High School Baseball Opens Saturday at Fifth Third Field

Dayton, Ohio-The 2018 Army High School Baseball Program at Fifth Third Field begins Saturday, April 14 with three games on the schedule. 
This spring, the Army stations throughout the Miami Valley have made high school baseball possible at Fifth Third Field. This is the 13th straight season that high school games have been played at the home of the Dayton Dragons. 
The opening high school game in 2018 is Fort Recovery vs. Alter, slated to start at 1:00 p.m. Fort Recovery, from the Midwest Athletic Conference, is led by pitcher Nick Thwaits who has committed to play college baseball at Kent State. Prep Baseball Report rates him as the number-two right-handed pitching prospect in Ohio and he was voted 2017 MAC Player of the Year. In total, the Indians return 9 juniors from last season after finishing 13-12 and losing in the district semi-final.
Alter High School also made it to the sectional semi-final in 2017 and looks to build upon that finish in 2018, but the weather has had other plans so far. The team has played just one game as of April 9 and is 0-1 in the Greater Catholic League. First-year varsity head Coach Mike Hoelzel had to replace eight graduating seniors from 2017 but has plenty of young talent in the Alter baseball pipeline.
Game two on Saturday features a Cross County Conference matchup between Franklin-Monroe and Arcanum scheduled to start at 4:00 p.m. Franklin-Monroe has had a tough start to the season, going 1-4 through the first five games. These teams met earlier in the week on Tuesday, April 10. Arcanum shut out Franklin-Monroe 5-0 in a game at Arcanum.
Sunday's lone game is a 4:00 p.m. start between Lincolnview and New Knoxville. Lincolnview returns three all-conference performers from the 2017 season, including senior Chayten Overholt, junior Jayden Youtsey, and sophomore Gavin Carter. As of April 9, the Lancers are undefeated at 5-0. New Knoxville is led by a pair of Nathans: pitcher Nathan Merges and clean-up hitter Nathan Tinnerman. It was a rough going in MAC play for New Knoxville the past two years as the team has not won a game in conference play.

The Dayton Dragons have been hosting the Miami Valley's best baseball teams since 2006 and are proud to continue the tradition for a 13th consecutive year. A complete list of high school baseball games scheduled to be played at Fifth Third Field can be found below.
All games are free to attend and the media is invited to cover them. Gates will open 30 minutes prior to the first game played that day. High schools may provide their own PA announcers, broadcasters, cheer squads, and national anthem singers.
The games at Fifth Third Field also serve as a fundraiser for the participating schools. This year's series of games will raise approximately $30,000 for the schools to help with the cost of uniforms, equipment, and bus transportation.
To learn more about joining the U.S. Army, scholarship opportunities, and the expert training the Army can provide in over 150 career fields, visit the U.S. Army kiosk on the concourse during high school games at Fifth Third Field, visit www.goarmy.com, or call (877) 933-ARMY.

More Information: The Dayton Dragons are the Midwest League affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds and play a 70-game home schedule at beautiful Fifth Third Field in downtown Dayton, easily accessible from Interstate 75. Individuals and groups seeking information about Dayton Dragons group tickets, lawn tickets, the season ticket wait list, sponsorship opportunities or booking a Dragons speaker are encouraged to contact the Dragons by calling (937) 228-2287, by email at [email protected], or on the web at daytondragons.com.