Kirtland enters the 2025 season eyeing a third straight Chagrin Valley Conference Valley Division title.
The Hornets, who finished 18-8 overall and 10-2 in league play last season, return eight starters and two other players who started in 2023 but missed last season with an injury.
“We’ve got a lot of returning guys and a lot of guys with experience,” said Kirtland 12th-year head coach Luke Smrdel. “We also got a couple of guys back from injury, so we should be a pretty experienced team this year.”
Kirtland’s inexperience is in on the mound.
Senior Max Paul returns as the Hornet’s No. 1 pitcher but the rest of the staff has limited experience.
Paul went 5-2 with a 2.32 earned run average and 48 strikeouts in 45 1/3 innings. Kirtland’s remaining pitchers have combined for 32 innings of work.
“The big thing is we’ve got to get the pitching,” Smrdel said. “We’ve got some guys with a little bit of experience in the past but Max Paul is the one guy who really started for us in the past. We’re going to put a lot of young arms beside him. If those arms develop like we think they should, we should be able to be very competitive in the division and in the tournament, too.”
Sophomore Sebastian Becker, junior Nate Chuko, junior Drew Thaler, senior Jack Lessick, and junior Xavier Lasecki are the likely starters.
Sophomore Lucci Cantini returns behind the dish.
As a freshman, he batted .365 on the way to earning honorable mention All-CVC honors.
“He’s in midseason form with his swing,” Smrdel said. “He’s come a long way with his mechanics behind the plate and his arm has gotten a lot better. He’s getting bigger and stronger, and he’s got a much better arm this year, so we expect a lot out of him.”
At first base, senior Matthew Kahley and junior Ben DiFranco will split time.
Kahley was a starter in 2023 before an injury sidelined him last season. DiFranco recorded just two at-bats last season.
“Matthew did great as a sophomore and then he missed last year, but he’s pretty good defensively,” Smrdel said. “DiFranco has a really good glove. He doesn’t have many varsity innings but he has a good bat. I think he’s going to do well for us.”
Lasecki is a returning starter at second base.
He earned second-team All-CVC honors after batting .409 as a sophomore.
“He’s consistent,” Smrdel said. “In the field, he makes almost every play, and he makes some great plays, too. At the plate, he’s a .400 hitter and he moves runners up and steals bases. He does all the little stuff we want out of baseball players.”
Chuko slides over to fill a hole at shortstop. He started some games at second base when Lasecki pitched.
“Nate has a ton of range, and he has a great arm,” Smrdel said. “He’s gotten his swing very consistent over the winter and we expect a lot of good things out of him. He’s a very smart baseball player.”
Paul, a second-team All-CVC selection as a pitcher, and sophomore Jack Turk will split time at third base.
“They’re both very consistent in the field,” Smrdel said. “They make the tough plays. They have great gloves and great arms, and both can get the job done at the plate. Jack has a lot of power and Max is a very consistent hitter.”
Senior Tyler Turk and junior Noah Conner will split time in left field.
Turk batted .392 and led the Hornets with 22 runs batted in on the way to earning second-team All-Ohio and first-team All-CVC honors. Conner batted .571 with just 10 at-bats.
“Tyler was one of our main guys in the lineup last year and had a really big season. We’re hoping he can have just as big of a season, if not bigger, this year,” Smrdel said. “Noah Conner is super-fast. He’ll be a top-of-the-order guy who gets on base, and he’ll put pressure on pitchers.”
Sophomore Carter Luzar moves from right field to center.
“Carter has probably one of the best bats we have in our program,” Smrdel said. “He works non-stop throughout the year and is definitely one of our best hitters getting on base. He’s got great speed and makes great reads on the ball in the outfield. He’s very good defensively, and a big-time threat to steal bases.”
Senior Casey Carkhuff returns to the lineup after missing last season with an injury. He batted .414 as a sophomore.
“Casey has got a big bat,” Smrdel said. “He’s the type of baseball player you want to have on your team because he’ll run through a wall for you. He’s super-fast and will steal bases.”
Kirtland’s lineup is loaded with returning starters, big bats, and speedy players eyeing the next base.
If the Hornets can be consistent on the mound and minimize mistakes in the field, their goals this season are within reach.
“We need consistency and the pitchers to throw strikes,” Smrdel said. “We can’t allow too many errors, obviously, or we’ll be in trouble. We just have to do everything the right way on a daily basis and we should be alright.”
