Road to the State Title: OHSAA Baseball
Harry Zaye | The Ohio Athletic
AKRON, Ohio — June baseball always feels different.
The air gets heavier. The dugouts grow quieter between innings. Every pitch suddenly carries the weight of an entire season.
For Columbus Academy, the road to the state championship began Thursday afternoon against Liberty-Benton with a chance to keep one of the program’s most memorable seasons alive.
Columbus Academy vs. Liberty-Benton: Columbus Academy Continues Its Tournament Run
CANTON, Ohio — The deeper teams advance in June, the less the moment seems to speed them up.
That composure showed itself repeatedly Thursday morning at Thurman Munson Memorial Stadium as Columbus Academy defeated Liberty-Benton 5-2 in the Division V state semifinal, punching its ticket to the state championship game for the first time since 2003.
For a program that entered state tournament play at .500, the Vikings continue to look nothing like an underdog. Instead, Columbus Academy has become one of the hottest teams remaining in Ohio baseball, extending its winning streak to seven games with another poised postseason performance on the state’s biggest stage.
Columbus Academy senior Dominic Dunkle slides into home plate after a wild pitch.
After a scoreless opening inning, Columbus Academy gradually took control behind timely hitting, clean defensive play, and steady pitching throughout the middle innings. Academy got on the board first as senior Cooper Leibas drove in 2 runs for the Vikings at the top of the 3rd inning. Leibas also pitched the full 7 innings only allowing 2 runs on 6 hits. All together the Vikings tallied 12 hits in the ball game that led to their 5 runs.
Liberty-Benton entered the game at 22-5 and was making the first state semifinal appearance in program history after winning district and regional championships for the first time. The heavy hitting of 3rd baseman, Zach Elchert, and catcher, Kooper Leatherman, had their moments, but ultimately fell a little short to translate into runs. The Eagles faithful went quiet for most of the outing being down early. However, when the program’s season was on the line in the bottom of the 7th, the crowds of blue shirts stood up and cheered their team to finish. Seemingly at first as a last hoorah, the energy from the Liberty Benton supports spread to the field and dugout. The Eagles were able to slowly get base runners. Down 5-2 with only 1 out, all of the sudden Liberty Benton had the winning run at the plate with the bases loaded. How quickly tensions and momentum can change.
Nevertheless, Leibas was able to regain composure. Once he was able to get ahead in the count the advantage and momentum swung back to the Vikings. The Columbus Academy dugout maintained steady energy and Leibas fittingly earned his 9th strikeout to close out the victory after an amazing performance on the mound.
The win extends Columbus Academy’s miraculous tournament run and sends the program to the Division V state championship game. Now, the Vikings will turn their attention toward Friday’s state final matchup against the winner of Lucasville Valley and Apple Creek Waynedale.
For a team that entered late May on a 5 game losing streak, Columbus Academy is now one win away from completing one of the most unexpected runs in Ohio high school baseball this season.
Crusaders Return to the Biggest Stage With Semifinal Win Over Perrysburg
Archbishop Moeller’s dominant postseason run continued Thursday afternoon in Akron, as the Crusaders powered past Perrysburg to earn a spot in the OHSAA Division I state championship game.
From the opening innings, Moeller looked every bit like a program built for June baseball. Behind elite pitching, disciplined at-bats, and a calm presence in big moments, the Crusaders controlled the semifinal matchup and once again showcased why they remain one of Ohio’s premier baseball powers.
The tone started on the mound, where Moeller’s pitching staff continued a remarkable tournament stretch. After already posting multiple postseason shutouts entering the Final Four, the Crusaders attacked the strike zone early and prevented Perrysburg from ever finding offensive rhythm. Timely strikeouts and efficient defense helped Moeller consistently escape traffic and keep momentum on its side throughout the afternoon.
Offensively, Moeller delivered the same balanced approach that carried it through the regional rounds. Kent State commit Connor Cuozzo continued to be a central force in the lineup, while Louisville commit Reggie Watson once again sparked the offense with quality plate appearances and aggressive baserunning. The Crusaders strung together productive innings rather than relying on one explosive moment, applying steady pressure that gradually separated the game.
Perrysburg battled throughout the contest and reached the state semifinals after an impressive season that established the Yellow Jackets among northwest Ohio’s best teams. But against Moeller’s combination of postseason experience and high-level execution, opportunities were difficult to sustain.
The victory pushed Moeller into yet another Division I state championship appearance — a familiar stage for one of Ohio’s most decorated baseball programs. The Crusaders entered championship weekend with confidence, experience, and one of the state’s hottest pitching staffs, having now dominated multiple elite opponents during their playoff run.
Though Moeller’s title pursuit ended one game later against longtime rival St. Xavier, the semifinal victory over Perrysburg further reinforced the depth, talent, and consistency that defined the Crusaders throughout the 2026 postseason.
St. Xavier vs. Olentangy Orange: St.X Holds Orange Scoreless and now Face a Familiar Foe in tomorrow’s Final.
Cincinnati St. Xavier’s championship pedigree showed once again Thursday night in Canton, as the Bombers blanked Olentangy Orange 5-0 in the OHSAA Division I state semifinals to punch their ticket to the state title game.
For Olentangy Orange, the loss marked the end of a historic postseason run and the closest the program has come to reaching an OHSAA baseball final. But against a disciplined and experienced St. Xavier squad, timely hits and shutdown pitching proved too much to overcome.
The Bombers controlled the pace from the opening innings, capitalizing on key opportunities offensively while their pitching staff silenced one of central Ohio’s top lineups. St. Xavier consistently applied pressure with runners on base, manufacturing offense through quality at-bats and clutch situational hitting.
Orange struggled to generate momentum offensively throughout the night. The Pioneers had moments where they threatened to break through, but St. Xavier repeatedly delivered big pitches in critical situations to strand runners and maintain control of the game. Defensive execution also played a major role, with the Bombers making several clean plays behind their pitchers to prevent Orange from building any rhythm.
Several St. Xavier hitters contributed in key moments, delivering RBI knocks that steadily widened the gap as the game progressed. The Bombers’ composure reflected a program comfortable on the state stage, while Orange — despite the result — showed the toughness and consistency that carried it through a difficult Division I bracket.
Olentangy Orange finishes its season as one of Ohio’s top programs after an impressive tournament run that included dominant regional performances and a deep, balanced roster. Though the Pioneers fell short of a state final appearance, the postseason success further established the program as a growing power in Ohio high school baseball.
For St. Xavier, the victory was another step toward history. One night later, the Bombers completed the journey, defeating Archbishop Moeller to capture the Division I state championship and cement one of the strongest postseason runs in Ohio this spring.
