Serving Lucas, Ottawa, Sandusky and Wood Counties
Coach: Casey Witt, fourth year
Last year: 28-5 (11-3 NBC)
Key returning players: Drew Tajblik (Sr., P/SS); Jay Blazevich (Sr., P/2B); Gavin Kohlhofer (Jr., C), Jack Sobczak (Jr., IF/P)
Last season, Lake came excruciatingly close to winning a Division III state championship, falling 3-1 to Heath in the title tilt.
While the team lost the likes of Ryan Wagner, Caleb Tobias, Aiden Young and Connor Eck to graduation, Lake is once again expected to contend for a Northern Buckeye Conference title and make another run in the tournament.
"As is normal in the NBC, I think that there is a lot of good competition and that it will be a battle every night," Lake coach Casey Witt said. "I expect our team to have a say in how the league shakes out."
Wagner, who led the team in RBIs and was on the mound for some of the team’s biggest postseason wins last year, will be tough to replace, but there are several pitchers on this year’s squad – highlighted by reigning First Team All-Ohio selection Drew Tajblik, who has committed to continue his career at the University of Toledo. He went 12-0 with a 1.31 ERA and 113 strikeouts last year.
Tajblik, who also hit .369 with 37 stolen bases last year, will be joined on the mound by Jack Sobczak (.358) and Jay Blazevich (.336). That trio also finished 1-2-3 in batting average for the Flyers last year. All three play the infield, as well.
Blazevich's father, Jason, was a member of Northwood's state semifinal baseball team in 1990.
Gavin Kohlhofer, the team’s starting catcher, finished fourth at .330.
Korbin Adkins, Jaxson Rymers and Grady Snoderly could also see time on the mound. Snoderly and Kaiden Cousino are two others that will be in the mix to pitch, and Cousino will help roam the outfield along with Adkins and Rymers.
"The batting order is pretty fluid right now as we are so early in the season," Witt said. "A lot of things can change and change quickly based on who gets off to a hot start. As cliche as it sounds, we just want to get better each day that we practice or play.
“We don't talk too much about goals, rather we talk about handling our business every opportunity we get and that if we do that, goals and achievements will take care of themselves at the end of the season."
In regard to the decision by the OHSAA to expand to seven divisions in baseball, Witt said his opinion on that will take a few years to develop.
“I think it will be a change that will take a few years for us to actually be able to determine the overall success of the move,” Witt said. “One thing that I think we will definitely see is more schools in Northwest Ohio making deep tournament runs and showcasing some of the local talent that we have in the area."
