Clay Rolf and Clayton Ruch aren't related, but they probably feel like brothers.

The three-sport standouts, both seniors at Eastwood, live about a mile apart and have known each other “our whole lives,” Rolf said.

One (Rolf) stands nearly 6-foot-8 and the other is 6-5, and they've both been All-Suburban Lakes League baseball, football and basketball players the last few years.

Rolf, a pitcher and first baseman, bats third in the Eagles' order and Ruch, who pitches and plays shortstop, bats fourth for first-year coach Dave Barkholz. In a few weeks, their playing days together will come to an end.

Rolf earned a football scholarship to Bowling Green State University, where he will play tight end for the Falcons next fall. Ruch is still exploring his options and hopes to play baseball at the collegiate level.

“It will be very different,” Ruch said of not playing with Rolf. “We've played sports with each other since second grade and we've been good friends. It's going to be very different.”

Rolf has been a beast at the plate this season for the Eagles (14-8, 7-3), who played a sectional tourament game Wednesday in Findlay. Rolf is hitting .611 (33-for-54) with 36 RBI, 24 runs, six doubles, three triples and seven home runs.

Rolf, who homered three times against Archbold, is also 10-for-10 in stolen base attempts and has 21 walks. He is 3-2 on the mound, with a 3.58 ERA and 44 strikeouts in 37 2/3 innings. Both of his losses are to Elmwood, which is unbeaten in league play.

“He was on pace to crush every school record, and he still has a shot at the RBI record,” Barkholz said. “Once people started to figure it out and not pitch to him ... To his credit, he doesn't get a whole lot of pitches to hit. I wouldn't give him anything to hit, but he still gets his hits and his good swings. He is a team guy, and I think that's why he's been able to sustain his level of success over this period of time.”

Last Wednesday against SLL rival Otsego, in a game the Eagles would win 9-5, Barkholz gave Rolf the day off. The coach told his star player a few days ahead of time that he wouldn't start against the Knights, and Rolf took it in stride.

“Clay probably hasn't sat in 10 years, but he needed a day off,” Barkholz said. “I told him a couple days before and he said that's great. I did it to try to get other kids on the team to produce. The way Clay handled that was great. Watching him interact with his teammates and watch the ballgame, he had a smile on his face. He doesn't care about any of his numbers or records, he just likes to enjoy the game, and that's what I really like about him.”

Rolf, who ended up pitching in the later innings against Otsego, said watching the game from the bench gave him a different perspective.

“It was kind of hard,” he said. “I wanted to go out and play. Coach was up front with me. It was good timing because I wasn't really hitting and I needed to take a step back and chill. It worked, because I've been seeing the ball real well lately.”

Ruch has carried his weight at the plate this season as well, although he admitted he sometimes feels some pressure batting behind Rolf.

“I kind of felt some pressure at the beginning of the season,” Ruch said. “I wanted to do as well as he was doing. Our assistant coach talked to me and said I don't have to as well as (Rolf) is and don't put pressure on myself and try to match him. Try to be your own hitter. That's easier said than done. Now I'm just focused on the ball instead of trying to match him.”

Said Rolf, “With Clayton hitting behind me, they don't want to walk me. He's made a lot of teams pay with his bat.”

Ruch is hitting .492 with 23 RBI, 22 runs, five doubles, one triple and four home runs and is 7-for-7 in stolen bases. As a pitcher he is 4-0 with a 3.67 ERA and 26 strikeouts in 27 innings.

The biggest improvement in Ruch's game has come on defense, where he's become a reliable shortstop. He played third base the three previous seasons and was an honorable mention All-SLL outfielder in 2009 despite playing only a handful of games there.

“He works hard and he likes to play the game,” Barkholz said. “He stays after practice and takes ground balls, and that wasn't always the case when I first met him. He's done nothing but try and get better. He's done what we've asked him to do and continued to work on it. That's a tough thing sometimes, especially for a senior who is one of the better players on the team.”

Ruch said the move to shortstop has gone better than he anticipated.

“Your senior year, you always want to do good,” he said. “He (Barkholz) saw a lot more potential in me than what I was playing at, and I wanted to get the most out of my ability. I was a little nervous at the beginning, but I've gotten better.”

Rolf, meanwhile, said he'd like to play baseball and football at BGSU; football workouts begin in late May.

“I'm just taking it slow right now,” Rolf said. “If (playing both sports) happens, it happens. I just have to keep working hard. I'll go to Bowling Green and work hard and see where it takes me.”

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