AKRON, Ohio — The Badin High School baseball team will play for a state championship Sunday morning in Akron.
The Rams defeated Parma Padua 5-0 Friday afternoon in a Division II state semifinal at Canal Park. It was the sixth shutout for Badin this postseason.
Badin (27-6) plays West Branch (26-6) in the Division II state final at 10 a.m. Sunday at Canal Park. West Branch, making its first state Final Four appearance, defeated Wintersville Indian Creek 4-2 in the other state semifinal Friday afternoon.
Badin was ranked No. 6 in the season's final Division II state coaches' poll while West Branch was No. 12.
The Rams are seeking their first baseball state title since 1996 and the program’s third overall (1991, 1996).
“To know that we get two more days together is just an incredible feeling,” Badin coach Brion Treadway said. “Very emotional. I’m proud of our guys, proud of our coaching staff. I love this community. You can feel everybody [supporting] us and it’s just a lot of fun.”
Sunday will be the first time since 2016 that Badin will be in a baseball state final. The Rams are in the state tournament for the 15th time as a program — the fourth-most appearances in state history.
Badin jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the fourth inning Friday in the state tournament’s first game of the weekend with the first pitch shortly after 10 a.m. The Rams scored four runs in the fifth inning to seal the victory.
Sophomore pitcher Caleb Driessen allowed just three hits and struck out six batters in a complete game victory. He improved to 7-1 on the mound this season.
“Nothing is like it,” he said. “There is no summer ball tournament or anything that can really compare to this. Everybody has been all in. The last time we won one was (1996) so we got to bring one back to Alumni (Field). That’s been our key phrase all year.”
Sophomore designated hitter Jeremiah Carmella went 3-for-4 with three runs batted in. Sophomore Austin Vangen had a double. Junior Kade Bowling and junior Chase Luebbe also had runs batted in.
“I felt pretty confident," Carmella said. "The first at-bat kind I was a little nervous – big venue. A couple times between pitches I would step out and take a deep breath and not let the moment get too big and just go back to muscle memory and just let it play out. It worked.”
