MasonBuzz.com

Mike Dyer reports:

Longtime Mason baseball coach Ken Gray knew the Comets would have a special team this spring but he didn’t believe it would be undefeated going into its sectional opener earlier this month

Mason (24-0) is the only undefeated team in the state coaches’ association poll regardless of division. The Comets won their second straight Greater Miami Conference title this spring.

Mason defeated Northwest 11-1 in the Division I sectional Thursday.  The Comets face off at 5 p.m. Thursday against Ross at Harrison.

Mason is not only ranked No. 1 in the Division I state coaches’ poll, but the Comets are No. 19 nationally by the MaxPreps Xcellent 25 rankings.

The Comets are hitting .371 as a team and have a 1.38 ERA as a pitching staff. Besides McDonald, pitchers TJ Zeuch (Pittsburgh), Rodney Hutchison and Seth Bowles (Ohio Dominican) have been very efficient. Zeuch is 6-0 with a 0.80 ERA. Bowles leads the GMC with seven wins. He has a 1.10 ERA.

“We just got to keep playing efficient baseball,” said Gray, who has over 760 career wins. “…They are great kids to work with.”

Offensively, Mason has been led by several players including RJ Thompson (.500 batting average), Lee Sponseller (.431), Drew Johnson (.431) and Connor Bryan (.404).

Senior Connor McVey, the 2012 GMC player of the year, has also been the “glue that holds us together,” according to Gray.

“He has made numerous great defensive plays at opportune times, at shortstop to get big outs in critical innings,” Gray said. “He also has had several key hits for us.”

Posted in: Sports, Spring sports |

Tags: Tags: baseball, coach, Connor Bryan, connor mcvey, drew jackson, ken gray, lee sponseller, mason, mason high school, northwest, RJ Thompson, Rodney Hutchison, ross, Seth Bowles, sports, tj zeuch, undefeated

Longtime Mason baseball coach Ken Gray knew the Comets would have a special team this spring, but he didn’t believe it would be undefeated going into its sectional opener.

Mason (23-0) is the only undefeated team remaining in the state coaches’ association ranked poll in any division. The Comets won their second straight Greater Miami Conference title this spring.

“We just got to keep playing efficient baseball,” said Gray, who has over 760 career wins … They are great kids to work with.”

Mason opens the Division I sectional tournament at home against Northwest at 5 p.m. Thursday.

Senior Andrew McDonald (Virginia Tech) is expected to start Thursday, Gray said. McDonald has a team-leading 56 strikeouts and three shutouts, according to the GMC website.

Mason is not only No. 1 in the Division I state coaches’ poll, but the Comets are ranked No. 19 nationally by the MaxPreps Xcellent 25 rankings.

The Comets are hitting .371 as a team and have a 1.38 ERA as a pitching staff. Besides McDonald, pitchers TJ Zeuch (Pittsburgh), Rodney Hutchison and Seth Bowles (Ohio Dominican) have been very efficient. Zeuch is 6-0 with an 0.80 ERA.

Offensively, Mason has been led by several players, including RJ Thompson (.500 batting average), Lee Sponseller (.431), Drew Johnson (.431) and Connor Bryan (.404).

“Coming into the season, everyone knew Mason had the pitching (Zeuch, McDonald, Bowles, Hutchison) to have a successful season, but their offense has been the big surprise this year,” said Chris Valentine, director of Ohio scouting for Prep Baseball Report.

“They have shown excellent depth in their lineup with six players hitting above .350.”

Senior Connor McVey, the 2012 GMC player of the year, has been the “glue that holds us together,” according to Gray.

“He has made numerous great defensive plays at opportune times at shortstop to get big outs in critical innings,” Gray said. “He also has had several key hits for us.”

Posted in: Sports, Spring sports |

Tags: Tags: andrew mcdonald, Connor Bryan, connor mcvey, drew johnson, ken gray, lee sponseller, mason, Mason baseball, RJ Thompson, Rodney Hutchison, Seth Bowles, tj zeuch

Kevin Kelly reports:

In his postgame remarks to his players Thursday, Princeton baseball coach Rick Wilson used Mason as an example of what the Vikings are striving to become.

Mason breezed to an 11-1 victory in five innings against Princeton at Gower Park and remains undefeated this season.

“They don’t look like a super overpowering team, but they’re not going to beat themselves,” Wilson said. “They’re going to hit one through nine. They’re going to have solid pitching, solid defense, and I think they’ve got a legitimate chance to bang heads with Moeller.

• Photos: Mason defeats Princeton

“Moeller is the defending state champs, so they’re the big dog until you knock them off. But these guys, they’ve got a legitimate chance to make a good tournament run, if not win a state title.”

Ranked No. 1 in The Enquirer’s Division I area baseball coaches’ poll, Mason improved to 15-0 with the victory. Princeton dropped to 4-12.

The Comets were led by senior shortstop Connor McVey, who went 2-for-3 with a double and two RBI, and senior pitcher Seth Bowles. The right-hander (5-0) allowed one run on four hits over four innings.

“I think people are starting to take notice,” said McVey, who will play college ball at UC. “But we’re still playing with that chip on our shoulder. We still have to prove ourselves. We haven’t won anything.”

(more…)

Posted in: Sports, Spring sports |

Tags: Tags: andrew mcdonald, baseball, chris martin, comets, connor mcvey, drew johnson, ken grey, lee sponseller, mason, mason high school, princeton, sports, tj zeuch, vikings

Mike Dyer reports:

Mason senior pitcher TJ Zeuch was impressed by the Pittsburgh coaching staff and facilities when he visited the campus less than a month ago.

On Thursday morning, Zeuch – one the area’s top players in the 2013 class – verbally committed to the Panthers.

Zeuch also had offers from UC, Boston College, Xavier, Michigan State and Notre Dame, according to Mason coach Ken Gray.

Zeuch was 5-1 with 53 strikeouts in 39 innings with an ERA of 2.15 this past season for the Comets.

Zeuch was an Enquirer Division I honorable mention selection and was first-team all-Greater Miami Conference this spring.

“TJ is a big, protectable right-handed pitcher,” said Chris Valentine, Ohio director of scouting for Prep Baseball Report. “His fastball sits in the high 80s and tops out in the low 90s while showing some life. He uses excellent arm action on his changeup and uses a hard cutter as his out pitch. With continued development of his offspeed pitches, he should become a dominant pitcher at the next level.”

Mason won the Greater Miami Conference with a 20-8 overall record and was 16-2 in the conference.

Posted in: Sports, Spring sports |

Tags: Tags: baseball, college, comets, ken gray, mason, mason high school, pitcher, pittsburgh, tj zeuch, university