Players to watch during the 2012 Northeast Ohio high school baseball season

Tim Rogers, Plain Dealer Reporter, March 31, 2012 10:17 p.m.

Walsh Jesuit catcher Cassidy Brown, seen above celebrating a Warriors victory last season, is one of the top juniors in Ohio after batting .406 with 31 RBI in 2011. - (Thomas Ondrey, PD)

Tucker Linder of Tallmadge.

Bryce Miller of Green.

David Brock, 3B/P, Sr., Crestwood: The 6-2, 195-pound multidimensional player batted .397 with 25 RBI and 14 stolen bases. Struck out 95 batters in 55 innings.

Cassidy Brown, C/P, Jr., Walsh Jesuit: One of the top juniors in the state, he batted .406 with four home runs and 31 RBI.

Spencer Byers, P/OF, Sr., Shaker Heights: Batted .339 and was 5-3 with a 3.05 ERA and 39 strikeouts.

Dominick Edwards, P, Sr., Mentor: The 6-5, 190-pound St. Bonaventure recruit was 6-0 with a 0.73 ERA.

Scott Effross, P/1B, Sr., Twinsburg: The Indiana recruit went 5-2 with one save with a 2.27 ERA and 46 strikeouts in 491/3 innings.

Gordy Egan, SS, Sr., Holy Name: He can beat you with his bat (.471, 24 RBI) or his glove.

Michael Fearer, P, Sr., Kenston: Went 8-3 with a 1.47 ERA and 46 strikeouts. Gives the Bombers a solid 1-2 rotation when paired with Kyle McKnight.

Justin Fritts, P/1B, Sr., Mentor: Was 5-0 with a 1.82 ERA while batting .405 with 19 RBI.

Graeme Frye, CF/C, Sr., Walsh Jesuit: In his fourth season as a starter, the Slippery Rock recruit batted .403 with 16 RBI from the leadoff spot.

Tyler Greiner, C/1B, Sr., Brunswick: A steadying influence behind the plate, the Bowling Green recruit batted close to .320 last season.

Ray Guerrini, C, Sr., Mayfield: The Air Force recruit batted .385 and was solid behind the plate.

Jake Hall, P/OF, Sr., Willoughby South: Will be the No. 2 starter and key run-producer after driving in 27 last year.

Connor Hall, C/INF, Sr., Shaker Heights: The 6-4, 210-pound Davidson football recruit batted .400, hit three homers and knocked in 15 runs.

Alex Havens, SS/P, Sr., Twinsburg: The Baldwin-Wallace recruit led the Tigers with a .494 average and shared the team lead with 28 RBI.

Conor Hennessey, OF, Jr., St. Ignatius: Will bat leadoff to take advantage of his outstanding speed. Superb defensively.

Trey Hopkins, INF, Sr., Cleveland Heights: In 19 games the former outfielder batted .357 with three home runs, 21 RBI and 14 stolen bases.

Austin Jackson, SS, Soph., Notre Dame-Cathedral Latin: Batted .395 with 27 RBI.

Cameron Knott, P, Sr., Willoughby South: Mercyhurst recruit was 8-2 with a 0.97 ERA for the regional champions. Also batted .329 and drove in 16 runs.

Tucker Linder, P/IB, Sr., Tallmadge: Kent State recruit was a Plain Dealer All-Star in 2011 when he went 7-1 with a 0.98 ERA and batted .378 with 14 RBI.

Rutger Luebke, C, Sr., Medina: Lake Erie recruit batted .356 with 12 RBI.

Michael Marsinek, P, Sr., Walsh Jesuit: The left-handed Eastern Michigan recruit was 8-0 with a 1.12 ERA. Struck out 58 in 43 innings and held opposing batters to a .176 average.

Kyle McKnight, P/IF, Sr., Kenston: Will team with Michael Fearer to give the Bombers one of the top 1-2 starting combinations in the Chagrin Valley Conference. Was 7-1 with a 3.59 ERA.

Kyle Michalik, SS/P, Jr., Brunswick: In his third year as a starter, he committed to Ohio State last fall after a strong summer campaign. Batted close

to .360 last season.

Bryce Miller, P/OF, Sr., Green: The Plain Dealer All-Star was 7-0 with a 2.66 ERA and batted .480 with a school- record 47 hits.

Tommy Mirabelli, SS, Sr., St. Edward: The son of Indians executive John Mirabelli will attend Kansas. Batted .513 as a sophomore and .278 last year during an abbreviated schedule.

Kevin Neumann, P/1B, Sr., Westlake: Three-year letterman returns as staff ace after going 3-1 with a 2.36 ERA in 27 innings.

Dominick Paolucci, C, Sr., Notre Dame-Cathedral Latin: Drove in 31 runs with three homers and a .381 average.

Forrest Perron, SS, Sr., Strongsville: Cincinnati recruit batted .444 with 16 RBI and 11 stolen bases.

Ryan Rogers, 1B/OF, Sr., Avon: Earned honorable mention all-Ohio honors after batting .400 and driving in 14 runs.

Dan Rowbottom, 2B, Jr., St. Ignatius: Moves from third base. Batted .340 and is excellent defensively.

Steve Scaccia, CF, Sr., Willoughby South: Will be counted on as a team leader. Batted .339 and knocked in 12 runs last year.

Caleb Schillace, P/1B, Sr., Keystone: Toledo recruit and superb all-around athlete batted .430 and drove in 33 runs last year while compiling a 5-2 record with a 2.93 ERA.

Chad Sedio, OF, Sr., Highland: Stands a chance at setting school record for highest career batting average (he's at .471, record is .416). Will attend Miami of Ohio.

Zak Shockley, P, Sr., St. Ignatius: The Marshall recruit will be the No. 1 starter.

Matt Shomo, P/OF, Sr., Tallmadge: Was team's most productive hitter at .442, with five homers and 28 RBI. Those stats and a 31 on the ACT make him an attractive recruit.

Brandon Sittinger, P/SS, Sr., Keystone: An 8-1 record, 1.19 ERA, 85 strikeouts in 59 innings and a .340 batting average earned a scholarship to Marshall.

Jacob Solomon, OF, Sr., Independence: Batted .463 with 20 RBI and 10 extra-base hits.

Matt Smoral, P, Sr., Solon: The 6-8, 230-pound North Carolina recruit was 4-1 with a 1.82 ERA and 47 strikeouts in 34 innings.

Drew Teller, P, Sr., Mayfield: The St. Bonaventure recruit was 3-0 with a 1.30 ERA.

Kurt Vidmer, SS/P, Sr., Chagrin Falls: In his fourth season as a starter, the Davidson football recruit batted .430 with five home runs and 25 RBI. Also was 6-1 with a 4.83 ERA in 331/3 innings.

Danny Wallack, 2B, Sr., Mentor: Led the Cardinals with a .492 average while playing a steady second base.

Griffin Weir, P/IF, Jr., Amherst: Led team in innings (31 ) while posting a 4-1 record. OSU, Cincinnati and Louisville are showing interest.

Tom Yakubowski, C/OF, Sr., Archbishop Hoban: Helped the Knights to a state runner-up finish when he batted .389 with five doubles and 16 RBI.

Joel Yeagley, P/OF, Sr., Avon: Four-year letter-winner and Mercyhurst recruit batted .329 and knocked in 18 runs.

Mark Zimmerman, P/3B, Sr., Green: Batted .402 with 24 RBI and went 5-1 with a 1.51 ERA.

-- Tim Rogers

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