Pirates hope hot bats make trip to Canton

PERKINS TWP. — Perkins will take a hot-hitting team and plenty of swagger into Friday's Division IV state semifinal against Indian Hill. The Pirates have scored 40 runs in four postseason games and head to Thurman Munson Memorial Stadium in Canton as the third baseball team in school history to advance to the final four. "We've got a cool, calm swagger to the team," Perkins coach TJ Blanton said. "They just play well together and trust each other. That's one of the biggest things we've seen this season. One guy might not be doing it, but they don't have to carry the team. Another guy will step up. You've seen that during our tournament run." The Pirates (21-9) and Braves (21-8) will play in the fourth tournament game of the day in Canton. First pitch is scheduled for 7 p.m. Mentor Lake Catholic and Chillicothe Unioto meet in the first semifinal at 4 p.m. The championship game is scheduled for 10 a.m. Sunday in Akron. There are only four teams among 28 state semifinalists in seven divisions that are not ranked in the state coaches poll. Perkins and Indian Hill are among that group. "I really don't care if we're ranked or not," said Dylan Crabtree, Perkins' only senior. "We have nine losses, but we've come out and scored nine runs or more in every game. They still gotta beat us." Crabtree, who bats second in the lineup and has played a flawless right field during the Pirates' tourney run, leads the team with a .380 batting average and 45 stolen bases. Four other Pirates are batting better than .300: Blake Parker (.338).Talon Walton (.337), Bryce Davie (.317) and Carter Koch (.308). Parker leads Perkins with 13 extra-hits hits — including five triples — out of the 6 hole. No. 7 batter Quentin Binette leads the Pirates with 31 runs batted in, illustrating the damage the Sandusky Bay Conference Lake Division champions can do throughout the order. "We don't have traditional 6-7-8-9 hitters," Blanton said. "We kind work it where we have our speed where we can utilize it. Sammy (Schweinfurth) has been in the 9 hole and he's been one of our hottest hitters in the second half of the season. He just has that spark to turn it over for the top of the lineup. He can run a little bit and he's a very smart baserunner. If he gets on base for the top of the order, we can do some things traditional teams can't do." Perkins is batting .354 in the postseason with 23 stolen bases. "We're really confident. It takes a lot of swagger," Crabtree said. "That's our team approach. Everyone wants to hit and when we bunt it's not just a sac bunt. We want to get on for a base hit. We're always hustling. You're never gonna watch us and see us jog down the line. We're yelling, 'get two, get two' in case they drop it." Perkins' offense will be tested by an Indian Hill pitching staff that has allowed only 12 runs in five tournament games. The Braves, who started the season 3-3, have thrived in high-pressure situations. They defeated New Richmond 3-2 in eight innings in a district semifinal and outlasted Middletown Fenwick 6-5 in 10 innings in a regional semifinal. Indian Hill scored all of its runs in the final two innings in an 8-1 win over Jonathan Alder in a regional final. Indian Hill, located in suburban Cincinnati, played a challenging schedule that included some of the Queen City's heavyweight programs. "There's rich baseball tradition in the Cincinnati area," Blanton said. "They're not playing down in competition. Records don't mean anything at this point." Indian Hill is led by sophomore Devlan Daniel, who was named to Prep Baseball Ohio's preseason all-state first team. Daniel pitches and plays shortstop and center field. The Braves' leadoff batter has gone 9 for 16 in the tournament. Daniel also is a star football player. Last Sunday, he received an offer to play at the University of Miami (Florida). "They have talent. They're a young team," Blanton said. "Their best player might actually be the No. 1-ranked player in the state of Ohio in the class of 2027. "He pitches, he hits, has speed, has a good arm. He's a five-tool guy, and like a lot of our guys he's also a monster on the football field. We know we're gonna be facing an athlete." Ashton Graham, who bats second, is 7 for 17 in the postseason and No. 3 hitter Jim Liebel is 5 for 12 and has thrown the most innings on the mound. Liebel has two postseason wins and a save. Daniel, Graham and Liebel combined for eight of Indian Hill's 11 hits in the 10-inning win against Fenwick. "They've kind of alternated their guys so we're not sure who we're gonna see (on the mound), but I'm assuming we'll see the Daniel kid," Blanton said. Perkins has three strong arms from which to choose. Walton is the power pitcher on the staff with a 5-2 record and 1.31 ERA. He has 48 strikeouts in 32 innings pitched. Kash Koch (7-1, 2.00) and Braxden Martin (4-0, 1.75) also have turned in strong tourney performances. "You never know who's gonna throw the next day," Walton said. "If Kash starts, Brax and I have to think about who's closing and who's starting the next game. All three of us can get the job done. "As a pitcher, you want your team to score. We're putting up a lot of crooked numbers and that relieves so much stress as a pitcher." One intangible that might help Perkins is the tournament experience in multiple sports up and down the lineup. Several players on the team were part of Perkins' 2024 state football runner-up team. "These kids are calm. They don't get nervous, they're not pressing," Blanton said. "They're just out there having fun. If you're having fun while you're playing you can do what you've grown up knowing what to do. When you start putting pressure on yourself you make mistakes you wouldn't generally make."