Highland, Buckeye and Cloverleaf set for postseason baseball runs

With high seeds and promising paths, the baseball teams from Highland, Buckeye and Cloverleaf all will head into the upcoming postseason with optimism. Things won’t necessarily be easy, but for all three they could be a lot worse.

Division II

Highland (9-2) is seeded fourth among 33 teams in seven Northeast districts, all with either four or five teams, and will open tournament play in a 5 p.m. Northeast District 1 semifinal at home against No. 28 Massillon Perry (4-14).

The winner will move on to play in a district final at Struthers at 2 p.m. May 28. Highland would face either No. 13 Massillon Washington (10-7), No. 26 North Olmsted (6-8) or No. 27 Solon (5-10). The latter two play May 21, with the winner moving on to face Massillon Washington.

Tournament sites are preselected, so regardless of current gas prices it won’t change, and Hornet fans can look forward to a 150-mile round trip to the district final.

Should Highland emerge as a district champion, it would play in a 2 p.m. regional semifinal June 3 against the District 4 champion at Gates Mills Gilmour Academy. The regional final will most likely be a day later at a site to be determined.

Division III

Buckeye (14-7) is seeded ninth among 48 teams in the six districts and will play in Northeast District 6.

The Bucks begin the postseason at home at 5 p.m. May 21 in a true sectional final against No. 17 Rocky River (8-5). The winner will move on to play either No. 12 Alliance (record not available) or No. 39 Cuyahoga Falls (2-13), who also play May 21. Buckeye would host either team.

That winner heads to Twinsburg for a 5 p.m. district final May 28. Parma Padua (13-2) is the overwhelming favorite to emerge from the other half of the bracket, which includes No. 27 Geneva (7-8), No. 32 Copley (5-12) and No. 46 Cleveland JFK (1-6).

The district champion will move on to a 5 p.m. regional semifinal June 1 at Lake Erie Crushers Stadium in Lorain against the Northwest 1 District champion. The regional final will be June 2 at 5 p.m., also in Lorain.

Division IV

The Colts are seeded 13th out of 35 teams in four districts and are on the District 2 bracket. They will begin the tournament with a home game against No. 25 Ravenna at 5 p.m. May 21.

The winner will play at 5 p.m. May 26 against either No. 7 Mogadore Field or No. 28 Cleveland Villa Angela-St. Joseph. Cloverleaf would travel to Field or host VASJ.

The district final is slated for 5 p.m. May 28 at Louisville. The Colts, should they make it that far, could be pitted against No. 1 seed Youngstown Cardinal Mooney, a strong favorite to come out of the lower half of the district bracket, with none of the other four teams seeded higher than 17th.

The district champion will meet the District 1 champion in a regional semifinal at 2 p.m. June 2 at Thurman Munson Memorial Stadium in Canton, with the regional final June 4 at 2 p.m., also at Munson Stadium.