Ottawa Hills baseball has been synonymous with success for decades, and the Green Bears look to be a solid club once again this spring.

Ottawa Hills, which advanced to the Division III state semifinals last season, received four of five first-place votes to win the 2024 TAAC title in a preseason coaches poll. Cardinal Stritch was picked to finish second followed by 2023 league champion Toledo Christian, Northwood, and Emmanuel Christian.

“Winning the TAAC is always one of our first team goals,” said Ottawa Hills’ Chris Hardman, the dean of baseball coaches in the area. “We have had some pretty good senior classes over the past several years, for certain. We never take achieving that goal for granted.”

Toledo Christian ended the Green Bears’ run of five consecutive TAAC titles last spring. The Eagles took a thrilling 3-2 win over Ottawa Hills in the final matchup of the season between the teams last May.

Toledo Christian also shared the 2021 TAAC crown with Ottawa Hills and was conference runners-up to the Green Bears in 2018 and 2019.

Emmanuel Christian is once again fielding a varsity team after playing a predominantly junior varsity schedule for the past two years. Participation numbers at Maumee Valley remain too low to compete in varsity baseball.

Here is a look at the TAAC in predicted order of finish:

OTTAWA HILLS

■ Coach: Chris Hardman, 44th year

■ Last season: 22-11 overall, 4-2 TAAC

■ Top players: Seniors Sebastian Stevens (P-1B; 5-2 record, 2.07 ERA), Luke Gnepper (OF; .326, 22 RBI), Noah Hamilton (P-OF; 3-0 record, 2.68 ERA). Juniors Jackson Snyder (P-INF; .330; 22 RBI), Reddick Pillarelli (OF; .347, 36 runs, 31 stolen bases).

■ Scouting report: The Green Bears never seem to rebuild but reload. Hardman’s team, which lost 6-2 to eventual state champion Apple Creek Waynedale in last year’s state semifinal, has three starters back. Among six total letterwinners are three seniors. Stevens earned All-TAAC first team honors, while Gnepper, Pillarelli, and Snyder all were named to the all-league second team.

■ Outlook: Ottawa Hills looks to return to the top of TAAC despite heavy losses to graduation.

“We have to replace eight seniors, including six who were starters,” Hardman said. “Our success will depend on how well we do that.”

CARDINAL STRITCH

■ Coach: Mike McGee, sixth year

■ Last season: 20-8 overall, 3-3 TAAC

■ Top players: Seniors Nate Bennett (C; .388), Dylan St. Pierre (IF; .350), Cole Tobias (SS; .300), Jacob Ball (1B; .368), Tyler Bohnsack (OF; .380), Kaden Granger (RHP; 7-2 record; 3.55 ERA).

■ Scouting report: McGee, who has a 50-50 career record, has seven starters back. He also has 11 seniors and seven letterwinners on the roster. Bennett and Tobias both earned All-TAAC first-team honors. Tobias committed just one error at shortstop. Ball, St. Pierre, and Granger are all back after earning all-league second-team honors.

■ Outlook: McGee has a seasoned group that should score plenty of runs.

“We have a very experienced team with an explosive offense,” McGee said. “This was the first team from Cardinal Stritch baseball to win 20 games in one baseball season.”

TOLEDO CHRISTIAN

■ Coach: Jacob Frank, first year

■ Last season: 17-7 league, 5-1 TAAC

■ Top players: Seniors Tait Nelson (C-OF, .280, 13 RBIs), Kaiden Quinn (P-INF; 4-0 record, 2.96 ERA), Zander Delauter, (INF-P). Junior Tyler Grace (U; .281, 9 RBIs). Sophomore Gavin Hamilton (OF-P, .295).

■ Scouting report: Frank takes over the Eagles varsity team after spending the previous seven seasons as an assistant under Paul LaPlante. He has five returning starters among six total letterwinners with three seniors on the roster. Last season, Toledo Christian won a sectional championship for the first time since 2015. Nelson, the team’s captain, had five doubles. Grace smacked two four doubles and one home run. Nelson earned All-TAAC second-team honors. Sophomore Nolan Hess, a pitcher/infielder, also is expected to contribute.

■ Outlook: Frank, who lost four all-league first-team players to graduation, said his group is facing a bit of a rebuilding season with an opportunity for growth.

“We have veteran leadership that can make this season special if they lift up the younger and inexperienced players,” Frank said. “We will struggle if the team fails to buy into a nitty-gritty mentality.”

NORTHWOOD

■ Coach: Clay Rolf, fourth year

■ Last season: 7-19 overall, 1-6 TAAC

■ Top players: Seniors Nathan Huber (C-P; 1-1 record, 6.22 ERA), Kyle Lewandowski (P-OF; .279, 1-1 record, 6.00 ERA), Brian Hallabaugh (SS; .274, 11 RBIs), Kaden Clukey (OF, .300), Ethan Clair (2B), Zaegan Byington (3B-C).

■ Scouting report: The Rangers are loaded with experience. Ten seniors are on the roster among eight total letterwinners. However, only three starters are back.

■ Outlook: Rolf said he has a large senior class and most of those players will be taking on bigger roles.

“They have a good energy and have been working hard,” Rolf said. “The biggest key will be being able to be consistent in our ability to throw strikes, field, hit, and run the bases.”

EMMANUEL CHRISTIAN

■ Coach: Nathan Vitale, fourth year

■ Last season: 4-14 overall (played junior varsity only)

■ Top players: Senior Michael McKay (INF; .297). Junior Ethan Sherban (OF-P). Sophomores Sam Kutz (INF-P; .293), Karston Kickbusch (INF-P, .351), Isaac Chubb (OF, .400).

■ Scouting report: The Warriors are once again fielding a varsity team after playing a JV schedule for the last two years. Senior Cameron Korzeniewski is among four seniors on the roster. Vitale has six total returning starters.

■ Outlook: “We are young and have a lot to work for,” Vitale said. “We have some achievable team goals and a lot of players are eager to rebuild the program correctly.”

First Published March 26, 2024, 3:55 p.m.