Baseball: Power rankings for all 10 Chillicothe-area teams after first week of season

CHILLICOTHE — Time flies when baseball is in the air.

The first week of the high school baseball season is almost under wraps. All 10 Chillicothe-area teams have been on the grind, finding their feet in the opening stretch of their schedules. Waverly has won three straight and scored just under 30 runs in that span. Adena, Paint Valley and Southeastern all ran out to 2-0 starts to the year. Unioto came back from a four-run deficit to win by double digits.

There's plenty to have seen in the first week of the season, so why not see how every area team stacks up compared to one another? Here are power rankings for all 10 Chillicothe-area baseball teams following the first week of the season:

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10. Westfall Mustangs (0-1)

It's a small sample size with only one game, but the Mustangs still played it close against Logan Elm to open the year. Brenden Tuttle put up eight strikeouts on the mound, and Jaden Towler had a decent night at the plate after going 2-for-2 with a run scored. Give them some time, and the Mustangs will likely bounce back.

9. Piketon Redstreaks (1-2)

Piketon has had no problem scoring runs. Through its first three games, Piketon has outscored its opponents 28-25. Its only struggle so far has been allowing runs — it gave up 15 to Portsmouth on Wednesday. Still, there's a lot of good happening that Piketon can utilize. Zack Hannah, for instance, has been a big factor after accumulating seven RBIs himself. Piketon has a chance to prove itself with conference play on the horizon.

8. Huntington Huntsmen (1-1)

Sometimes, the best way to bounce back after a loss is to win big, and that's exactly what the Huntsmen did. It also helps that five of the Huntsmen have already hit a double and the offense dropped eight runs on North Adams on Wednesday. Daniel Crocker has been excellent both at the plate and on the mound, and Mitchell Willis had himself a night after hitting two doubles and batting in a pair against North Adams.

7. Southeastern Panthers (2-0)

The Panthers were one of three Scioto Valley Conference teams — the others being Adena and Paint Valley — to come out of the first weekend of the season with a 2-0 record, and as such have found themselves atop the standings early. Their first conference opponent next week is Paint Valley, so the fight for the early lead is already on the docket. If Carson McWhorter continues to throw like he did against North Adams — he posted 11 strikeouts with two hits through six innings — then he might keep the Panthers in the running.

6. Zane Trace Pioneers (2-1)

The Pioneers got a great start out of Dillon Hoover on opening day after the sophomore pitched a no-hitter, and they got a solid relief performance from Brooks Hodson after he gave up three hits and no runs in a 7-4 win over Logan Elm. Even in their loss to Washington, the Pioneers still put up four runs and kept the margin close. There's a lot to look forward to with this squad.

5. Adena Warriors (2-1)

Save for their latest loss against the Cavaliers, the Warriors have been looking strong. Austin Magill is lining up to be their ace on the mound, Easton Henness already has four stolen bases and the team as a whole is off to a better start compared to where it was a year ago. If the Warriors keep the bats rolling and don't buckle, they'll be in good shape looking forward.

4. Chillicothe Cavaliers (1-1)

Mason Brown is going to be a problem for anyone he pitches against this year. Still unsure? His no-hitter with nine strikeouts and two walks against Adena on Wednesday ought to put some attention on the junior righty. The Cavaliers bounced back from a slim loss to Central Crossing for a confident win two days later. At the very least, it's a good base to jump from.

3. Unioto Shermans (1-0)

All four of the runs that the Shermans allowed in their 14-4 win over Athens came in the first inning. Scoring 14 unanswered runs is one heck of a comeback, and it's an even bigger first impression for the Shermans. KB Perkins especially stood out with a double, a triple and five RBIs in just his first game. The sample size is small so far, but the Shermans stood out after a win like they had on Monday.

2. Paint Valley Bearcats (3-0)

There's no other way to cut it, Paint Valley is playing phenomenal ball right now. An 18-2 win over any team is impressive. Whatever lit a fire under the Bearcats is still burning, and they're off to an incredible start. The bats are hot, the rotation is pitching up a storm, and the rest is falling into place. It will be interesting to see how Paint Valley's developments transfer over when conference play begins next week.

1. Waverly Tigers (3-1)

After a disappointing opening day, the Tigers bounced back hard by outscoring opponents 29-6 over their last three games. Both sides of the ball are meshing well, most notably an offense which pounded out 17 runs against Eastern. Plus, it might be a good idea to keep an eye on Hunter Hauck, who struck out 10 and gave up four hits in the win over Huntington, while going 2-for-4 with a double and an RBI.

This article originally appeared on Chillicothe Gazette: Baseball: Power rankings for all 10 area teams after first week