LAKE CENTER CHRISTIAN: A four-hit shutout from Grant Coblentz has Lake Center Christian back at the state tournament. Coblentz struck out 15 and also hit a single and double in the 4-0 win over Chippewa by the fourth-ranked team in D-VI, state runners-up last season. The Tigers, which have outscored opponents 52-6 in the tournament, jumped to a 9-1 lead over LaBrae in the regional semifinals and held on for a 9-6 triumph. Nathan Bryant and Colton Smilek were both 3-4 for the Indians, which reached regionals for the fourth year in a row and fifth overall. Caleb Shelly fanned all 15 batters he faced in the sectionals and threw a two-hit shutout against Mogadore in the district semis while Coblentz fired a two-hitter versus Grand Valley in the district title game. Luke Heckert, Nathan Bryant and Brayden Myers are the lone senior starters for Lake Center, Heckert an Arizona Western JC commit and Bryant an Ohio State signee.

NORTHMOR: Northmor scored six runs on six hits in the top of the seventh to get by Fort Recovery 8-2 in the regional finals and with it the second trip to state in school history. Brody Beck went all the way for the seventh-ranked D-VI team by Prep Baseball and eighth by the OHSBCA, not allowing an earned run while fanning seven. Jack Bowdre, Brady Chapman and Billy Bowlin had two hits apiece for the Knights, which scored eight in the top of the seventh in the regional semis en route to a 13-4 victory over Dayton Christian. Brady Carr had a pair of singles and a double. Beck threw a complete game and Northmor knocked off top-ranked West Jefferson 5-4 for a district championship after defeating Grandview Heights by an identical score in the district semis behind the strong pitching of senior Trevor Brubaker, who now has 27 career pitching wins, 282 Ks and a career ERA of 0.96. The only other trip to state for Northmor came in 1995.