West Clermont High School’s Nate Taylor takes a cut during a Division I regional semifinal against Archbishop Moeller on June 1, 2023, at Xavier University’s Hayden Field. Taylor was recently named to the all-Eastern Cincinnati Conference first team.
West Clermont High School senior pitcher Trevor Zeigler (18) unwinds on a pitch while first baseman Gavin Speranza (background) looks on during a Division I regional semifinal against Archbishop Moeller on June 1, 2023, at Xavier University’s Hayden Field in Cincinnati. Zeigler and Speranza were recently named to the all-Eastern Cincinnati Conference first team.
Milford High School junior Louden Hilliard was recently named to the all-Eastern Cincinnati Conference first team.
Milford High School senior first baseman/pitcher Chase Herrell, right, stretches for the throw at first during action last month. Herrell was recently named to the all-Eastern Cincinnati Conference first team. Besides posting strong pitching and hitting numbers, he also boasted a fielding percentage of .951.
There is no consolation bracket in state regional baseball tournaments.
And post-season awards may not serve as much consolation for teams that fall short of the state tournament. But they can serve as an indicator of a team’s successes, and in 2023, West Clermont High School had plenty of them.
That was apparent when the all-Eastern Cincinnati Conference teams were announced recently. West Clermont capped a season that saw the Wolves come within two wins of the state tournament by landing three players on both the all-ECC first and second team.
The Wolves, who tied for first in the conference in the regular season at 14-4 and finished 22-9 overall, lost to Archbishop Moeller, 10-4, in a Division I regional semifinal June 1. Moeller eventually advanced to the state tournament.
All-ECC first-teamers for the Wolves were senior pitcher Trevor Zeigler, senior Nathan Taylor, and sophomore first baseman Gavin Speranza.
Zeigler, who has signed to pitch at the University of Cincinnati next year, was tied for first in the conference in wins with six (he finished with a 6-1 record), was fourth in strikeouts with 61 in 41-2/3 innings and had a 1.85 earned run average, the fifth lowest for players pitching in 10 games or more.
Taylor, a pitcher/first baseman who also is planning to play at the University of Cincinnati next year, was third in the conference in home runs (3) and sixth in runs batted in (22), and on the mound, was fifth in strikeouts (53 in 36 innings) and tied for fifth in wins (4 – he finished with a 4-1 record).
Speranza was first in the ECC in home runs (4), second in RBI (28), and 10th in batting (.361) in his first full year at the varsity level.
Named to the second team for West Clermont were Landon McEvoy, Austin Randolph, and Zach Swartz. Connor Kasten was honorable mention.
Another area Clermont County team, Milford High School, also was well-represented on the all-ECC teams.
Making the first team for the Eagles were senior Chase Herrell and junior Louden Hilliard. Herrell, a pitcher/first baseman, tied for fourth in the conference in homers (2). On the mound, he was third in strikeouts (69 in 50-2/3 innings) and tied for fifth in wins (4). Hilliard, a pitcher/outfielder, had 47 strikeouts in 30 innings.
Second-teamers for the Eagles were Joey Buchanan, Brady Bushman, Michael Kirk, and Ayden Vollmer. Chris Dawson was honorable mention.
Milford finished in the middle of the conference at 10-8, 16-14 overall. The Eagles won their first two games in the Division I sectional/district playoffs before losing a nail-biter, 2-1, to Elder High School, which in turn lost a one-run game to Archbishop Moeller, 7-6, in the regional finals.