Walsh Jesuit at a glance ahead of OHSAA baseball state semifinal vs Hoover

[ASFN Admin]

State tournament week is here in Ohio high school baseball, and two Summit County teams are competing for a championship trophy.

Walsh Jesuit (15-12) is the second Summit County team that will play this week when it meets fourth-ranked Hoover (25-5) in a Division II state semifinal at 7 p.m. Friday, June 12, at Thurman Munson Memorial Stadium in Canton.

Walsh Jesuit is in its 11th OHSAA baseball state tournament and is two wins away from winning its fifth championship. Walsh won Division II state championships in 1999, 2004, 2006 and 2008 under retired coach Chris Kaczmar.


Walsh has struggled at Munson in recent years, losing to Orchard Lake St. Mary's Preparatory (Michigan) and beating Chardon in regular-season games in 2023, losing in a regular-season game to New Albany and a district semifinal to Mayfield in 2024 and losing in a regular-season game to Troy and a state semifinal to Whitehouse Anthony Wayne in 2025.

"We think this is our year," Walsh senior Matthew Mansbery said. "We are excited for this game."

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Walsh Jesuit baseball at a glance​

• Walsh's tournament wins: Euclid 20-0 and Mayfield 7-3 in district bracket; Highland 2-0 and Shaker Heights 8-4 in regional bracket
• Walsh's projected starting pitcher: Shawn Sullivan, Sr.
• Walsh's projected batting order: Matthew Mansbery, Sr., SS; Colin Locigno, Sr., 2B; Carlos Smith, Sr., LF; Rylan Batley, Sr., 1B; Sean McHugh, Jr., 3B; Will Blueter, Soph., C; Ryan Clark, Sr., DH; Tanner Fitzwater, Sr., CF; Ben Babinec, Soph., RF

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• Walsh's top reserves: Caleb Mecurio, Sr., P; Luca Borichevsky, Jr., P; AJ Santangelo, Sr., INF; Noah Silversten, Sr., OF; Anthony D'Angelo, Sr., P; Desmond Jethrow, Jr., P; Dante Vallee, Sr., OF; Ben Biel, Jr., INF; Luca DiNunzio, Sr., P; AJ Bailey, Sr., INF
• Note: Senior Keegan Sprang was Walsh's starting right fielder until he was sidelined with a season-ending injury. Babinec stepped into a starting role.
• Walsh's hitting leaders: Mansbery, a University of Michigan baseball recruit, is batting .422 with 35 hits, 28 runs, nine RBIs, seven doubles, four triples, 19 stolen bases and a 1.087 OPS. ... Smith, a Wheeling University football recruit, is batting .361 with 26 hits, 15 runs, 12 RBIs, six doubles, 11 stolen bases and a 0.916 OPS. ... Batley, a Mount Union recruit, is batting .312 with 24 hits, 14 runs, 13 RBIs, seven doubles, three HRs and a 0.931 OPS. ... Locigno is batting .262 with 22 hits, nine runs, 17 RBIs, two doubles and nine stolen bases.

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• Walsh's pitching leaders: Sullivan, a Tennessee recruit, is 3-1 with a 0.86 ERA and 78 strikeouts in 40⅔ innings. ... Mecurio, a Xavier recruit, is 3-4 with a 2.13 ERA and 67 strikeouts in 49⅓ innings. ... D'Angelo, a Mount Union recruit, is 1-2 with a 3.29 ERA and 24 strikeouts in 21⅓ innings. ... Borichevsky is 1-2 with a 1.42 ERA in 19⅔ innings. ... McHugh is 3-1 with a 3.27 ERA in 15 innings. ... Blueter is 2-0 with a 1.40 ERA in 15 innings. ... Jethrow is 2-1 with two saves and a 4.20 ERA in 18⅓ innings.
• Quotable Part I: “They've kept the same mindset all year of kind of trying to win each pitch of every game and not looking too far ahead or behind,” Walsh coach Joe Bowers said. “I like where their heads at. They seem loose and confident, which I think is good, but we felt loose and confident the last two times we went [to the state tournament in 2023 and 2025], so who knows. I think they're ready to compete and they know that it's going to be a grind against a really good Hoover team. … I am excited to go against Hoover. I thought since February that Hoover was possibly the best team around. I am excited to play them because we don’t get to play them in the regular season. It should be a good matchup. They have got loads of talent over there, coach [Bryan] Ashby coaches them up the right way and they play good baseball.”
• Quotable Part II: “Matt Mansbery is leading the team with his tenacity and his play on the field,” Bowers said. “It's kind of inspiring others to play well, and then I think when you play with a guy like Shawn Sullivan, just seeing him work and do his thing, puts you on track to want to be a better player as well. Those two have really done a good job. And then Carlos Smith is a quiet leader on our team. He kind of goes about his business and he's super cool. He's a guy to root for. … Steve Grescovich and Chase Bryson have been with me for all four seasons. Coach G has been here for 47 years and all 11 state tournament appearances. Our pitching coach is Lou Kolasky, and he has been with us for two years. Our assistants are the best around. They have a great understanding of the skills necessary to compete at a high level, and are also great teachers of the game of baseball. Chase, Coach G and Lou are all dedicated to the development of every player that comes through Walsh Jesuit.”
• Quotable Part III: “This is an awesome opportunity,” Mansbery said. “The team has been working for this all year. From our first game until now, it's been the same kind of attitude. We know what we are capable of and we're happy that the opportunity has presented itself. We really made that happen as a unit. … Our strengths are our pitching and defense. When we have Shawn or Caleb on the mound, or the guys who come out of the bullpen, we have full confidence that we can hold teams to less than two runs. It’s our job as hitters to try to get three runs.”

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• Quotable Part IV: “This is a blessing,” Sullivan said. “We worked very hard. We had our ups and downs this year. We didn’t finish above .500 in the regular season, but we worked our [butts] off. We have a great game ahead of us. I think if we just put her head down and work and just do the small things, like Coach Bowers says, ‘Win every single pitch.’ I think we should beat North Canton Hoover and be in the state championship, finally. ... Our strengths are pitching and defense, and the hitting is starting to wakeup, finally, in the playoffs.”
• Quotable Part V: “From our regular-season games to where we are at now in the playoffs, I think it is a completely different atmosphere that we have throughout the team,” Batley said. “Suddenly something just snapped into everybody. The playoffs games are electric. They are super fun.”
• Quotable Part VI: “We are all friends,” Smith said. “We have been playing with each other for a long time. I feel like with our core, our skill and the power of friendship, we can go a long way in redeeming ourselves. I feel like this is the group to go all the way.”
• Other semifinal: No. 6 New Albany (24-7) vs. Harrison (14-10), 4 p.m. Friday, June 12, at Canton's Thurman Munson Memorial Stadium
• State final: 7 p.m. Saturday, June 13, at Akron's 7 17 Credit Union Park (formerly Canal Park)

Akron Beacon Journal sports writer Michael Beaven can be reached by email at mbeaven@thebeaconjournal.

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Walsh OHSAA baseball state semifinal preview vs North Canton Hoover

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