Minford, Green second in D-V, D-VII Polls; Clay, Valley, SW also ranked

Making the largest jump of any Scioto County team in the rankings, the Clay Panthers' baseball program scored two victories of epic proportions last week, with Clay defeating Green 4-0 on Monday and then taking down Notre Dame in a nine-inning thriller on Friday in Rosemount to rise from 10th in the OHSBCA Division VII Poll to eighth.

Offensively, Evan Rider leads Clay as the sophomore is batting .548 for the 2026 season with a 1.416 .OPS. Rider also has six doubles, a home run, 10 RBI and 19 runs scored while drawing 13 walks and only striking out four times for the season as well.

Pitching-wise, Rider is 4-2 with a 1.04 ERA and has struck out 43 batters while walking only 12 at the plate.

Among players who have played in over 90 percent of Clay's games in 2026, Corey Williams is hitting .400 while Noah Woods (.366), Jackson Hannan (.361) and Cade Munion (.343) are all batting over .340. That quartet has combined for five doubles, four triples, a home run, 44 RBI and 57 runs scored.

Woods had the game-winning RBI in Clay's nine-inning thriller over Notre Dame (4-3), driving in Derick Oliver as the game-winning run with his RBI base knock to right field for the winner.

Valley, No. 13, 12 points in Division V

Still sitting in a position to possibly grab a share of the SOC III Championship, the Valley Indians must win out in conference play but have the capability to do so with the players in its camp.

Nolan Barnett, Carson Powell and Nick Queen are hitting .471, .467 and .390 respectively for the Indians, with all three players sporting .OPS marks of .991 or better in 2026. The trio have combined for 39 RBI and 46 runs scored and have produced 17 walks between them as well.

Colin Greene (.316) and Gabe McNeil (.314) have also swung the bat well at different times throughout the season.

Pitching-wise, Barnett continues to throw in a strong manner, as the senior and Rio Grande signee sits 4-0 with a 2.18 ERA. Barnett has struck out 29 batters and only walked six in 2026. Gabe McNeil has also been big on the hill, notching a 2-2 record in six appearances and four starts with a 2.55 ERA, while Caysen Zieber, a rangy outfielder, has shown tons of promise defensively which has translated to the mound as well. Zieber is 2-1 with a 2.83 ERA, and has combined with McNeil to strike out 44 batters while walking only 17.

South Webster, No. 15, 12 points in Division VII

Idle since last Wednesday, the South Webster Jeeps' baseball program is looking for a strong finish to the 2026 season with 11 games over the next three weeks, including SOC III contests at West and Minford and a home bout against state-ranked Clay during that stretch.

Pitching talents Easton Large and Jacob McGraw, along with a consistent batting order that includes Hunter Barnard, Brycin McClintic, Beau Stephens, Pierce Kreischer, Benaiah Andrews, Brayden Barnard, Sam Murphy, Cole Bennett, Large and McGraw, have kept the Jeeps in highly competitive ballgames throughout much of the season.