MWL1 Dayton Dragons

Final Weekend of High School Games at Fifth Third Field

Published on April 26, 2012 under Midwest League (MWL1)
Dayton Dragons News Release


Dayton, Ohio- Fifth Third Field and the Dayton Dragons will host high school baseball for the seventh straight season in 2012. Overall this spring, 20 high schools will play regular season games at the home of the Dragons.

All games are sponsored by MAC Athletics, experts in athletic facility planning, design, construction, and equipment acquisition. Go to macathletix.com for more information on their services.

There are six scheduled high school games this weekend at Fifth Third Field, starting with two on Friday, April 27th. Chaminade Julienne High School will face Bishop Fenwick High School at 4:30 p.m. followed by Vandalia-Butler High School against Northmont High School at 7:30 p.m. On Saturday, April 28th, four more teams will play at the home of the Dragons beginning at 1 p.m. when Wayne High School plays Oak Hills High School. At 4 p.m., Preble Shawnee High School and Twin Valley South High School are scheduled to play against each other. Fairfield High School and Troy High School will be the only game on Sunday, April 29th, with a 7 p.m. scheduled first pitch. Carroll High School will play Chaminade Julienne High School on Monday, April 30th at 6 p.m.

Friday, April 27th

Friday evening's doubleheader at Fifth Third Field features two conference rivalries in Chaminade Julienne vs. Bishop Fenwick and Vandalia-Butler vs. Northmont.

The Chaminade Julienne Eagles and Bishop Fenwick Falcons face each other at 4:30 p.m. The two teams are both in the hotly contested Greater Catholic League North Division, where all four teams are separated by a slim margin. These two teams met earlier in the season, with the Falcons pulling out a 12-10 win.

"We were very fortunate to beat them the first time around and we know it will be difficult to do so again," Fenwick Head Coach Bob Sherlock said. "A victory over them would be huge if we want to win a Greater Catholic League North Division title."

Sherlock is in his third year at Bishop Fenwick and came to the school from Archbishop Moeller High School in Cincinnati. He was a varsity assistant under legendary coach Mike Cameron, who coached former Reds Ken Griffey, Jr. and Barry Larkin in high school. Sherlock has seen 68 of his players move on to college baseball, and 12 get drafted, including former Dragons outfielder Cameron Satterwhite.

This year's Falcons squad features only three seniors, one who will play baseball in college. Pitcher AJ Schraffenberger is committed to Division II Walsh University, and ranks fourth in the GCL with 34 strikeouts. Lead-off hitter and second baseman Logan Valentine is first on the team with a .392 batting average and five doubles.

Alex Livingston and Daniel Barhorst are two of the leading hitters and pitchers for the Eagles and Head Coach Mike Barhorst. The teams is comprised of nine seniors, each looking to play their first game at Fifth Third Field after last year's scheduled matchup was rained out. Livingston is hitting .345 with a team-leading seven stolen bases, and on the mound leads the team with a 2-1 record, 2.00 earned run average, and 17 strikeouts. Daniel Barhorst has made his name at the plate, with a .380 batting average and team-leading three home runs and 18 runs batted in. Barhorst will play collegiately at Sinclair Community College, with the hope of transferring to a Division I university.

For the first time since 2008, rival high schools Vandalia-Butler and Northmont will play each other at Fifth Third Field at 7:30 p.m. The two schools, separated by fewer than 10 miles, have a rivalry dating back to when they were in the same conference and same division. Both are currently in the Greater Western Ohio Conference, but different divisions.

"It's like an our-town versus your-town game, a real throwback rivalry," Northmont Head Coach Chuck Harlow said. "Our kids have respect for each other as well, so it's a good, healthy rivalry. Every time we get together it's pretty fun."

Vandalia-Butler is lead by pitcher Taylore Cherry, who is committed to play baseball at the University of North Carolina next year. He is one of the country's top-ranked high school prospects.

The two schools met at Fifth Third Field in 2008, when Northmont beat Vandalia-Butler 7-3. The game was critical for the Thunderbolts, allowing them to pull away to eventually win the division. Over 1,500 fans attended the game in 2008 and similar numbers are expected to turn out at Fifth Third Field for Friday night's matchup.

Saturday, April 28th

Fifth Third Field will host two more games on Saturday starting with the first ever meeting between Wayne High School and Oak Hills High School at 1 p.m. The 2-15 Wayne Warriors, out of the GWOC Central Division, feature 2011 First Team All-GWOC Catcher Cody Morris. He signed with Davenport University (Mich.), and currently leads the team with a .400 batting average. This game is the second scheduled ballgame for the Warriors at Fifth Third Field; the first one was rained out on April 14th.

Oak Hills High School is tied for second place in the Greater Miami Conference, trailing first-place Mason High School by three games. Even with a young and inexperienced team, 19th-year Head Coach Chuck Laumann's Highlanders are 10-4 in conference (entering play today).

"It's been a total team effort to this point with only three position players with varsity experience," Laumann said. "Still, we're all very excited to play on one of the best minor league fields in the country."

Seniors Tom Connolly and Tyler Cox anchor the pitching staff with four wins apiece. Connolly has a 2.08 ERA in a team-leading 37 innings, while Cox has a 1.46 ERA on the season.

The second game of Saturday's high school doubleheader features old rivals. Preble Shawnee High School and Twin Valley South High School will play at 4 p.m. The two schools meet annually, though Preble Shawnee (Southwestern Buckeye League) and Twin Valley South (Cross County Conference) are each in different conferences.

The Twin Valley South Panthers are led by two senior pitchers in Dillon Ashley and Cole Cottingim. Both are scheduled to pitch on Saturday, with Ashley getting the start. It will be the first game at Fifth Third Field for Twin Valley South

"This is a great opportunity for our school, and one that we've never had before," Head Coach John Bassler said. "We're extremely excited to play at Fifth Third Field."

Sunday, April 29th

The matchup on the schedule for Sunday is a 7 p.m. game between Fairfield High School and Troy High School. The Fairfield Indians out of the Greater Miami Conference, won their first 10 games of the season before falling on hard times with injuries. Number one pitcher Curtis Olvey (committed to Kent State University) has been limited, but still leads the team with an ERA of 0.67 and 32 strikeouts. He is second on the team with a .421 bating average. With Olvey out, the Indians have relied upon first baseman Casey McWhorter who now leads the team with a .462 batting average, seven doubles, and 22 RBI.

Fairfield also has a pair of twins in Tyler and Braden Burdine, who have tried to make up the offense that the team lost. Tyler, a shortstop, and Braden, a catcher and outfielder, took on a leadership role for Larry Price's squad.

"Many of these kids played in last year's game at Fifth Third Field," Price said. "We're about a 50-50 mix of junior and seniors, and they wanted to do what they could to get back there. I think they want to play at Fifth Third Field more than anywhere else that I could mention."

Troy has had a solid season out of the GWOC North Division. The Trojans are in second place, trailing Piqua by a game. This will be Troy High School's eighth game at Fifth Third Field; the school has played at the home of the Dragons each year since the high school program began and has won five out of seven. Head Coach Ty Welker's team is built on strong senior leadership.

First baseman and pitcher Nathan Helke is one of the seniors who has already played at Fifth Third Field. He is near the top of the team in hitting with a .383 batting average, but leads the team in home runs (four), RBI (25), and triples (three). Helke also has the lowest ERA on the team at 1.70.

Monday, April 30th

The last game of the weekend pits Carroll High School against Chaminade Julienne High School at 6 p.m. on Monday. This is the second game of the weekend for the Chaminade Julienne Eagles, and the second Greater Catholic League North Division matchup on the schedule.

This rivalry brings added intensity to Fifth Third Field because each team is within striking distance of the division leader. Plus, both Chaminade Julienne and Carroll have both had players transfer to the other school. The Carroll Patriots' leading hitter, Pat Raiff (.435 batting average, eight doubles, 14 stolen bases to lead the team), was a two-year starter for the Eagles before transferring for this year. Eagles outfielder and pitcher Will Keller went to Carroll High School during his freshman year before transferring to Chaminade Julienne.

"Every game within the GCL is a big game for us now," Chaminade Julienne Head Coach Mike Barhorst said. "Our rivalries with Fenwick and Carroll are friendly, but we want to beat them and don't like losing to them. We have a lot of respect for each other."

Even before the two were in the same conference, hardly a season went by where the schools didn't play each other. Aside from Raiff, the Patriots batting order features sophomore Tony Quatman, who's four home runs and 19 RBI are the best on the team. Nate Hemmert is a dual threat, leading the team with six triples and also compiling a 1.17 ERA on the mound.

Scheduling Note

The game between Riverside High School and Covington High School on April 14th was rained out, and a make-up date for that game has been announced. The two schools have been rescheduled for Thursday, May 10th at 6 p.m. The addition has been reflected in the schedule below.

The Dayton Dragons have been hosting the Miami Valley's best baseball teams since 2006 and are proud to continue the tradition for a seventh year. A complete list of the remaining high school baseball games scheduled to be played at Fifth Third Field can be found below, or at daytondragons.com.

All games are free to attend and the media are invited to cover them. Gates will open one hour prior to the first game played that day. High schools may provide their own PA announcers, cheer squads, and national anthem singers. Some even bring their own radio broadcasters to the ballpark. Participating high schools sell Dragons tickets to help raise money for their programs.

Day Date Time Teams (Home team is listed second)

Friday 04/27/12 4:30 p.m. Chaminade Julienne High School vs. Bishop Fenwick High School

Friday 04/27/12 7:30 p.m. Vandalia-Butler High School vs. Northmont High School

Saturday 04/28/12 1:00 p.m. Wayne High School vs. Oak Hills High School

Saturday 04/28/12 4:00 p.m. Preble Shawnee High School vs. Twin Valley South High School

Sunday 04/29/12 7:00 p.m. Fairfield High School vs. Troy High School

Monday 04/30/12 6:00 p.m. Carroll High School vs. Chaminade Julienne High School

Thursday 05/10/12 6:00 p.m. Riverside High School vs. Covington High School

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