Junior Jake Reinhardt pitched the Troy Trojans to their fourth win – and his second – with a 14-2 run-rule decision Friday over Xenia. (Press pros Feature Photos)
Taking advantage of every opportunity that Xenia offered up, Troy blasted the Buccaneers behind junior pitcher Jake Reinhardt to improve to 4-0 on Good Friday.
Troy, OH – It’s too early to tell just how good anyone is, a week into the 2026 baseball season. After all, the state basketball tournament is still 14 days removed in everyone’s mind.
But the 20th addition of Ty Welker’s Troy Trojans are fresh out of their spring break trip to Georgia, where they went 3-0, and celebrated those three wins against teams from parts unknown by blasting the Xenia Buccaneers on Friday – ‘Good Friday’ – in front of parents and the accidental crowd that showed up to watch at Market Street Field on an accidental 80-degree in early April…14-2!
Wilson Health/Orthopedics proudly sponsors the best in area sports and the Ohio State Buckeyes on Press Pros.
Publisher Sonny Fulks writes OHSAA and Ohio State sports for Press Pros Magazine.com.
And how good are the Trojans, who won 20 games last year with veteran arms on the mound, but occasionally failed to support those arms, offensively?
“We’re going to be a solid team,” said Welker following his team making the most of just 8 hits against Xenia, while scoring 14 runs. “We’ve got a lot of juniors playing, we’re going to be better defensively, and we’re going to be progressively better for the pitching we lost with some good young arms like Jake Reinhardt.”
Better defensively?
They can’t help but be with the left side of their infield anchored by third baseman Colton Akins…and shortstop Brady O’Leary, who can pick it with any middle infielder in OHSAA baseball, returning from a season-ending knee injury that cost him his sophomore season. Add to that centerfielder Aidan Gorman, a Marshall University commit, who Welker calls the best centerfielder he’s had in twenty years…and he’s had some good ones.
“He plays with an edge,” says Welker. And ironically, nearly the very words that college scouts use to describe Gorman for his competitive intensity.
Better defensively…Troy catcher Brody Hoke, a Ball State University commit, tags out would-be Xenia run at the plate in the second inning of Friday’s game at Market Street Field.
Regardless of how many games Xenia wins in 2026, they showed Friday that they’re not afraid to swing the bats…coming out thumping against Troy starter Jake Reinhardt with single runs scored (and earned runs) in each of the first two innings.
Offensive minded…Troy third baseman Colton Akins steals third base during the Trojans’ four-run third inning.
Trouble was, Xenia pitching walked six hitters in the first two innings, setting the table for Troy to score 3 runs in the first, 5 runs in the second, 4 runs in the third – highlighted by right fielder Logan Akers’ first home run of the season.
And what the Buccaneers failed to contribute from the pitching mound, they made available with some spotty defense that kept the Trojans in a seeming mechanized rotation from the bat rack to home plate. They made hay in that 80-degree weather, while three Xenia pitchers took the brunt of the blow.
For his part, Troy junior Jake Reinhardt recovered from those single runs allowed in the first and the second to shut out Xenia over the third, fourth, and top of the fifth, when with a 12-run lead, the run-rule became his friend. Reinhardt won his second of the season by allowing 2 runs on 6 hits, while striking out five.
Chances are, the best lawn on your block is an Ever-Green lawn. Call us at 937-335-6418!
The Trojans concluded their scoring with a pair of runs in the bottom of the fourth, then let Reinhardt routinely collect the final three outs in the top of the fifth.
Troy scored 14 runs on 8 hits, the most exciting being Akers’ blast to left center field that cleared the fence with a tail wind from Market Street.
Centerfielder Aiden Gorman celebrates Logan Akers’ home run in the Trojans four-ran third inning.
Xenia had 2 runs on just 6 hits, but after a generous start they proved to be quiet over their final nine outs.
“A lot of people have been doubting us because we lost some seniors from last year’s team,” Akers said afterwards. “But I think we’ll be good again this year. People have questioned our pitching, but so far we’ve proven that we can pitch. The home run probably was a pitch out of the strike zone, but it was a good pitch to hit. I tried to be aggressive and put a good swing on it.”
Will they ultimately prove to be as good as some as some of Ty Welkers’ past teams? Time will tell, of course. That, and who comes along beyond Jake Reinhardt. While there may be talent, this is not a team of proven pitching.
Koverman,Staley, Dickerson proudly supports your favorite high school sports on Press Pros Magazine.
“We showed patience at the plate today, we ran the bases well, and tonight was a pretty nice team win,” said Welker. “We really don’t think too much about the other dugout, we just focus on what we have to do.
“Defense was a weakness for us at times last year, and we’re a better defensive team this year with Brady [O’Leary] back and healthy. That’s a big deal. We’re better in the infield and as solid an outfield as I’ve ever had. I’ve had some tremendous centerfielders in my coaching career, and that kid (Aidan Gorman) is as good as you can have in center field. He sees the ball like nobody else, he covers the ground, and he’s going to be a Division I college baseball player next year. He hits at the top of the lineup, but he just didn’t see a strike tonight. And he’s a little edgy, too, He plays amped up, and he did some things in Georgia that were pretty special.”
With a small sample size, it remains to be seen who fills in on the mound behind Jake Reinhardt.
“He was a freshman starter for us a couple of years ago, and he’s worked his way up now to be the man,” adds Welker. “He works really hard. And today they hit him hard in the first two innings. He gave up six hits in the first two innings, and that’s not like him. I wanted to see how he would react, and he did what I expected him to. He buckled down, pitched well, and got us to the end. He’s had a nice start to the year and we expect him to be a horse for us, for sure.”
Aidan Gorman corrals an out during the Trojans 14-2 Good Friday win over Xenia.
For baseball games is not as telling as four football games, or basketball for that matter. It’s going to take some time for an anxious Brady O’Leary to find his groove, or the full impact of an Aidan Gorman, Colton Aikens and Logan Akers to manifest itself.
But the Miami Valley League is not the American League East, and Welker’s obvious and most notable competition will again come from Vandalia Butler, whom they play in a two game series in about ten days.
Until then, they have a repeat engagement with Xenia on Monday, followed by a two-game series with Fairborn before playing Butler on Monday and Tuesday, April 13 and 14.
In the meantime, it was a very ‘Good Friday’.