Hawken enters the 2024 season expecting to make a run at the 2024 Chagrin Valley Conference Chagrin Division title.
The Hawks will make that run without 2023 Chagrin Division MVP catcher Dom Brancel, who graduated last spring. They also have several new faces in the lineup.
“A lot of underclassmen earned experience in 2023, so put together with a couple of new players as well as players returning to full health, we should be a dangerous opponent for anyone,” said Hawken coach Aaron Brandt. “Our biggest challenge will be breaking in new players in the outfield, as well as replacing Dom Brancel.”
Filling Brancel’s cleats isn’t an easy job but Brandt is confident senior co-captain Paxon Laschinger is up to the challenge.
Laschinger hit .341 last year with 19 runs batted in, five doubles, three triples, and 17 runs scored along with 11 stolen bases on the way to earning first-team All-CVC honors as an outfielder. This spring, he’ll make the move to catcher.
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“Paxon moves into catcher and will become the big bat in the lineup,” Brandt said. He is an excellent base runner with a very strong arm from behind the plate. He has a powerful bat with gap power from the left side.”
Hawken’s other senior co-captain Lucas Brandt will play shortstop and will serve as the Hawks’ No. 1 pitcher.
Brandt, a Williams College commitment for football and baseball, was 6-1 on the mound as a sophomore with a 0.36 earned run average and limited opponents to a .084 batting average.
“Lucas tops the pitching staff, returning from injury and has returned to his previous form,” Coach Brandt said. “Lucas also will anchor the infield at shortstop and hit leadoff. He’s a top speed guy with 18 stolen bases in 2023 when he could only DH.”
Senior Jake Kavanaugh will play third and is Hawken’s No. 2 starter.
“He has a strong arm and is a solid infielder,” Coach Brandt said. “He will be a solid contributor in all areas of the game. He saw limited action last year returning from injury to make four appearances, striking out 10 batters and not allowing an earned run over 7 innings.”
Junior Jacob Stovsky will play second base with juniors Billy Butler and Maddux Ruch in left and center fields, respectively, and sophomore Eli Mester in right. Junior Grant Namy and sophomore Ethan Gipson will compete for time at first base, and junior Asher Kimball will DH.
Stovsky hit .311 as a sophomore with 11 stolen bases. Ruch hit .333, and Kimball drove in 18 runs with seven extra-base hits.
“Jacob returns as a starting infielder. He’s an excellent athlete with good speed and a consistent swing that produced the third most hits on the team last year,” Brandt said. “Maddox will move into the starting center field role this year. He has an excellent combination of speed and arm strength from the outfield. He’ll also contribute as a pitcher. Asher has a strong middle-of-the-order bat. He will be one of the main contributors in the middle infield on the defensive side. Ethan had a solid freshman season and enters his sophomore campaign as the No. 3 pitcher. Juniors Maddox Ruch, Billy Butler, Dilan Nadkarni, Jack Ruple, and sophomore Eli Mester have all shown promise as varsity-level outfielders.”
Brandt and Kavanaugh headline Hawken’s pitching staff, which includes Gipson, Butler, Ruch, Mester, Nadkarni, Namy, and freshmen Cole Twardokus and Miles Hamilton.
Gipson was 2-1 with a 3.23 ERA last spring while Butler was 4-0 with a 1.75 ERA.
“We have excellent pitching depth led by Lucas Brandt returning to the mound after setting the school ERA record as a sophomore in 2022 but not able to pitch in 2023,” Coach Brandt said. “We also get Jake Kavanaugh back after he missed most of last year due to injury, although he did return for four appearances with no ERA and close to two strikeouts per inning.”
Hawken’s lineup has the potential to make a run at the CVC title, but the Hawks have to focus on the fundamentals to remain consistent throughout the season.
“We have to minimize the impact of any mistakes we make in the field, so teams do not create big innings against us,” Brandt said. “We also need to take advantage of opportunities on offense, staying aggressive at the plate and on the bases.”
