24, 5, 25 IP) are the top two pitchers, with junior Will Carmichael (2-2, 4.30, 16, 15, 14.2 IP) also making key contributions.
Wyckoff and Basinger don’t overly impress people with how hard they throw but get the job done time after time.
“Wyckoff is a lefty, about 5-10, 150, and I’m so proud of the way he just comes out and doesn’t back down to anyone,” Huth said. “He has great movement and locates the ball well. He pitched last year against Division I Wooster, and we only lost 3-1. In our district semifinal game, he pitched really well in a 2-1 loss against Columbia Station.
“Sometimes our coaching staff doubts Basinger and thinks we need to get a reliever ready, but you look up and it’s the sixth inning and he’s keeping us right in the game. He’s a winner.”
It’s been a challenging and rewarding 2023 season at the same time, Huth said.
“I have an entirely new coaching staff,” said Huth, who led Dalton to the state Final Four in 2017 and won his only WCAL title in 2021 after sharing it with Waynedale. “They’re all in their 20s and bring a lot of energy. They relate well to the players and have even recharged me.”
The coach’s son, former Dalton standout Cody Huth, is the varsity assistant. Also on the coaching staff are son-in-law Matthew Stewart (former Muskingum standout), nephew Hunter Shue, and former Grace College players Logan Swartzentruber (Dalton alum) and Xavier Harris.
The WCAL race will lead nicely into the postseason tournament, where the four local teams all have a shot of making some serious noise. Baseball brackets will be announced this weekend.
Softball brackets announced
Triway made a highly memorable run to the Div. II state championship last season.
The Titans (14-3) are having another phenomenal spring and are seeded second in the Div. III Northeast Sectional-District behind perennial power Keystone (15-0). Area teams Hillsdale (12-4), Tuslaw (15-4) and Northwestern (14-4) are seeded three to five in a loaded 22-team district. No. 7 seed Norwayne (12-3) and No. 8 Loudonville (12-3) also have strong teams.
For complete brackets and schedules for all divisions, visit www.ohsaa.org/sports/softball and then click Statewide Tournament Brackets.
Cavaliers' fallout
I had a lot of fun watching the Cleveland Cavaliers during the regular season as they won 51 games and made the playoffs for the first time since 2018.
Watching the fifth-seeded Knicks beat the fourth-seeded Cavs 4-1 in their opening round playoff series was miserable. Seeing the Knicks dominate the Cavs was as excruciating as hearing a dentist tell me I needed a dental implant a few years ago and then go over the necessary steps and tell me the cost. He did a great job, but it wasn’t fun.
The Cavs were exposed as soft and badly lacking in a reliable 3-point shooter. Cleveland hung around late in several games, but the Knicks’ Mitchell Robinson looked like a varsity player going against JVs as he crashed the offensive boards over and over.
Donovan Mitchell is in line to be named first-team All-NBA but didn’t step up in the series. Darius Garland also was inconsistent.
It would really help both Mitchell and Garland, though, if Cleveland can get a small forward who can shoot, space the floor out and play defense.
Cleveland is limited in what it can do in the offseason due to Mitchell’s contract, but the Cavs sorely need to address the 3-man spot and get a physical guy to play in the paint. Also, remind Evan Mobley and Garrett Allen where the weight room is.
Parting shot
I like what the Browns did with their draft picks, but it’s impossible for anyone to grade a team’s draft until the newcomers show their stuff on the field.
The Browns clearly put an emphasis on big linemen, with mammoth Ohio State tackle Dawand Jones (DE, 6-8, 374) and Missouri defensive end Isaiah McGuire (6-4, 268) among their picks. Even third-round pick Cedric Tillman (6-3, 215) from Tennessee is big for a wide receiver.
Aaron Dorksen can be emailed at aarondorksen24@gmail.com.