ARCANUM – The Arcanum baseball team ran the table in the WOAC this year, going a perfect 11–0 after a 9–0 win over Tri-County North at home. The victory clinched back-to-back league championships for the Trojans and their fourth title in the five-year history of the WOAC.
Coming into the spring, not many would have predicted a clean sweep for Arcanum given the holes they had to fill. Junior starting outfielder Jace Mote sustained a late-season, year-ending injury in basketball. On top of that, the Trojans lost starting pitcher Lucas Miller, who won seven games last season with a 0.64 ERA. There were real questions about how Arcanum would respond.
But under head coach Randy Baker, the Trojans’ program has consistently found ways to compete and overcome adversity. This year’s title marks the 10th league championship of Baker’s tenure.
In an era where league championships sometimes take a backseat to tournament runs, Baker reminded his team what they had just accomplished.
“We talked after the game and like I told them, we are playing two seasons: the league season and the tournament season,” Baker explained. “The first season is our league season, and our goal is to win the league. If we go undefeated, that’s great, but it’s a tough league to go undefeated because there are a lot of trap games. Twice this year we had to play three league games in a week, and that requires a lot of pitching. You have to have a lot of depth, and we did that this year and won some really tough games during those stretches.”
While Baker didn’t specifically talk about his own program, senior catcher Bryce Kramer did, offering a glimpse into why Arcanum has been so successful.
“In coach Baker’s program there are no days off. If there’s a day off, it’s on the weekend,” Kramer said. “We’re putting in the work, 110% every single day. We’re coming in with the same energy and leaving with the same energy. All the guys put in extra work after hours. We’re in the gym, hitting in the cages and sometimes putting in three to four hours of practice.”
All that work paid off for Arcanum and for the six seniors who also won league titles as freshmen and juniors. Doing it together one more time as seniors made this championship even more meaningful.
“We didn’t think we were going to be as solid as we were last year due to the loss of a couple guys that were key to the team not being able to play,” Kramer admitted. “But we surprised ourselves, we worked really hard and some guys really stepped up, so winning it this year is really awesome.”
It doesn’t hurt to have another senior, Regan Christ, taking the ball in big games and delivering. Christ has started eight games this season — and won all eight.
Against Tri-County North, Christ went the distance, allowing just three hits and one walk while striking out 15. In his eight wins, he owns a 0.15 ERA and has fanned 99 batters.
Christ, who is headed to Ohio University to pitch next year, is savoring his senior season and winning a league title with his classmates.
“Obviously, it’s been a lot of fun. Winning a WOAC league title outright means everything — that’s all we can ask for in our first season — and to do that with these seniors is extra special,” Christ said.
Arcanum honored its seniors before the game: Derek Longstreth, Cole Kessler, Kolton Quigney, Regan Christ, Bryce Kramer, and Ethan Kearney. Fittingly, each left a mark on the win.
- Longstreth had a hit and an RBI.
- Kramer once again controlled the game behind the plate.
- Quigney flashed the leather at shortstop and added 2 hits, 2 RBI, and a run scored.
- Kearney chipped in a hit and scored twice.
- Kessler collected 2 hits, 2 runs scored, and an RBI.
- Christ helped his own cause with 2 hits, 2 runs, and an RBI.
Christ has been an impact player since his freshman year, when his older brother — then a senior catcher — called the game for him behind the plate. Over the last three seasons he’s built that same kind of bond with Kramer, and together they’ve surpassed the 7–0 mark the Christ brothers shared in Regan’s freshman year, going 8–0 so far.
“You know, after three years we’re pretty much on the same page — especially this year,” Christ said. “He knows what I want half the time and that’s all you can ask from any catcher. We are completely in sync.”
Kramer echoed that connection.
“Considering it’s our third year together, we’re pretty much on the same page with everything we do — calling strikes, calling pitches, and just showing up together,” Kramer said. “He’s just consistent. Every single day he is consistent, and it starts the minute he steps on the field. He’s locked in and ready to go.”
Consistency also describes Baker’s program. With a league title secured and the “first season” complete, Arcanum now turns toward the second season with the tournament draw taking place this weekend.
“We’re going to enjoy this league title tonight and then get back to work tomorrow,” Baker said. “We just have to keep getting better. We’ve got to get some other pitchers throwing. We’ve had a couple rainouts, so we’ve got to get our pitching staff going again, because you never know in tournament what will happen — especially the further we go, where you might need four or five pitchers that can actually throw.”
“I’m very proud of the boys. It’s been a good first season, but we’re not done,” he added.
Christ and Kramer are on the same page there, too.
“Oh, it’s been so much fun this year,” Christ concluded. “Now it’s all about getting ready for tournament. That’s our main goal after winning the league — we definitely want to make a big run this year.”
Now standing at 17-2 overall, 11-0 in league the Trojans got to celebrate another WOAC crown. But they know the work is just beginning. The first season ended in perfection. Now, with Christ on the mound, Kramer behind the plate, and a senior class that doesn’t believe in days off, Arcanum turns its full attention to the second season — and a tournament run they hope will be just as memorable.
