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Kicking up some Diamond Dust: Previewing the Week for the Baseball Cats

By Eddie Dwyer, 04/22/18, 8:30PM EDT

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The annual Ohio Jesuit Tournament highlights this coming week in Wildcats Baseball

 With the OHSAA postseason tournament right around the corner, Saint Ignatius Head Coach Brad Ganor looks to solidify his lineup.

 By Eddie Dwyer

 Fairview Park, Ohio - The Varsity Baseball Cats will welcome the seniors back after Prom weekend, starting with tomorrow's (Monday) matchup with the University School Preppers at Baldwin Wallace University. The first pitch is slated for 5 PM, as standout senior co-Captain Tommy Grosel takes the mound on storied Fisher Field.

 "We're looking for Tommy to right the ship," Coach Ganor said after the Wildcats dropped a doubleheader at Olentangy Liberty's impressive baseball complex on Saturday (see the corner's story that was posted this morning). "We really want to start solidifying this lineup and start putting a regular lineup out there every day. That's going to be our goal by the end of this week, to start rolling out the same guys and get those guys comfortable by the second week of May, when the playoffs start."

 The annual OHSAA postseason tournament draw will take place a week from today, Sunday April 29th, and this corner will have a report on its outcome.

 As for this week's schedule, three games will take place at Baldwin Wallace University and then it is off to Airport Highway in Toledo on Saturday, where the Titans from St. John's Jesuit will host this year's Ohio Jesuit Tournament event.

 Along with Monday's University School game, Saint Ignatius will play Holy Name at 5 PM on Wednesday at BW and the Benedictine Bengals come calling to BW to face the 'Cats at 5 PM on Friday.

 Saint Ignatius takes on the Bombers of Cincinnati St. Xavier on Saturday in OJT play at approximately 2:30 PM and that game will be preceded by the high noon matchup between host St. John's Jesuit and Walsh Jesuit.

 Both the championship game and the consolation game are scheduled for noon on Sunday.

 Saint Ignatius will be hosting the Ohio Jesuit Tournament in 2019.

 As for St. Xavier, which of course has established an impressive football rivalry with the Wildcats, the Bombers, like Saint Ignatius, are currently 7-5 on the diamond this spring.

 The Bombers recently won their regular-season series over perennial Ohio baseball power Cincinnati Archbishop Moeller, three games to two. Last season, St. Xavier finished 22-5, won its first outright Greater Catholic League baseball title since 1999 and was a Regional Finalist in baseball for the first time since 2003, when it brought home the big-school state baseball championship.

 Saturday's opening game in the OJT features two ball clubs off to solid starts in 2018.

 Coach Chris Kaczmar's Walsh Jesuit Warriors have won 12 of their first 14 games, but are coming off an extra-innings setback to Woodridge in The Cuyahoga Falls City Classic Championship Game this past weekend.

 St. John's Jesuit took home a W in nine of its first 10 games. The Titans are also 4-1 in Three Rivers Athletic Conference play.

 Two Titans pitchers, McCoy Butler and Caleb Biedenharn, have thrown no-hitters during this more-like-winter spring.

 St. John's Jesuit had a significant 4-3 road victory at state ranked Saline (MI) on April 12. Junior pitcher Joey Sabol improved to 3-0 and classmate Keyaunte Jones led the offense with two hits.

 As we reported in preseason, St. John's Jesuit Director of Athletics, Robert Ronai, selected 20-plus years veteran Craig Meinzer as his new Head Baseball Coach.

 Moving back closer to home, Friday's game at Baldwin Wallace University could be an enjoyable way to get the weekend started.

 The Benedictine Bengals, who had some memorable games versus Coach Ganor's Wildcats at Nobby's Ballpark on the campus of Case Western Reserve University, stand 8-6 after an impressive doubleheader sweep over Brush and Parma on Saturday.

 On April 19th, the Bengals defeated Gilmour Academy, 5-1, behind a seven-hit attack that was keyed by senior Matt Finucan and junior Connor O’Donnell, who each banged out two hits.

 Benedictine is scheduled to face Archbishop Hoban in a North Coast League matchup on Monday at 5 PM in Nobby's Ballpark.

 Have a great week and make it even better by taking in some Wildcats Baseball.