XENIA — The 2024 baseball season wasted no time getting a spectacular performance with a no-hitter thrown on Sunday.

Xenia’s Ethan Wells got the Bucs off to a great start with a five-inning shortened no-no against Kent Roosevelt at home. Wells fanned 10 of the 21 hitters he faced, walking five and throwing 89 pitches in the 11-0 Xenia win. The junior ended last season as one of two pitchers in the Miami Valley League averaging at least 10 strikeouts per seven innings pitched with at least 40 innings thrown.

Wells also had two hits and two RBI at the plate, driving home Xenia’s first run of the season in the win. Emery Lane had three RBI and the only extra base hit with a fifth inning double that ended the game.

All nine Xenia batters drew at least one walk.

Greene County should have several solid squads once again this year.

Greeneview returns its top pitchers from the 2023 team that advanced to the Division III regional finals. Keegan Phillips and Landon Gardner were dominant during the Rams’ postseason run and are key pieces to the team being the only local squad recognized by the Ohio High School Baseball Coaches Association in its state preseason polls, appearing in the receiving votes section for D-III

Beavercreek is coming off a competitive season and also returns several solid parts of its pitching staff which helped produce one of the best team run differentials in the area last year. Xenia also has a core of hitters and pitchers which gave one of the top teams in the state fits in the postseason last year, and Cedarville, Fairborn and Yellow Springs all return chunks of their offenses.

The Ohio Prep Baseball Report recognized several area players in its preseason All-State rankings.

Phillips was selected as a first-team player in D-III as a two-way player. Cedarville’s Mason Johnson also made first-team in D-IV as one of four catchers.

Xenia’s Adam Newell and Ethan Wells, along with Beavercreek’s Parker Shannon all were named Honorable Mention for D-I, as was Paul Smith of Bellbrook in D-II.

Here’s a look at Greene County teams heading into 2024:

(Statistics from 2023 season)

BEAVERCREEK BEAVERS

2023 Record: 17-11 (6-8 GWOC, 6th) +49RD

Coach: Brandon Long

Players To Watch: Avry Aparicio (Sr.) 37.1IP, 4-1W-L, 36K, 1.50 ERA; Ethan Papalios (Jr.), 19/75, .253AVG, 7RBI; Owen Roether (Jr.), 41.1IP, 3-4W-L, 46K, 1.19ERA; Parker Shannon (Sr.), 32/76, .421AVG, 15RBI, 18R, 21SB.

Outlook: Beavercreek competed with everyone, but couldn’t get over the hump against some of the top teams from the GWOC. The Beavers will try to rely on its pitching while finding replacement to the production left behind from two of the top-5 average hitters in league player last year.

BELLBROOK GOLDEN EAGLES

2023 Record: 18-11 (10-3 SWBL, 1st East) +58RD

Coach: Jon Venters

Players To Watch: Luke Benetis (Sr.), 39.2IP, 6-2W-L, 2SV, 43K, 2.47ERA; Johnny Deszcz (Sr.), 20/74, .270AVG, Paul Smith (Sr.), 15.1IP, 1-0W-L, 14K, 4.11ERA; Dakota Yeagley (Sr.), 13IP, 1-0W-L, 10K, 2.69ERA.

Outlook: Five all-league performers graduated, leaving plenty of open spots in the lineup. Bellbrook is testing its new contributors with a trip to Florida as the Golden Eagles will attempt to not fall off and secure a third straight league title.

CARROLL PATRIOTS

2023 Record: 5-20 (1-9 GCL Co-ed, 6th) -139RD

Coach: TR Smart

Players To Watch: Lucas Dunn (Sr.), 12/39, .308AVG, 5RBI, 10R; Aaron McGlothen (So.), 29.2IP, 1-7W-L, 23K, 8.02ERA; Mitchel Schmidt (So.), 7/44, .159AVG, 6RBI; Zach Tipps (Jr.), 11/50, .220AVG, 14RBI.

Outlook: A very young team took its lumps last year. Most of those players are back and will try to build off that experience gained.

CEDARVILLE INDIANS

2023 Record: 6-14 (4-12 OHC, 5th South) -69RD

Coach: Dakota Snyder

Players To Watch: Brayden Criswell (Sr.), 17/53, .321AVG, 5RBI, 13R; Mason Johnson (Sr.), 23/62, .371AVG, 1HR, 17RBI, 12R; Jackson Miller (Sr.), 18/59, .305, 8RBI, 10R; Jake Winter (Sr.) 28/55, .509AVG, 15RBI, 13R.

Outlook: Cedarville needed to get past the midway point of last year’s season before they began to turn their season around. With virtually everyone back, they will look to keep up that momentum.

FAIRBORN SKYHAWKS

2023 Record: 8-20 (4-14 MVL, 3rd Valley) -131RD

Coach: Dennis Bliss

Players To Watch: Hayden Arndts (Jr.) 21/65, .323 AVG, 13RBI, 3SB; Cayden Bailey (Jr.), 24/85, .282AVG, 10RBI, 21R, 16SB; Xavier McDougle (Sr.), 21/69, .304AVG, 7RBI; Kannon Reeser (Sr.), 33.1IP, 1-7W-L, 29K, 11.55 ERA.

Outlook: Fairborn only loses a few contributors from last year. If the pitching improves, the Skyhawks could be a tough opponent for anyone in the league.

GREENEVIEW RAMS

2023 Record: 26-5 (14-2 OHC, 1st South) +144RD

Coach: John Marc Brooks

Players To Watch: Landon Gardner (Sr.), 46.1IP, 8-2W-L, 37K, 0.91ERA; Braden Green (Sr.), 28.1IP, 3-0W-L, 24K, 2.22ERA; Trevor Moore (Jr.), 26/82, .317AVG, 1HR, 22RBI, 21R; Keegan Phillips (Sr.), 60.2IP, 11-2W-L, 82K, 2.08ERA, 30/82, .366AVG, 1HR, 11RBI, 47R, 30SB.

Outlook: 26 wins may be a tall task to repeat, but a third league title in four years may not be. Two of the top three hitters from last year’s lineup will need their places replenished.

LEGACY CHRISTIAN KNIGHTS

2023 Record: 7-10 (3-3 MBC, 2nd) -44RD

Coach: Shawn Hershner

Players To Watch: David Cancino (Jr.), 16/42, .381AVG, 6RBI, 22R, 24SB; Timothy Chavies (Sr.), 16/41, .390AVG, 16RBI; Jacob Thompson (So.), 41.2IP, 2-3W-L, 2SV, 51K, 4.20ERA; Nate Whitt (Jr.), 14/44, .318AVG, 9RBI, 11R.

Outlook: LCA had no seniors on its 2023 squad.

XENIA BUCCANEERS

2023 Record: 12-15 (10-8 MVL, 2nd Valley) +12RD

Coach: Brandon Salyers

Players To Watch: Evan Harbison (Sr.), 21/73, .288AVG, 19RBI, 24R, 13SB; Adam Newell (Sr.), 37/89, .416AVG, 1HR, 34RBI, 24R; Aidan Solis (Sr.), 18/62, .290AVG, 12RBI, 18R, 12SB; Ethan Wells (Jr.), 41.1IP, 3-3 W-L, 59K, 3.05ERA.

Outlook: Newell and Wells could be one the top hitter-pitcher duos in the league and area. Xenia should be back near the top of the league standings again.

YELLOW SPRINGS BULLDOGS

2023 Record: 8-16 (0-6 MBC, 4th) -20RD

Coach: Mitch Clark

Players To Watch: Antonio Chaiten (Sr.), 13/50, .260AVG, 6RBI, 23R, 27SB; Caleb Derrickson (So.), 21/60, .350AVG, 18RBI, 14R; Isaac Grushon (Sr.), 15/52, .288AVG, 16RBI, 26R, 11SB; Jake Ortiz-Thornton (Sr.), 17/32, .531AVG, 17RBI, 17R.

Outlook: The Bulldogs swung the bat well last season, but their opponents did the same against them. There shouldn’t be many games on the schedule in which they won’t compete.

Contact Steven Wright at 937-502-4498 and follow on X (formerly Twitter) @Steven_Wright_.