SYCAMORE TOWNSHIP, Ohio — The Moeller High School baseball team is ranked No. 5 nationally this week by MaxPreps.
The Crusaders (15-0), the 2023 Division I state champion, have won 32 consecutive games dating back to April 26, 2023. Moeller is also No. 1 in the Ohio High School Baseball Coaches Association Division I state poll.
Moeller, the only Ohio team in the MaxPreps Top 25, is scheduled to play host to Indian Hill Tuesday afternoon — the first of four consecutive home games.
"I have liked our balance through the first 15 games," Moeller baseball coach Tim Held. "Everyone was talking about our pitching through the offseason and our offense really started off hot to help us win some early games."
Moeller is batting .358 as a team with a .481 on-base percentage through 15 games. Defensively, the Crusaders have 115 strikeouts and a 2.38 team earned-run average through 97 innings. Moeller leads the GCL South in hitting and pitching statistical categories.
"Our hitters have been giving us some really good at-bats in key situations to drive up pitch counts or knock in runs," Held said. "The pitching has been very good so far and there have been a number of guys that have stepped up to fill some innings while we had a couple guys who were limited."
Moeller is led by several players including junior pitcher Zion Theophilus, who is 5-0 with a .609 ERA and 31 strikeouts. He leads the Greater Catholic League South division in wins and strikeouts.
Sophomore Matt Ponatoski is hitting .455 with 21 runs batted in - both of which are tops in the GCL South. He's also hit three home runs.
"Matt has done a great job at the plate from day one," Held said. "We inserted him in the middle of the lineup right away and he has always found a way to drive in runners from second and third base. He shows a great command of the strike zone and the ability to put a barrel on the ball against any type of pitcher we have faced."
Sophomore Conner Cuozzo is hitting .429 with a GCL South-best four home runs. He also has 19 RBI. There are also a number of other standouts, too.
Held said the Moeller coaching staff continues to emphasize daily improvement as April concludes. Moeller's regular season is scheduled to conclude May 11.
"At times we have shown our varsity inexperience, so we use those moments to coach the players up in case we encounter them again this season," Held said. "The players are doing a great job adjusting and improving."
