T-L Photo/SETH STASKEY PICTURED WITH the regional championship trophy are the Harrison Central seniors. From left are Wyatt Pierce, Tre Rex, Jace Madzia, Cabot Arbaugh, Kaden Jurosko and Treston Nemeth. The Huskies will take on Heath Friday night at 7 in the Division III state semifinals in Akron.

CADIZ — The parallels are uncanny.

Whether it’s the method at which it used to get there, some of the last names involved or just the fact that its receiving an incredible amount of support from the community, Harrison Central’s two runs to the state baseball tournament have had similar ingredients.

However, as the Huskies prepare for Friday night’s Division III state semifinal against Heath, which will be played at Canal Park in Akron, the 2023 squad is hoping for a different end result than the one sustained in 2013 when it fell in this round.

“We have a chance,” Harrison Central head coach Mike Valesko said matter of factly. “There are four similar programs and schools in (the state tournament) and we realize winning Friday is going to be hard and winning the whole thing is even harder. Both are very hard. You don’t get many of these opportunities, so you better be prepared to play.”

The Huskies (19-12) are enjoying the success and congratulations that have come with qualifying to the state tournament. However, they’re not getting carried away with it either. Valesko, who by his own admission isn’t a big fan of parades, thoroughly enjoyed the one that led Harrison’s bus back into downtown Cadiz last Friday after it rallied to defeat Wheelersburg, 8-7, in the regional championship game.

“The kids deserved that (parade),” Valesko said. “The ride home from Lancaster seemed like it took just minutes. We spent the first 30 or so minutes basically trying to figure out what in the world just happened (during the rally) and then we all basically followed the Heath and Jamestown Greenview game on Game Changer.”

After taking the weekend to enjoy the fanfare, the Huskies got back to work on Monday. They’ve practiced each day since under the lights at Mazeroski Field to help prepare themselves for the 7 o’clock first pitch they’ll tackle on Friday.

“In 2013, we basically celebrated all the way through (the tournament),” Valesko recalled. “This year, the legitimate goal is to win a state title, and if saying that out loud doesn’t give you chills, I don’t know what will.”

The other half of the Division III field finds defending champion Applecreek Waynedale (22-9) taking on Toledo Ottawa Hills (22-10).

“I don’t know who the best team is and in a one-and-done tournament like Ohio’s, you may not finf the best team,” Valesko said. “We simply have to be the best team this weekend. There are four teams left, so let’s be the best team among them. There are some really good baseball teams in this field, but none have a guy who is going to throw 90 mph.”

Before any attention can be shifted to either Wayndale or Ottawa Hills, Harrison Central must take care of Heath, which owns two state titles on the diamond.

As he’s worked feverishly to gain as much information as possible on the Bulldogs, who are making their fourth appearance at the state tournament and first since 2007, Valesko has found a lot of similarities between his club and its opponent.

“Its really a lot like looking in a mirror,” Valesko said. “And you can probably say that for all four teams up there. Heath has been building toward this when you consider two seasons ago they won six games, last year they won 12 and now they’re at 20 and still have a lot of young guys playing.”

Heath’s biggest luxury appears to be its pitching staff. The Bulldogs seemingly don’t have a true ace, but they boast a trio of guys who could legitimately get the ball on Friday.

“I am not sure which one we’ll see,” Valesko said. “They’re all right handed and all underclassmen.”

The trio consists of junior Riley Baum, who improved to 8-1 after winning the regional final. He owns a 2.57 earned run average and has fanned 49 hitters in a like number of innings pitched.

Sophomore Tannar Patterson pitched the district final and regional semifinal, which would put him on schedule for Friday. He’s currently 4-0 with a 1.57 ERA and 37 strikeouts in 37 innings of work.

The third option appears to be junior Hayden Woodward, who is 4-2, but boasts the lowest ERA at 1.52. He’s whiffed 24 in 46 innings.

Offensvely, Heath will be dealing with senior Treston Nemeth, who has developed through the tournament as the Huskies go-to-guy on the bump.

Nemeth, who was recently named the Division III State Player of the Year, was the winning pitcher in both the district final and regional semifinal. He’s 4-2 with a 2.26 earned run average and opposing teams are hitting just .212 against him.

Should Valesko need his bullpen, guys like Wyatt Pierce, Tucker Snyder, Jace Madzia and even Kaden Jurosko, who had been battling an injury since early in the tourney, could be called upon.

The Bulldogs offense is built a lot like Harrison’s. They love to play small ball and are active on the bases. All told, they’ve swiped an impressive 87 bases on 31 games and connected on just one home run.

Sophomore Connor Corbett is the table setter at the top of the order. He’s hitting .413 and has 26 stolen bases to his credit. He’s coming off a 4-for-4 effort with three RBIs in the regional final. Woodward bats .404 and leads the team with 32 RBI. He has 14 doubles. Patterson hits .400 and has 19 stolen bases.

“They’re a team that’s probably hitting around .300 for the season, so there are going to be days when they’re really good and other days when you’re not very good,” Valesko said. “That’s a lot like us. From what we’ve seen, they don’t have guys up and down the order pounding out doubles or hitting the ball to the fence. (Corbett) at the top of the order is very athletic.”

Harrison’s offense is led by Nemeth, who is hitting .560 with 40 RBIs.

Madzia has come on in the tournament and is batting .312. Snyder, who hits clean up, it at a .380 clip and has driven in 30, which is tied with Madzia for second on the team. Freshman Braden Cook has emerged since his call up from the junior varsity team and is batting .400 at the varsity level. He drove in the game-winning run last Friday.

Jurosko is the lead-off hitter at .300 and has scored a team-high 39 runs.

Anthony Pelegreen, Leland Lopez, Kayden Dunkle, Cabot Arbaugh and Reed Arbaugh are also key contributors.

“This group deserves the success it’s experiencing,” Valesko said. “We have a bunch of high-character kids and that goes a long way in sports, but especially in baseball. The worst part of this weekend — win or lose — is that we won’t get to go practice on Monday. It’s truly a special group.”

STATE NOTES

The Huskies will be the visiting team on Friday.

The state tournament will be a family affair for the Madzia’s. While Jace will be playing third base for the Huskies, his father, Donnie, is one of the 48 umpires who will work in the state tournament this weekend. He’s slated for a Division IV game.

The tournament opens Thursday with Division I leading things off. Olentangy Orange, which will play in the second semifinal against defending state champion Whitehouse Anthony Wayne, is coached by Steubenville High School graduate Tom Marker.

The Huskies will make the relatively short trip to Akron on Friday and plan to watch some of the Division II semifinals before heading back to their hotel briefly. They’ll have a pre-game meal and depart for the ballpark for batting practice.