High school baseball: There's only one thing left to do for Amherst, win the whole darn thing

In 2025 Amherst set a school record for wins, advanced to the state tournament for the first time and produced three first-team All-Ohio players. There's just one thing left for the Comets to do in 2026 — bring home a championship. With their top three pitchers and almost all of the everyday lineup back, the Comets have one of the deepest and most talented rosters in the state. And with the memory of last year's Division II state final loss to Anthony Wayne still fresh in their mind, they worked hard in the offseason to make sure they have what it takes to win what would be the school's first state title. "We were one win short of what we wanted last year," said senior first baseman Landon Wolf, an Ashland University signee. "It made us hungrier in the offseason. We hit the weight room hard, we hit speed and agility training hard." Wolf, along with pitcher-second baseman Harrison Schneider and outfield Cole Marquez, were named to the Ohio High School Baseball Coaches Association All-Ohio first team last year after the Comets' 29-3 season. "The entire offseason in the weight room we had a picture of Anthony Wayne dogpiling at the end of the state championship game," coach Matt Rositano said. "That kinda gave them a little extra motivation." According to Schneider. after the state final loss the Comets dedicated themselves to getting bigger, faster and stronger for this season. "Three days a week we were in the weight room and doing conditioning," Schneider said. "We always held each other accountable to be there and I think that's something that's built into the camaraderie we have this year. "Coach tells us everything we do we're held to a higher standard and that has taught us discipline. Schneider was 9-0 on the mound last year with a 1.24 ERA and 69 strikeouts in 60 2/3 innings pitched. The Kent State signee also hit .358 with two home runs and 24 RBIs. Wolf is the Comets' big basher. He hit .338 last year with six home runs and a school-record 54 RBIs. Fifteen of his 27 hits went for extra bases. "This year's team has more talent," Wolf said. "I'm really excited to be playing again. This group has a chance to do something this school's never been able to do before." Amherst was ranked No. 1 in the OHSBCA preseason Division II coaches poll show and the Comets lived up to the hype by winning their first four games by a combined margin of 50-0. "The skill level and the talent level is not going to be an issue, everything is going to be between the ears," Rositano said. "A lot of times you get teams that will overperform and you have to to tell them to ignore the doubters, now we're in a position where we have to ignore the expectations and take everything one day at a time." Marquez hit .360 last year with 18 RBIs and 27 stolen bases. He also helped move his teammates around the bases with five sacrifice bunts. "We're here for each other," Marquez said. "We preach that we're playing for the name on the front of the jersey not the name on the stat sheet. "When practice ends I don't want to leave, I'm so pumped up to work with the guys. The first few times we got out on the field we got a hint of what the rest of the season is going to be." The Comets also return a pair of second-team All-Ohio pitchers, brothers Cole and Cael Charles, who combined to go 17-1 last season while both averaged over a strikeout an inning. The depth of its pitching staff is what really separates Amherst from its top competitors. "You can tell a lot of the guys have gotten bigger, stronger and faster," Rositano said. "Cael and Harrison have both been 90-93 (mph) in the preseason. Cole has been up to 90-91and Zach Diedrick has been up to 88-89." "We know we have to hold ourselves to a higher standard this year and be there for each other," Marquez said. "We're going to work even harder this year because we know we have the talent to do something great that has never been done before. We have to make sure we're locked in." Contact Todd Shapiro at (440) 329-7135 or ctsports@chroniclet.com.