Ohio Hitmen living up to their name in Buckeye Elite Tournament

GRANVILLE ― It's come almost full circle for Trevor Mye while coaching the Ohio Hitmen summer baseball teams.

"I started with some of this group when we won the 13u state, and now many of them are seniors or graduated," the former Newark ace, now a local pitching instructor and Licking Valley pitching coach, said on July 10 at Denison University.

The core of that team continues to have success as Ohio Hitmen 17u. A mix of high school seniors and even a junior, plus recent graduates, and featuring players from five Licking County teams, they finished Buckeye Elite Tournament 18u pool play at 3-0 after handling Team All-American 17u Blue from Pennsylvania 9-1.

They improved to 17-6-1, outscoring their three opponents 34-13, and earned the sixth seed out of 42 teams in their division. They entered the July 11 game at Dublin Coffman just one win from the semifinals, and two wins would put them in the July 12 Platinum Division championship game at Upper Arlington.

"It's been great, playing with the main core for the last three or four years, and I've played with (Granville senior) Luke (Bosse) since we were 9u," said Blue Aces' senior Jackson McMillan, who plays first base and pitches for the Hitmen. "It's been a lot of good tournaments with top competition, some of it from other states."

On this day, McMillan homered over the left field fence during the 13-8 win against Westerville Naturals 17u. Weather held up the start of the morning game, pushed back the second game and even delayed it for a half hour. But the Hitmen never missed a beat, with McMillan's RBI double in the first inning pushing them ahead for good. He's also getting ready for his final year at quarterback for Granville.

"I weighed 220, and now I'm down to 190 and feel a lot better, a lot stronger," McMillan said. "Both coaches have made it work for me. It's usually football during the week and baseball on the weekends."

Bosse, another football standout, played in the outfield, was hit by a pitch, scored a run and stole a base in the second game. His nine steals are second best on the team. McMillan has five doubles and two triples and is 2-1 on the mound, with a team-best 23 strikeouts in 18⅔ innings with only three walks.

Sheridan senior Connor Roshon had four RBIs, breaking things open with a three-run double in the third inning of the 9-1 win. Barnesville senior Brayden Watters went 3 for 3 and scored three runs and Maysville graduate Trevor Hague had a game-clinching two-run single. Heath graduate Jamison Walsh saved at least two runs with a diving, bases-loaded catch in left field during the fourth inning.

"That's the mindset. There's no other way to play," said Walsh, headed to Mount Vernon Nazarene. "This is basically college ball, really getting ready for the next level."

That play bolstered Mount Vernon senior Nolan Hershberger, who escaped three bases-loaded jams in his 96-pitch three-hitter, striking out eight and walking four. He's 2-0 with a team-leading 1.69 ERA, with 21 strikeouts in 20 innings.

"We still have a lot of pitching left," McMillan said of the upcoming games.

That includes Walsh, who leads the team with 24 innings pitched and is 3-2 with 20 strikeouts. Northridge junior Collin Matheson, who is used to playing with and against older players, is 2-1 in 14 innings pitched and is batting .344 with with eight stolen bases. He played third base in the second game.

"This feels good, especially since it's probably my last year to play for them," Matheson said. "I'm not sure I'll keep playing travel ball, and will concentrate on my school ball."

Newark senior infielder Kodie Steele has been stellar near the top of the order for the Hitmen. He drew two walks and scored twice in the second game, and leads the team in batting average (.500), on-base percentage (.600), OPS (1.211) and 27 hits, while stealing 16 of 16 bases.

Other LCL players contributed earlier for the Hitmen, including Valley's Brandt Lichtenauer and Grayson Snow, along with Heath's Dominic Morris. Adam West, who graduated after helping Valley win state and district titles, has been added to the roster and has a 2.80 ERA in five innings while also getting some plate time. He is headed to Hocking College and will play for a relatively new program.

"I'm having fun, and it's not a job yet," he said. "I'm getting to play more baseball and learn from these guys."

Mye is really enjoying coaching this group.

"After a lot of them competed against each other, they get to play together," he said. "Some of them will get the opportunity to play college baseball, while others won't, but the biggest thing is, they've found friendships that will last forever. We've had some success in these tournaments, advancing out of pool play all but once, but seem to hit the wall when we reach the semifinals. Maybe we have one final run in us."

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This article originally appeared on Newark Advocate: Ohio Hitmen living up to their name in Buckeye Elite Tournament