Baseball Dream Team

Delzeith, Gast sweep baseball honors

Photo by Daily Standard Staff

Devin Delzeith is The Daily Standard's Baseball Dream Team Player of the Year.

St. Henry, junior

11-1, 1.13 ERA, 89 strikeouts

MAC Pitcher of the Year

Junior Devin Delzeith pitched St. Henry to 11 of its 24 wins, added a save in the regional semifinals and shut out Russia for seven innings in the state semifinals before the Raiders scratched across the winning run.

Delzeith, the Midwest Athletic Conference Pitcher of the Year, is The Daily Standard Dream Team Player of the Year as the best baseball player in the Grand Lake area.

Delzeith finished the year 11-1 - tying the St. Henry record for most wins in a season - throwing 80 2/3 innings with a 1.13 ERA and a 0.88 WHIP. Although he relied on strong command rather than overpowering hitters with velocity, he punched out 89 batters.

The Redskins went 9-0 in the MAC and Delzeith won five MAC games, beating Coldwater, Minster and New Bremen and pitching shutouts against Fort Recovery and Versailles. He then opened the tournament with a no-hitter, allowing one walk against 13 strikeouts in a six-inning, run-rule win over Waynesfield-Goshen, and pitched a complete-game win over New Bremen in the district semis before entering in relief for a 10-pitch, one-inning save against North Central.

After arguably his worst outing of the season against MAC rival Delphos St. John's in the district final - where he still earned a complete-game victory and only gave up two earned runs, but allowed 10 hits against just four strikeouts - Delzeith pitched arguably his best in the state semis. In the first seven innings, he allowed just three hits and one walk and permitted just one Raider to reach second base, but Russia pitcher Xavier Phlipot matched his effort and the Raiders scratched out a run in the eighth to win.

Photo by Daily Standard Staff

Mike Gast is The Daily Standard's Baseball Dream Team Coach of the Year.

St. Henry, coach

24-7, 9-0 MAC

Division IV State Semifinalist

MAC Coach of the Year

For his part in guiding St. Henry to the MAC title and its first state tournament berth in 20 years, coach Mike Gast is the Daily Standard's Coach of the Year. In his first two years at the helm, Gast had yet to take the Redskins past the district final, but they came into the year with enviable continuity. Delzeith was a natural choice to fill the shoes of graduated ace Nolan Schmitz and Caden Bergman was ready to replace veteran catcher Clayton Everman, and despite the loss of senior outfielder Nolan Kunkler for the first half of the season, the Redskins wasted no time proving they were the team to beat.

St. Henry's bats made the difference in a statement win over 2022 MAC champ Coldwater early in April, delivering a 10-run sixth inning for a run-rule win behind Delzeith, and after a loss to defending state champion Russia in the WCSM Tournament on April 8, the Redskins found a groove, winning 14 out of 15 before a 12-inning, 7-6 loss to Lima Central Catholic on May 11.

St. Henry lost two of the next three regular-season games, falling 4-2 to Division III regional semifinalist Wayne Trace and 5-2 to Western Buckeye League champion Wapakoneta. In the tournament, however, the Redskins were firing on all cylinders.

Gast said after the state tournament that he'd given his seniors the goal of winning the district, which featured a slew of MAC teams as well as LCC and Crestview, and a goal St. Henry hadn't achieved since 2011. The Redskins blew past the district final, though, averaging just under eight runs a game through the regionals to back Delzeith and emerging No. 2 Lucas Clune.

The Redskins graduated eight seniors, including six who played in the state semifinals, but return all but one of their pitchers and several other key contributors.

The Daily Standard's 2023 Baseball Dream Team:

CATCHER

Jonny Heitkamp New Bremen

.439 avg, 12 doubles, 23 runs

FIRST BASE

Xavier Samples Parkway

.351 avg, 18 runs, 9 RBI.

SECOND BASE

Braylen Harlamert Coldwater

.429 avg, 37 runs, 22 RBI

SHORTSTOP

Logan Link, St. Henry

.363 avg, 30 runs, 24 stolen bases

THIRD BASE

Braxton Howell, Coldwater

.326 avg, 20 runs, 36 RBI

OUTFIELD

Hayden Boeckman, St. Henry.

327 avg, 23 runs, 28 RBI.

Marcel Blasingame, Coldwater

.368 avg, 35 runs, 31 stolen bases

Ian Homan, Minster

.410 avg, 17 runs, 14 RBI

UTILITY PLAYER

Bryce Brookhart, St. Henry.

.295 avg, 25 runs, 17 stolen bases

DESIGNATED HITTER

Joel Kogge, St. Marys

.373 avg, 17 runs, 13 RBI

PITCHER

Devin Delzeith, St. Henry

11-1, 1.13 ERA, 89 strikeouts.

Evan Harlamert, Coldwater

7-1, 1.25 ERA, 42 strikeouts

Aaron Thieman, New Bremen

7-0, 1.05 ERA, 46 strikeouts

HONORABLE MENTION

Celina: Nick Steinbrunner, Max Baumstark

Coldwater: AJ Harlamert, Keegan Bruggeman

Fort Recovery: Alex Dues

Marion Local: Hayden Poeppelman

Minster: Logan Kohne, Louis Magoto

New Bremen: Ben Sailer, Nolan Kuenning

New Knoxville: Luke Stachler

Parkway: Caiden Berry

St. Henry: Eli Horstman

St. Marys: Brayden Sullivan