Everyone chasing Edison in SBC Bay

Edison won the Sandusky Bay Conference Bay Division baseball title last year. The Chargers finished 23-4 overall, winning each of their 10 league games. Edison has goals of a long postseason run after losing in the district semifinals to Liberty-Benton. The Chargers return four first-team league selections while Huron has two back. The Tigers have a plethora of pitching back and the hopes that senior Landon Hohler is healthy the entire season. Veteran coach Ray Neill is still coaching at Margaretta while Vermilion and Willard each welcome in new coaches. Port Clinton has big goals on its mind after improving its win total from 2024 to last season. The baseball season starts Friday. A look at the six Bay Division teams in alphabetical order: Edison The Chargers are the hunted after winning the league title last year. Edison has to replace Most Outstanding Performer in the SBC Bay, Abe Hermes. He went 10-1 on the mound, making nine starts among his 14 appearances. Hermes struck out 123 in 71 1/3 innings. The Chargers will be led on the mound by seniors Bryson Wittmer and Cole Leimeister. Wittmer, a Louisville commit, went 4-1, striking out 83 batters in 35 2/3 innings. Leimeister was 5-1 with a 1.53 earned run average. Wittmer led Edison with a .444 average at the plate, smacking six home runs with 23 runs batted in and a team-high 40 runs scored. Senior Chaz Smith returns to the lineup after hitting .360 with team-highs in doubles (10) and RBI (25). "We have a good combination of returning letter winners and young talent," Edison coach Sean Hoover said. "It will take a little time to get some of our young players acclimated to what it takes to compete at the varsity level day after day. I like the group we have and think we have the potential to have another very good year." Huron The Tigers went 14-12 last year, finishing 6-4 in league play. Huron has to replace league picks like Paul Maloney (first team, infield), Dominic Fresch (second team, pitcher), Caden Peterman (second team, outfield) and Ben Davis (honorable mention, infield). Maloney was second on the team with a .379 average while Peterman hit .300, good for third-best for Huron. The Tigers will bring back Hohler, who's time on the mound was limited due to a shoulder injury. He was a first-team pick at infield for Huron. At the plate, he hit .385. Also returning for the Tigers is second-team pick senior Sam Cox at infield. "We have a strong group of younger talent and are lead by four returning starters," Huron coach Dan Lindsley said. "We believe this team could be very good if our younger players are able to step in and make an impact. "We have four returning pitchers and a healthy Landon Hohler, so we think we are very strong pitching-wise." Margaretta Last year, the Polar Bears were 11-18, going 3-7 in league play. Margaretta was 1-6 out of the gate, but played better the second half of the season, winning four of five before a tough district semifinal loss to Gibsonburg. The Polar Bears had four players receive league honors and they all return. Junior Zach Gray was a first-team pick at outfield while junior Memphis McKenzie took home second-team honors at catcher. Senior Bren Smith, who hit leadoff for Margaretta, was a second-team selection at outfield. Junior Mason Kromer was selected honorable mention, also at catcher. "We are very excited for the upcoming season," Neill said. "We return 11 lettermen from last season, six of whom were every day positional starters. Five of those 11 returnees saw time on the mound for us. "Defensively, we return the middle of the field which is a positive." Port Clinton After winning just one game in 2024, the Redskins improved to four wins last year. Port Clinton returns its lone league pick, Derek Abernathy, a senior who was honorable mention at pitcher. Abernathy led the Redskins with a 1.54 earned run average, striking out 38 batters in 41 innings. At the dish, junior Danny Baker paced Port Clinton with a .302 batting average. He led the team in total hits (19), runs scored (11) and doubles (4). Abernathy added 15 hits while senior Tre Armendariz contributed 14 hits. "We want to take another step forward and improve our win total from last year," Port Clinton coach Mark Howerth said. "The coaching staff and the team's goal is to get double digits in the win column. We have set some lofty goals here at Port Clinton and the kids are ready to take the huge steps to get this program back on track." Vermilion Gehrig Gabrie takes over for Jeff Keck, who led the Sailors to a 16-9 record last year including a 7-3 mark in the league. Vermilion graduated two first-team picks in Codey Schwarck (infield) and Logan Peterson (outfield) and three second-team selections in Oliver Roy (pitcher), Cohen Mooney (infield) and Will Matheson (outfield). Schwarck was 6-3 on the mound, tallying 46 strikeouts in 46 2/3 innings while Roy was 4-2 in 43 1/3 innings. Schwarck led the offense with 16 runs batted in while Mooney and Matheson each knocked in 14 runs. Back for the Sailors is Mason Cooper, who threw 32 1/3 innings, and Adam Gerber, who was 3-1 in 27 innings of work. "We lost eight players from last year's roster, so we will be a very young, but talented team," Gabrie said. "We do return six letter winners who were starters or high usage players. Like most young teams, we will make some early mistakes and might even drop some games we shouldn't, but by year's end, we will be a very competitive team and win our fair share of games." Willard The Crimson Flashes turn to Brandon Bruner as their new coach. Willard was 6-20 last year including 3-7 in the league under Billy Robinson. The biggest hole the Flashes have this year is the graduation of Elijah Reed, who won four games on the mound with a 2.85 earned run average. He tossed a team-high 54 innings, striking out 71. At the plate, Reed was second on the team with a .338 average. He tallied a team-high 22 hits and tied for the most with 10 runs batted in. Sophomore Roger Whetsone (17 hits) also had 10 RBI for Willard. Senior Adler Ames (14 hits) led the Flashes with 12 runs scored while junior Grant Poston added 15 hits. Sophomore Kaleb Weaver was second on the team with 30 innings pitched. "I am glad to have a great group of seniors," Bruner said. "We have really put in a lot off work this off season. We will be strong in the bottom of our lineup offensively. I believe we have two of the best middle infielders in the league in Adler Ames and Jandyel Salazar. "Our young pitchers will have to continue to get better as the season progresses." Returning All-SBC Bay selections First team Pitcher: Bryson Wittmer, Edison Catcher: Tristian Wetherill, Edison Infield: Landon Hohler, Huron; Chaz Smith, Edison Outfield: Cole Leimeister, Edison; Zach Gray, Margaretta Second team Catcher: Memphis McKenzie, Margaretta Infield: Jandyell Salazar, Willard; Sam Cox, Huron; Eli Hermes, Edison Outfield: Bren Smith, Margaretta Honorable mention Pitcher: Derek Abernathy, Port Clinton Catcher: Mason Kromer, Margaretta Infield: Luke Habermehl, Vermilion Outfield: Roger Whetstone, Willard