Hiland and Waynedale lead Holmes County baseball postseason push

Holmes County baseball enters the postseason with a familiar burden: Hiland and Waynedale are not just contenders, they are the reigning state champions, and every game from here forward carries the weight that comes with being the team everyone is chasing. The Ohio High School Athletic Association’s tournament window is packed tight, with the draw set for May 18-23, sectional games May 25-30, district play June 2-4, regional tournaments June 11-14 and the state tournament June 20. The entry and withdrawal deadline passed May 10, which means the bracket race now shifts entirely to execution on the field.

Hiland’s target is especially large. Berlin Hiland won its third straight baseball state title in 2025, rallying past Hartville Lake Center Christian 5-4 in the Division VI championship game at Canal Park in Akron. That kind of run changes the standard in Berlin, where another deep postseason is no longer a bonus but the expectation. Waynedale brings the same kind of pressure from Apple Creek. The Bears went 30-3 last season, made their fourth consecutive state tournament appearance and added the championship trophy to titles already won in 2022 and 2023. Together, the two programs give Holmes County and neighboring Wayne County a postseason front line built on recent proof, not reputation.

That hierarchy was not theoretical in April. Waynedale beat Hiland 5-3 in a rare regular-season meeting between two defending state champions, a game that showed both how thin the margin is and how quickly the postseason could tilt. When two teams with that kind of pedigree meet before the bracket even forms, every inning becomes a preview of what the tournament could demand. The result also underlined how little room there is for error once the calendar flips deeper into May.

The rest of the area is not standing still. Triway added to the pressure on the favorites with an 11-0 win over Loudonville on May 8, and Wooster opened an April power-rankings update at 6-0 with multiple shutouts and several double-digit scoring games. That gives the region a deeper, more competitive field than a two-team story would suggest. As the OHSAA tournament moves from the draw to sectional, district and regional play, Holmes County’s baseball spotlight will depend on whether Hiland and Waynedale can keep carrying championship expectations while younger challengers force their way into the conversation.