MWL1 Dayton Dragons

Opening Weekend of High School Baseball Coming to Fifth Third Field

April 3, 2013 - Midwest League (MWL1)
Dayton Dragons News Release


Dayton, Ohio- Fifth Third Field and the Dayton Dragons will host high school baseball for the eighth straight season in 2013. Overall this spring, 30 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.

This weekend's schedule of high school games at Fifth Third Field starts on Thursday, April 4th with a match up between Marion Local and New Bremen at 6:30 p.m. Two games will be played on Friday. At 4:30 p.m., Chaminade-Julienne High School faces Bishop Fenwick High School and at 7:30 p.m. Wayne High School plays Tippecanoe High School. Saturday's two games feature Minster High School vs. St. Mary's Memorial High School at 1 p.m., with Greenon High School against Northeastern High School at 4 p.m. On Sunday, Riverside High School is scheduled to face Dixie High School at 4 p.m.

Marion Local High School vs. New Bremen High School

Marion Local coach Bryan Gray brings a young squad to Fifth Third Field Thursday afternoon. After an 11-15 campaign in 2012, his squad graduated eight seniors. This year, he says the younger players must make an impact.

"We hope to build progress with our young team this year by being more consistent and getting maximum effort every day," Gray said. "Our young players have to step up and prove that they are ready for varsity baseball."

The Flyers are led by Kyle Mescher. The senior is a two-time 1st Team All-Midwest-Athletic-Conference selection. Last year he hit .410 and drove in 16 runs.

New Bremen also enters the season looking to make up for some key losses. Last year's ace Brent Bertke has moved on to pitch at The Ohio State University at Lima. Thursday's game will mark the first time this season that Coach Josh Bowersock and his Cardinal squad will travel away from their home park.

Chaminade-Julienne High School vs. Bishop Fenwick High School

Chaminade-Julienne High School turns over a new leaf in the 2013 season. Mike Barhorst returns to his alma mater for his first year as manager. Barhorst acknowledges that he is bringing a young squad to Fifth Third Field on Friday afternoon, but he believes the team's strong offense could lead to some success for the Eagles.

Barhorst hopes his team "will soak up experience and develop their strong nucleus of players through spring months as they meet formidable teams in an aggressive schedule."

One of those formidable teams is Bishop Fenwick. Fourth year head coach Bob Sherlock and the Falcons return all but three players from last year's club that brought home Greater Catholic League and sectional championships.

The Falcons are led by University of Charleston commitment Logan Valentine. Valentine, a second baseman, earned All-GCL First Team awards last season. He led the Falcons in doubles, runs scored, and walks last year.

Wayne High School vs. Tippecanoe High School

Local talent will be showcased Friday night when Wayne High School takes on Tippecanoe High School at Fifth Third Field. Each team boasts a senior who will be playing collegiately in Ohio next season.

For Wayne, starting pitcher Michael Pierce will play his college ball next year at Muskingum. This season, he leads a Wayne staff that is looking to compete for a Great Western Ohio Conference Crown.

Pierce and his squad return to Fifth Third Field for the fourth year in a row and the fifth time since 2007.

In the other dugout, Tippecanoe High School is led by a senior who will not even have to leave the Dayton city limits to play his collegiate ball. Senior pitcher Carter Langdon will pitch for manager Tony Vittorio and the University of Dayton Flyers next season.

Langdon, who overcame a serious leg injury as a sophomore, posted a 9-1 record with an ERA of 1.07 for Tippecanoe last season.

Minster High School vs. St. Mary's Memorial High School

Minster High School arrives at Fifth Third Field Friday night with what manager Mike Wiss calls "a nice target on our backs." That's for good reason as the Wildcats enter the year as the two-time defending Division IV State Champions.

Last year's Minster team went 26-6 en route to its second straight title. The Wildcats return some key cogs in last year's title run as they look for a three-peat, including senior Adam Niemeyer.

Niemeyer, a starting pitcher, did not allow an earned run in 45 innings on the mound as a junior. With a fastball clocked at almost 90 miles-per-hour, Niemeyer struck out 76 batters last year. Next season, he'll pitch for the Ohio State Buckeyes.

St. Mary's Memorial looks to challenge the defending champions Friday night. The Roughriders posted a 19-7 record and a second place finish in the Western Buckeye League in 2012. This year, coach Dave Huber's group is inexperienced, but still has high expectations.

"We only have 3 returning players with meaningful varsity playing time," Huber said. "Our program goal for this year is to have players step up so we can compete for the league title."

Huber's says his players embrace the opportunity to play at Fifth Third Field. "This is a great opportunity for the players. To be able to play on Fifth Third Field against a defending State Champion in Minster is something the players will remember about their playing days at Memorial."

Greenon High School vs. Northeastern High School

Greenon High School will play its third game of the week on Saturday afternoon at Fifth Third Field. After a Monday road trip to Greenview and Thursday's home opener against Shawnee, the Knights play in the home of the Dragons against Northeastern High School.

Greenon, a member of the Central Buckeye Conference, looks to continue to build under third year manager Cliff Foght. Senior catcher Tyler Renk leads the way for the Knights. The fourth-year starter batted .323 last season.

Meanwhile, a junior leads Northeastern. Nick Wiseman earned second-team OHC honors last year as he collected 21 RBIs and seven doubles to go along with a .328 batting average.

Riverside High School vs. Dixie High School

The finale of this six game set pits Riverside High School against Dixie High School. Riverside will wrap up a seven-game week with Sunday's appearance at Fifth Third Field. The Pirates opened their schedule on Monday, April 1 and even play a double header on Saturday, April, 7.

Dixie High School returns all-around athlete Luke Bowling. Last year, Bowling earned first-team all-conference honors in football, basketball, and baseball.

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 high school baseball games scheduled to be played at Fifth Third Field can be found 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 Home Team Away Team

Thursday April 4, 2013 6:30pm Marion Local New Bremen

Friday April 5, 2013 4:30pm Chaminade-Julienne Bishop Fenwick

Friday April 5, 2013 7:30pm Wayne Tippecanoe

Saturday April 6, 2013 1:00pm Minster St. Mary's Memorial

Saturday April 6, 2013 4:00pm Greenon Northeastern High School

Sunday April 7, 2013 4:00 PM Riverside Dixie

Tuesday April 16, 2013 4:30pm Dayton Christian Troy Christian

Tuesday April 16, 2013 7:30pm Troy Sidney

Wednesday April 17, 2013 7:30pm Arcanum Allen East

Thursday May 2, 2013 4:30pm Greenville Springfield Catholic Central

Thursday May 2, 2013 7:30pm Northmont Miamisburg

Friday May 3, 2013 5:00pm St. Henry Fort Recovery

Friday May 3, 2013 8:00pm Vandalia-Butler Beavercreek

Saturday May 4, 2013 1:00pm Covington Bradford

Saturday May 4, 2013 4:00pm Lehman Catholic Cedarville

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