MANSFIELD — If the Division II district baseball tournament is anything like the basketball tourney — and by all accounts it ought to be — fans had better buckle their seatbelts.
The state-wide tournament draw was held over the weekend and like the basketball district tournament, the baseball district field is loaded.
Of the 14 teams involved in the Heidelberg district, nine have winning records. Eight were mentioned in the most recent Prep Baseball Report Division II power poll and six were ranked in this week’s Ohio High School Baseball Coaches Association state poll.
Just how good is the field?
Clear Fork, which qualified for the Division III state tournament each of the past two years, earned the No. 7 seed despite a 12-5 record. Ontario, which has won 15 straight games after opening the season with three straight losses, is the No. 4 seed.
Lexington (11-2) earned the No. 1 seed, while Bellevue (14-2) is No. 2. The Minutemen were ranked fourth in the PBR Division II power poll and eighth in the OHSBCA state poll, while the Redmen were 10th in the PBR and fourth in the OHSBCA.
Lex and Bellevue took opening-round byes on opposite sides of the bracket. The Minutemen will host either No. 9 Tiffin Columbian or No. 11 Kenton at 5 p.m. May 11.
The sectional semifinals will be at 5 p.m. May 9, with the higher seeded team serving as host. Ontario will welcome No. 13 Sandusky, while No. 5 Shelby (9-6) will host No. 14 Mansfield Senior and Clear Fork will be at No. 6 Vermilion.
Division I
The area’s only two remaining Division I teams, Madison and Ashland, will both be on the road for sectional semifinal games. No. 7 Madison is at No. 2 Toledo Central Catholic at 5 p.m. May 9. No. 6 Ashland visits No. 4 Springfield at 5 p.m. May 9.
Division III
No team will benefit more from Clear Fork’s jump to Division II than Galion. The Tigers (12-5) earned the No. 1 seed in the 13-team Shelby district and will host either No. 8 Margaretta or No. 9 Bucyrus at 5 p.m. May 11. The Polar Bears and Redmen meet at 5 p.m. May 9 at Margaretta.
Crestview was the No. 5 seed and will host No. 13 Willard at 5 p.m. May 9. No. 10 seed Wynford visits No. 7 Woodmore at 5 p.m. May 9.
Division IV
Seven local teams will be in the 11-team Division IV Galion district field. Sectional semifinal action begins at 5 p.m. May 8 when seventh-seeded St. Peter’s hosts No. 8 Lucas and No. 6 Colonel Crawford hosts No. 9 Crestline. No. 11 Mansfield Christian will be at No. 10 Ridgemont. No. 4 Plymouth will host No. 5 Buckeye Central in a sectional championship game at 5 p.m. May 10.
