CHCA should be seen as the favorite as usual. However, there is a rumor concerning Fortner, their big lefty. Word is that he is ineligable. Anybody know anything about this?
Summit lost EVERYONE last year and will probably be "re-building". Watch Cody Brooks, though. Lanky infielder/ pitcher has a great bat. Zach Barkalow is new- came from Little Miami- and both seniors will be depended upon to carry the team.
CCD has Dietz on the mound. Junior lefty with plus stuff. I don't remember how well he hit. Armstrong will also be a key component in the pen.
NCH has Black, a good pitcher who also plays second and is a good hitter as well. I was wondering if that kid with the loooooooooooooong hair and beard is coming back... God i hope not- he gave alot of people trouble.
Seven Hills has the best rotation in the division. Sr. Matt Van der Horst is a manchild and will try to become a two- time all state selection. He also plays CF and is everything you could want at the plate. Soph. Kyle Neu has a very good freshman year and should continue to improve. If Sr. Kenji Takahashi can get to where he should be, the Stingers will beast. They also have a number of strong underclassmen who will emerge when the season starts.
i coach a summer team with alex dietz and dustin armstrong on it. they both have good stuff. dietz's fastball can hit mid-upper 80s and his changeup is great, and he can hit really well. armstrong is a sidearmer, which in itself is intimidating, and his slider adds even more strikeouts.
Wow Dietz is hitting upper 80's with his fastball? He must have improved a ton since we played him.
Doesn't Robbie Davis play on your summer team as well, then? If so, how is he doing? From what I remember he's pretty smooth in the field and is a good hitter. I think he batted second against us...
ok youre probably right, now that i think about dietz, but its aleast low 80s - my bad...yeah robbie davis is solid all around, can crank the ball. sick curve, except the curve took the toll on his arm, had tommy john surgery late summer or early fall. i dont know if he'll be back for school 100%. max dietz, alexs bro, is a great fielder with a lively bat also. on my team also is henry meininger, scott mays, david hoffman, and wilkie (honestly i have no idea of his full name, its just wilkie to me) all from summit. the rest come from mariemont, stu simons, riley flickner, jack mckeown. with stu simons, mariemonts ace, and alex dietz and armstrong, thats all we need. our pitchings great.
It seems like several teams lost a fair amount from last year which will make it hard to predict the league this year. CHCA still has to be the favorite until they get knocked off, which does not appear likely this year. After that I would think Summit lost a lot (Peterson, Meininger, Rhode); Cincy Christian lost a fair amount (Grahl, Dickerson, Laughlin); New Miami lost a bunch;
OK here are my pre-season picks--not by division
CHCA-Pitching will carry
Seven Hills-return some hitting and pitchers
North College Hill
Summit-Can't give a good reason for this placement ...but what the heck.
CCD-they return most of their pitching-could suprise
Cincy Christian-maybe flip-flop them with CCD
New Miami-lost a lot of senior talent
Lockland
St. Bernard
What about Clark Montessori-don't know anything about them
CCS lost a big group of seniors from last year's team, as well as their head coach. This year's team will be led by a solid group of juniors, headlined by Josh Lanphier and Chris Gortner. Replacing Coach Mills will be Coach Bill Lanphier, who was an assistant last season. He is quite a motivator and I have no doubt that he will get the max out of his team. CCS won't be as dangerous in a couple of ways this year, namely pitching and speed. Losing Grahl and Dickerson leaves a huge hole in the pitching staff, and the departure of Laughlin and Smith takes away alot of the threat of bunting and speed on the basepaths. This will be a very young team, but it is talented, and could suprise people.
ok youre probably right, now that i think about dietz, but its aleast low 80s - my bad...yeah robbie davis is solid all around, can crank the ball. sick curve, except the curve took the toll on his arm, had tommy john surgery late summer or early fall. i dont know if he'll be back for school 100%. max dietz, alexs bro, is a great fielder with a lively bat also. on my team also is henry meininger, scott mays, david hoffman, and wilkie (honestly i have no idea of his full name, its just wilkie to me) all from summit. the rest come from mariemont, stu simons, riley flickner, jack mckeown. with stu simons, mariemonts ace, and alex dietz and armstrong, thats all we need. our pitchings great.
Well it sounds like you have a beast of a team. Mind if I ask the name and division you play in?
How do the Summit kids look? Meininger was a good player and I've heard good things about his bro. I don't recognize the other names though...
And I did not know that about Robbie. That's gotta be rough. Best of luck to him.
did the lead off hitter for ccs graduate? and is lanphier the catcher? cuz i remember the catcher being really solid behind the plate, a good hitter, and had pretty good stuff on the mound as well.
did the lead off hitter for ccs graduate? and is lanphier the catcher? cuz i remember the catcher being really solid behind the plate, a good hitter, and had pretty good stuff on the mound as well.
Kevin Laughlin was the leadoff hitter, he has graduated. Josh Lanphier is the catcher; you remember correctly. He is as solid and complete a baseball player that I have seen and been priveledged to spend time with. In my opinion, he should be the favorite to win MVC Gray POY.
Well it sounds like you have a beast of a team. Mind if I ask the name and division you play in?
How do the Summit kids look? Meininger was a good player and I've heard good things about his bro. I don't recognize the other names though...
And I did not know that about Robbie. That's gotta be rough. Best of luck to him.
We are in the AABC American league, but we play 90% National league teams. We would be in the national league, but our guys all go on vacation starting in late june and throughout july, so we'd have a lack of players. Meininger is a solid player, good glove, and is a threat when his emotions dont take control of him. If he makes an error or strikeout, he gets really upset, but other than that, good ballplayer.
Josh Lanphier is the catcher; you remember correctly. He is as solid and complete a baseball player that I have seen and been priveledged to spend time with. In my opinion, he should be the favorite to win MVC Gray POY.
Cougar, always great to get your take on the MVC. Always very insightful. With regards to Lanphier, I agree that he is a very good player. I remember playing him after my freshman season during summer ball. My coaches and teammates alike were struck by the talent that Lanphier's team had even though they were a year younger. MVC play has only added to my on-field respect for him. I was wondering- do you know how he played this past summer? I Haven't heard much about anyone to be honest... But your prediction brings up another question for everybody to answer- Who are the top players in the MVC and why? Mine are:
CHCA
Drake Brown- Jr. catcher is a monster at the plate and will change a team's approach to the Eagles lineup.
Simmons- Sr. 2B is very quick and smooth in the field.
Lambert- Sr. From what I remember, he is a very solid pitcher and pretty good hitter.
Summit
Cody Brooks- Sr. SS/ P is a sidearmer who is a pain to hit against. He is also an offensive threat- his stats speak for themselves.
CCD
Dietz- See above.
Seven Hills
Matt van der Horst- Sr. CF/P is the only 2007 D4 All State selection in the area. Comfortably throws in the 82-86 range and can rear back and fling when needed. But his calling card is his bat and speed. I don't know how many balls he's lost for the Stingers in practice and games. Also has a sky high baseball IQ.
Kyle Neu- Soph. OF/P has the build to be a VERY good player. Hit second last year and is reliable at the plate. Should also be the 2 or 3 behind Vandy depending on...
Kenji Takahashi- Sr. P/IB needs to stay healthy. He's been troubled by injuries during his sophomore and junior years and his play reflected these injuries. His being a lefty on the mound is huge in it of itself, and is a much improved hitter from his Fr. and Soph. years. If he can return to being as effective as he was during the 05 season, the team will do very well.
Cougar, always great to get your take on the MVC. Always very insightful. With regards to Lanphier, I agree that he is a very good player. I remember playing him after my freshman season during summer ball. My coaches and teammates alike were struck by the talent that Lanphier's team had even though they were a year younger. MVC play has only added to my on-field respect for him. I was wondering- do you know how he played this past summer? I Haven't heard much about anyone to be honest... But your prediction brings up another question for everybody to answer- Who are the top players in the MVC and why? Mine are:
I dont know much in regards to Josh's summer performance last year, but either way I wouldnt put much weight into it. He is an extremely hard worker, and will put in as much time as necessary to be the best at his position in the MVC. I would be disappointed if he didnt hit .400+ and throw out a very high percentage of runners. As far as the rest of the MVC goes, I dont know very much. Having graduated and gone out of Cincinnat for college, I've missed alot regarding MVC sports that didnt involve Cincinnati Christian. Anything you guys could fill me in on would be great, baseball or otherwise.
I named the guys who I think are the top pitchers. Vandy probably brushes 86-88 on occasion. But high 80's are seldom seen in the MVC. Perhaps its the lack of velocity throughout the division that gives alot of people trouble...?
CHCA has a lot returning from last year, including 4 who were all league( Garrett CF, Lambert P/OF, Simmons 2B, and Browne).
From what I hear, Fortner is not elligible, but Browne will play some first base, and also pitch. Burns, who caught half and half with Browne last year, should carry the load at catcher.
I named the guys who I think are the top pitchers. Vandy probably brushes 86-88 on occasion. But high 80's are seldom seen in the MVC. Perhaps its the lack of velocity throughout the division that gives alot of people trouble...?
I dont think CHCA should have a problem with velocity...
From talking with coaches recently, the team has been clocking in practice consistently:
Lamert 82-84
Lloyd 82-83
Lichety 80-82
Fields 86 consistent has touched 88
Shoemaker 78-79
(all preseason so should vary as season arises)
When i find information on other teams i will post my findings.
Well that really helps. Is anybody in particular standing out or is it still early to tell?
cody is hitting good, im hitting good, lippert is hitting good, jeremy barnes is hitting good. So four good senior that can hit the ball. We got a really good freshman too that can flat out smash the ball, his the freshman that played on varisty basketball, he is real tall and lanky. Scott mays and henry are both looking good as well..we will def. be bringing the lumber to the games...how are u guys lookin??
Now to talk about our studly pitching staff consisting of Japanese sensation pitcher, Cody Brooks. Throwing the nasty behind David Wagner, the bigger stud than the jap, bringing not heat but brings the dirty cheddar. Watch out Kenji, your a apprentice to him
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