All-Ohio baseball: Keystone's Ryan Younglas, five Amherst players, named to first team

This story has been edited to correct Harrison Schneider's college choice. He will be going to Bowling Green. The best player in Division V and best infield in Ohio can all be found in Lorain County. Keystone's Ryan Younglas earned Player of the Year honors in Division V, five Amherst Comets, four of them infielders, earned first-team honors in Division II when the Ohio High School Baseball Coaches Association released All-Ohio teams Monday. Younglas, a University of Toledo commit, batted .529 and went 6-2 with a 2.12 ERA and 93 strikeouts in 52 1/3 innings. "It says a lot about him, his talent and the hard work he puts into it, but it really says a lot about him as a person," Keystone coach Bert Fitzgerald said. "The fact that he's such a great guy on top of being a great ballplayer solidified that for him." Younglas is the first Wildcats player to be named the state's Player of the Year. "It's awesome. I didn't know what to say. I wasn't expecting to get that high of an award. It is a great honor," Younglas said. "Knowing all the work and hours I've put into baseball, it's great to know that others have recognized that." Keystone senior Tucker Webb earned second-team honors. "For me, baseball is about playing with confidence and having fun. I've always played my best when I'm out there having fun with the guys," Younglas said. "I love our team. So many guys have grown up together and have such great connections, and it pays off on the field." Amherst wasn't able to repeat its dramatic 2025 Division II state tournament run but the Comets were more than halfway to being able to field their own All-Ohio team with five first-team selections. Junior pitcher Cael Charles, who went 10-0 with an 0.85 ERA and hasn't lost a game since his freshman year, was a first-team selection, along with teammates Landon Wolf, Cooper Bingham, Eli Toyoda and Harrison Schneider. "I thought all five guys were more than deserving," Amherst coach Matt Rositano said. "They all got bigger, stronger faster and worked hard in the offseason. All five guys were on a mission this year. When you have guys like that, they are going to be successful." Bingham, a shortstop, and Toyoda, a second baseman, both juniors, hit .475 and .423 respectively, while Bingham also drove in 36 runs. "It was so awesome when I saw all of my teammates got All-Ohio, too," Bingham said. "It's an accomplishment for just one to get it but when I saw all five of us got it I was ecstatic. I'm honored to share this achievement with four of my teammates." Bingham credits the work Amherst did in the offseason with pushing so many Comets to the All-Ohio level. "The offseason made a difference. We all push ourselves in the weight room," he said. 'Doc' (coach Dr. David Rositano) is a great assistant coach. He pushed us in the infield practices and that pushed us to strive to reach the next level. And it's really also the environment coach (Rositano) has set for us. He really wants the best out of all of us." Schneider, a Bowling Green signee, delivered his best on the mound and at third base for the Comets, going 7-1 with a 0.63 ERA and 64 strikeouts in 44 2/3 innings, while .346 to earn his selection as a utility player. Wolf was at first base, a position he played for most of his high school career. However, when the Comets needed a catcher, Wolf strapped on the gear this spring for the first time since he was 12 years old, and did whatever he could to help the team. "It's pretty cool that even though I was faced with playing an entirely new position this year I was still able to make first-team All-Ohio," Wolf said. As soon as Zaiden (Rosario) went down, I knew I had to step up for the team. I struggled at first because it's a completely different position than first base, but I bought into doing whatever I needed to do for the team to be successful." Wolf hit .370 with four home runs and 30 RBIs. He graduated as Amherst's career RBI leader with 101. "I'm extremely honored. All of the hard work and dedication I put in with my teammates, I am glad to see it pay off," Wolf said. "This team was one of the most talented teams I've ever played with. But what made it so fun was the bond we had. We had a goal. Even though we fell short of that ultimate goal, I wouldn't have wanted my senior season to go any other way." Columbia's Logan Menge also battled adversity this season on his way to earning Division VI first-team honors. Menge started the season in an 0-for-15 slump but recovered to have 27 hits in his final 41 at-bats to end year with a .464 average. "When I started 0-for-15, I kept my head up and everybody stayed positive towards me. I stayed after practice to get swings in hoping I could get it going and I did," Menge said. "It feels great to be named All-Ohio. Here at Columbia, we don't get a lot of All-Ohio's and I wouldn't have been able to do it without the coaching staff or all of my players around me." Columbia coach Dan Durante said his junior second baseman isn't just one of best hitters he's coached at Columbia but his mental toughness was an example for his teammates across the program. "It goes to show a slow start in the spring season means nothing as long as mentally you're able to move on from it," Durante said. "He adjusted and moved on and it was outstanding to be able to see him do that." Menge's Columbia teammate senior Carter Duley was a second-team selection, along with Brookside's Danny Fries and Elyria Catholic's Ryan White, who made the Division IV second-team. North Ridgeville senior Jason Begella was Division II honorable mention. Contact Todd Shapiro at (440) 329-7135 or ctsports@chroniclet.com.