Motivated by a loss to Rocky River in a sectional championship game last season, Lutheran West has much to prove this spring.
The Longhorns, who finished 16-4 overall and 8-2 in the Chagrin Valley Conference Metro Division, return seven starters from last spring.
“Our team and coaching staff are eager to get this season underway,” said Lutheran West coach Thomas Balla. “We have an experienced team and pitching staff that has had a great attention to detail in practices thus far. The end of last season left a bitter taste, and our guys are focused on our preparation to achieve our team goals this season.”
With nearly its entire starting lineup and the entire pitching staff back, the Longhorns have reason to be optimistic.
They lost two games to league champion Beachwood last spring, but CVC realignment sent the Bison to the Chagrin Division.
“We expect to compete for the conference title again this year but know that we need to play our best baseball to do so,” Balla said. “We return two first-team all-district players in Eric Dill and Adam Flachbart, as well as Bryce Groppe and Steven Alferink, who garnered first-team Al-CVC honors, who will provide great stability for our team.”
Dill, a two-time All-CVC performer, will play first base and serve as the Longhorns’ No. 2 starter.
The Ohio Dominican recruit, batted .475 last spring with three doubles and five triples. The four-year starter was 5-0 on the mound with a 2.90 earned run average and 45 strikeouts in 31 innings of work.
“Eric is a four-year varsity starter and has been a keystone of our program,” Balla said. “Not only is he the best defensive first baseman in the area in my opinion, he hits for both power and average, while also starting conference games on the mound every week.”
Alferink, a sophomore, posted a strong debut season last spring when he went 3-3 on the hill with a 3.10 ERA and 35 strikeouts in 44 innings. He’s projected to be the team’s No. 1 starter.
“Steven was a conference starter for us as a freshman, and we will lean on him again this year,” Balla said. “He loves pitching and is always finding ways to hone his craft. We look for him to be a force this year and the years to come.”
Groppe, a senior right fielder, earned first-team All-CVC honors last spring after hitting .340 with a .500 on-base percentage, three doubles, a triple, and 11 stolen bases.
“Bryce is a three-year starter and is as good as they come patrolling the outfield,” Balla said. “He gets on base often and wreaks havoc once he is out there.”
Flachbart, a senior center fielder and Marietta recruit, earned first-team all-district honors last season after posting a .460 batting average and .578 OBP. He pounded out 11 doubles, two triples, and knocked in 22 runs.
“Adam is a three-year starter and a force in the middle of our lineup,” Balla said. “He hits the ball with power to all fields and is aggressive as they come out of the box looking for extra-base hits.”
Seniors Greg Fuentes and Jonathan Barnes will start at third base and left field, respectively. Juniors Brandon Schneider, A.J. Biascochea, and Jacob Montagu round out the projected starting lineup.
Schneider will catch, Biascochea will play second, and Montagu, an honorable mention All-CVC selection last spring, will play shortstop.
Montagu, Fuentes, Brendan Middendorf, Jansen Gross, Schneider, and Barnes also will pitch for the Longhorns.
Gross and Biascochea already have made quite an impression on their coach.
“I am very excited about adding Jansen Gross to our pitching staff this year. He has put in a ton of work in the offseason, and I look forward to him pitching meaningful innings this year,” Balla said. “A.J. Biascochea is also a huge addition for us. He has a great bat and provides versatility for us in the field.”
“Our biggest challenge is our overall depth at the varsity level,” Balla said. “We will lean on a roster of 12 players, which leaves the margin for error or injury very small. On the flip side, our players can play loose and confidently as they each know their role on our team.”
Despite the small roster, the Longhorns are among the most experienced squads in the conference and Balla will use that to his advantage.
“Our biggest strength this season is the experience that we return,” he said. “These guys have played in meaningful games with high stakes. Although we came up a few runs short last year, those at-bats and innings pitched are helpful in preparing these guys for the moments we have ahead of us this season.”
Lutheran West’s keys to success are simple.
“For our team to be successful, we all need to focus on doing our individual job to help our team win,” Balla said. “If we can put nine guys on the field that all chip in and do their part, we can be very tough to beat. What I like about this group is our ability to win games in various ways, whether it be a great effort from our starting pitcher, the ability of some of our guys to hit for power, and we can win with small ball.”
