AKRON, Ohio — The Badin and Mason baseball teams are going to their respective state Final Fours next week in Akron.
Mason defeated Moeller 3-0 in a Division I regional final Friday night in Oxford. Moeller, ranked No. 1 in the state coaches’ poll, was the 2023 Division I state champion. The Crusaders entered Friday ranked No. 15 nationally by MaxPreps.
Senior pitcher Michael Bilo threw a no-hitter to lift the Comets to their fourth state tournament appearance in program history. Bilo, a George Mason signee, entered Friday with a 1.37 earned-run average and 40 strikeouts.
The Comets (26-6), ranked No. 7 in the state poll, are scheduled to play unranked Perrysburg (25-7) in a Division I state semifinal at 7 p.m. June 7 at Canal Park in Akron.
The state final is scheduled for 1 p.m. June 9 in Akron.
Next week will be Mason’s first trip back to Akron since 2022 when it played Grove City. Mason was a state semifinalist in 2022 and 2018 and was a state runner-up in 1987.
Badin defeated Jonathan Alder 2-0 in a Division II regional final Friday. Jonathan Alder is ranked No. 1 in the state coaches’ poll while Badin is No. 6.
Friday was the fourth consecutive shutout for the Rams, who are marking their 15th trip to the state tournament as a program. Badin is returning to Akron for the first time since 2022 when it was a state semifinalist for a second straight season.
Badin is seeking its first baseball state championship since 1996. It also won a state title in 1991.
Badin (26-6) plays unranked Parma Padua Franciscan (19-9-1) in a Division II state semifinal at 10 a.m. June 7 at Canal Park. The state final is scheduled for 10 a.m. June 9.
Canal Park is home to the Akron RubberDucks, the Double-A minor league affiliate of the Cleveland Guardians. Canal Park started to host the state tournament in 2019.
