Clermont Northeastern’s Sammy Woolery makes contact with the ball during a Southern Buckeye Athletic and Academic Conference game May 9, 2025, against Western Brown at CNE High School in Owensville.
Photo by Sun Sports Reporter Jake Dowling
Batavia opens as 5th seed in D-III play
Batavia’s Nick Scott (3) and Max Mehlman (5) round third base and head for home in the bottom of the sixth inning of an American Division game May 7, 2025, against Goshen at Brian Wilson Field in Batavia.
Photo by Sun Sports Reporter Jake Dowling
Loveland starting pitcher Drew Oerther delivers the ball to home plate during an Eastern Cincinnati Conference game April 18, 2025, against West Clermont at West Clermont High School.
File photo by Sun Sports Reporter Jake Dowling
While they continue to chase an Eastern Cincinnati Conference championship, the Loveland Tigers drew the top seed in the Division II, Region 8, Southwest 1 District for this year’s baseball playoffs.
When seedings were released May 11, the Tigers (11-3, 12-6) had six games remaining, but they earned the top spot in a small district featuring teams as far north as Sidney and winless Winton Woods.
Loveland will play the winner between sixth-seeded Winton Woods (0-15, 0-17) and No. 3 Harrison (14-3) at 5 p.m. May 27 in a district semifinal at a location to be announced.
The Tigers have an easier path to a district championship this season after finishing runners-up to Vandalia Butler in last year’s district final. With the expanded divisions in baseball, Butler moves to Division III while Loveland is Division II. The district’s highest-seeded team Loveland could face a pair of third-ranked opponents in Harrison or Miamisburg (8-9).
DIVISION I
In a small Southwest 4 District within Region 4, Milford (12-8) is the No. 11 seed and will face sixth-seeded Oak Hills (11-8) in a district semifinal at 5 p.m. May 27 at Oak Hills High School. The winner will play either fellow ECC foe No. 5 Lebanon (15-6) or No. 12 Sycamore (11-12) in a district final at 5 p.m. May 29 at a neutral location. The Warriors swept the Eagles in two games this season.
In the Southwest 1 District, West Clermont (10-10) is seeded 15th and will play No. 14 Hamilton (10-12) in a second-round game at 5 p.m. May 22 at Hamilton High School. The winner will play No. 4-seeded Lakota East (13-8) in a district semifinal at 5 p.m. May 27 at a location to be announced.
DIVISION III
American Division champion Batavia (18-3) opens the Region 12, Southwest 2 District tournament with a home game against No. 14-seeded Mounty Healthy (1-17) at 5 p.m. May 21 at Brian Wilson Field in Batavia.
The fifth-seeded Bulldogs won’t be facing a Southern Buckeye Athletic and Academic Conference foe in the district tournament this season, like they did a year ago when New Richmond ousted the Bulldogs in the sectional championship.
The Bulldogs are winners of eight straight as of May 12. Pitching has led the way by not allowing more than four runs in a game during that stretch and hurling six shutouts on the season. The Bulldogs hold a 1.52 ERA with 120 strikeouts in 124 2/3 innings, all SBAAC-best.
Head coach Geoff Carter likes how his team has battled back in close games or sluggish starts, including a pair of one-run wins against Clinton-Massie and overcoming a 4-0 deficit in the American Division finale May 7 against Goshen.
“We have had a few of them this season, even in some losses. It’s good to have games like that, and it’s what you are going to see (in the playoffs),” Carter said. “And thank goodness we have pitching to stop that if the wheels fall off.
“And you have experienced guys, and you can’t downplay that. Some guys have been here for four years and have played a lot for us.”
The district bracket gets interesting after the Bulldogs’ opening-round matchup.
If Batavia beats Mount Healthy, it will face the winner between No. 4-seeded La Salle (10-9) and No. 13 Cincinnati Hughes (1-6) in a district semifinal at 5 p.m. May 28 at a neutral location. In the lower bracket, reigning district champion Vandalia Butler is the top seed and looks to have a clear path to the district final May 30. The last time Batavia made it that far was in 2022 when the Bulldogs lost to Eaton.
“Last year, we had a few guys that we knew could swing it real well, and we trusted in those guys a lot,” senior Derek Richardson said. “This year, we have a wide variety of guys on offense who can swing the bat and perform.”
Also in Division III, Goshen (9-6) is seeded ninth in the Southwest 4 District. The Warriors open tournament play at 5 p.m. May 21 with a home game against 11th-seeded Cincinnati Withrow (11-5).
DIVISION IV
Bethel-Tate (4-10) is seeded ninth and will open Southwest 3 District play against No. 7 Bishop Fenwick (7-10) at 5 p.m. May 21 at Bishop Fenwick High School in Franklin. The winner will play the winner of No. 2-seeded Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy (15-5) and fellow SBAAC opponent No. 12 Wilmington (3-16) in a district semifinal at 5 p.m. May 28 at a neutral site.
In the Southwest 1 District, No. 8 New Richmond (7-13) opens tournament play against No. 10 Cleves Taylor (5-13) in a second-round match at 5 p.m. May 21 at New Richmond High School.
The winner will play top-seeded Indian Hill (16-5) or the No. 11-seeded Cincinnati Shroder/No. 13 Gamble Montessori (1-4) winner at 5 p.m. May 28 at a neutral location.
DIVISION V
In the Region 20, Southwest 3 District, Williamsburg (7-7) is penciled in as the No. 9 seed. The Wildcats will travel to Cincinnati to play No. 3 Mariemont (12-6) at 5 p.m. May 22. The winner will play Miami Valley Conference opponents No. 7 Clark Montessori (11-10) or No. 6 Seven Hills (8-7) in a district semifinal game at 5 p.m. May 27 at a neutral site.
In the Southwest 1 District, Clermont Northeastern (9-8) opens as the No. 8 seed against No. 11-seeded (4-13) at 5 p.m. May 22 at Clermont Northeastern High School.
Head coach Chad Heckler’s second season looks a little different than his first when Madeira eliminated his 13th-seeded Rockets in the sectional semifinal. This year, the Rockets have improved their National Division win total from five last year to eight as of May 12, for the most divisional wins in the program since 2021.
“There is a different philosophy and coaching style than in previous years, so I think there is some comfort factoring into that and understanding the process,” Heckler said.
The winner will play the winner between top-seeded Madeira (16-7) and fifth-seeded Fairfield Cincinnati Christian (11-10) in a district semifinal at 5 p.m. May 27 at a location to be announced.
In the meantime, Heckler will try his best to balance the workload on his coaching staff with three games on the team’s slate before the May 22 playoff game.
“We have some solid pitching, but we are also pretty young in that aspect,” Heckler said. “My top two pitchers are juniors, and my 3 and 4 are sophomores. So you have the problem of being young and inexperienced, but it’s also great that you have returning talent coming back.
“Right now, I am hoping to keep these guys on some sort of schedule.”
DIVISION VI
In the Southwest 1 District, No. 6-seeded Felicity-Franklin (3-7) opens play at No. 4 Purcell Marian (5-10) at 5 p.m. May 21 at Purcell Marian High School. The winner will play top-seeded Summit Country Day (13-8) or No. 8 Deer Park (1-14)/No. 9 Riverview East Academy (2-3) in a district semifinal at 5 p.m. May 28 at a neutral location.