CHCA baseball prepares for Orrville in semifinal

Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy baseball coach Jeff Keith has been in several significant games, and so have his players.

So the Eagles will certainly be ready when it is time to leave Thursday morning for Columbus.

“I tell my guys just go play,” CHCA coach Jeff Keith said. “Put the nerves away.”

CHCA will arrive plenty early at Huntington Park as it prepares for the Division III state semifinal against Orrville at 4 p.m. Thursday in Columbus. Keith is not worried about the focus with his players, who are scheduled to take batting practice at 2:15 p.m.

“We just need to worry about what we do,” Keith said. “If we play Eagle baseball, we will take care of business.”

CHCA (28-2) is making its first state baseball tournament appearance since 2005. Orrville (18-11) is making its first appearance since 1976.

Keith said the starting pitcher was unknown as of Tuesday morning. He was considering Blake Swanger, Cameron Varga and Conner Osborne.

Swanger has a 7-0 record with 68 strikeouts and a 1.30 ERA and is generating plenty of college interest. Varga (North Carolina signee), who is the Ohio Gatorade state player of the year, is 9-0 with a 0.00 ERA and 126 strikeouts. Osborne is 3-1 with a 1.71 ERA.

The Eagles have had several offensive leaders, including junior Cameron Murray (.517 with eight doubles and 17 stolen bases), senior Kyle Davis (.511 with 10 doubles and 39 RBI, West Virginia signee), junior Ryan Smith (.453), sophomore Chase Murray (.427 with four home runs and a Georgia Tech verbal commit) and junior Graham Lally (.410).

Keith said CHCA has handled good pitching throughout the season and the team certainly hopes that is the case Thursday.

The CHCA defense has been very solid, too, posting a .961 fielding percentage.

Orrville has seven seniors, five of whom are four-year letter winners. Orrville coach Scott Marshall is aware of Varga, saying his stats are “eye-popping,” but he has told his squad to worry about themselves.

Orrville has 6-foot-5 left-handed pitcher JT Perez (UC commit), senior pitcher Wes Stauffer (6-0, 54 strikeouts and a 1.13 ERA) and corner infielder/pitcher Stuart Schley, who is going to attend the U.S. Military Academy.

Senior shortstop Kyle Ritchie is hitting .330.

Keith said he looks forward to being a Cincinnati area team up in Columbus.

“We represent Cincinnati,” Keith said. “This is a great baseball town. CHCA wants to be a part of it. We have a good program.” ⬛

State baseball tournament

CHCA (28-2) vs. Orrville (18-11), Division III state semifinal

First pitch: 4 p.m. Thursday, Huntington Park, Columbus

Tickets: $8

Twitter: Enquirer contributor Rick Broering will have updates @RickBroering.

Radio: WMOH-AM (1450) and OHSAA.org

Did you know: CHCA is making its first state baseball tournament appearance since 2005 and this is the second appearance overall in school history. ….Orrville is making its first state baseball appearance since 1976 when it was a state runner-up; this year is the second appearance overall. …Bob Knight is a 1958 Orrville graduate.