With a league-best five returning all-conference players, Kirtland enters the 2024 season in good shape to defend the Chagrin Valley Conference Valley Division title it won last spring.
In addition to their five returning starters, the Hornets return seven other letter winners.
“We look very solid defensively and have a very deep pitching staff. Our offense should be solid as well,” said Kirtland coach Luke Smrdel. “We have a lot of young guys in the lineup this year, but they are all very talented players who put in work year-round, so we believe they will all be big contributors this year.”
The Hornets, who finished 19-7 overall and 10-2 in the Valley Division, focused the offseason on becoming more consistent and dangerous with the bat in their hands.
“We have added a lot of power to our lineup this year,” Smrdel said. “Our focus in the spring so far has been getting the hitter to understand approaches at the plate and situational hitting. We’re expecting to see an increase in extra-base hits this year, and the goal as always is to cut down the number of strikeouts from last year.”
With several younger players in the lineup, Smrdel is aware that his team’s success hinges on just how quickly those players settle into their roles.
“The biggest challenge will be getting the young guys comfortable in their roles,” Smrdel said. “It’s just a matter of getting games under their belts. Once they get a few games in we will see where we are at, but I am very confident that the young guys we will be counting on this year will be successful. We also must overcome some injuries to some of our key players from last year. We currently have two starters from last year on injured reserve, but we are hopeful that they will be able to return at some point during the season.”
Seniors Gino Blasini, Macguire Boyd, and Trip Thaler, and juniors Tyler Turk and Casey Carkhuff all return to the lineup after earning All-CVC honors last spring.
Blasini, who will play football at Miami University in Ohio, was a first-team selection after batting .311 with a triple and seven runs batted in to go along with 10 stolen bases. He’ll start at first base and serve as Kirtland’s No. 1 pitcher, despite an odd-day superstition.
Last spring, Blasini was 7-2 on the mound with a 1.291 earned run average and 58 strikeouts in 59 2/3 innings of work.
“Gino was our workhorse on the mound last year and has become one of the dominant pitchers in the area,” Smrdel said. “We need Gino to be Gino and be able to pitch on both even and odd days.”
Thaler, a Baldwin Wallace commitment, earned second team All-CVC honors after batting .304 last season with three doubles, a triple, 11 RBI, and 19 runs scored and eight stolen bases. He’ll start at shortstop and is the No. 2 starter in the Kirtland pitching rotation.
On the mound, Thaler was 4-0 with a 0.636 ERA and 46 strikeouts in 33 innings.
“Trip is the moving to the leadoff spot this year,” Smrdel said. “He’s a phenomenal all-around baseball player and is a leader on and off the field for our team.”
Boyd, a Sienna Heights football commitment, earned honorable mention All-CVC honors after knocking in 17 runs with 15 runs scored. He’ll start at third base.
“Mac’s leadership skills have had a great impact on the young guys this year,” Smrdel said.
Turk earned first-team all-conference honors after hitting .386 last spring with five doubles, 19 RBI, 21 runs scored, and 12 stolen bases.
Turk will DH and provide depth in left field.
“Tyler has been one of our best hitters for the last two seasons,” Smrdel said. “He has been impressive so far again this year.”
Carkhuff was a second-team All-CVC selection. He is sidelined with an injury this year but will play in the outfield when he returns. He was second on the team with a .411 batting average with four doubles, 14 RBI, 19 runs scored, and five stolen bases.
Rounding out the projected starting lineup are freshman Lucci Cantini at catcher, sophomore Xavier Lasecki at second base, junior Vito Cantini in left field, senior Will Bates in center, and freshman Carter Luzar in right.
Junior Max Paul will platoon at second and third base and is one of Kirtland’s top starting pitchers.
“Max was great on the mound for us last year,” Smrdel said. “We expect him to have another great season on the hill for us again in 2024.”
Sophomore Nate Chuko will add depth at second base and freshman Jack Turk will see time at third and DH.
Kirtland’s pitching staff is intact from last season.
Blasini, Thaler, Paul, Chuko, Lasecki, Drew Thaler, and Sebastian Becker will chew up innings for the Hornets this spring.
With a dominant pitching staff and a lineup that features five returning starters, the Hornets are in good shape as they set out to defend their conference title.
To repeat, the Hornets must find more consistency in the batting order and take advantage of their overall team speed on the base paths.
“We are strong up the middle and are returning five key starters from last year. These guys have lots of experience together on the field, so we were able to pick up right where we left off last year,” Smrdel said. “We have a lot of speed one through nine, so we should be able to be aggressive like always on the bases and put pressure on opponents. Offensively, looking at the full picture, we must get consistent production from one through nine. We have a lot of guys who have very good bats in the order, and lots of power. We have to make sure that we have good approaches at the plate and know how to hit in situations.”
