SmeeSports Broadcasting for Summer 2025

Strongsville, OH- With our Spring sports coverage winding down, it is time to take a look into what comes next.

There is no high school or collegiate athletics sanctioned by the OHSAA or NCAA in the Summer, leaving a gap in our coverage. With that being said, we will be covering Summer baseball across a number of leagues. For those who followed SmeeSports last year, you may recall our Diamond League and OPL broadcasts. With that being said, we are adding on to that partnership. On top of the Tim Lally Memorial Diamond League Tournament, OPL Championships, and Diamond League Championships, we will also be carrying WRCL baseball throughout the season. We are excited to bring the Western Reserve Collegiate League to SmeeSports full-time in 2025.

Looking at additional coverage, we have two big competitions coming to the channel. First off, we will be broadcasting a number of the 965 Midwest Challenge Tournament Games, including their Kent State Invites. Staying with tournaments, we will also be broadcasting several games at the 2025 NABF World Series. We are excited to continue bringing numerous top-tier broadcasts to the Cleveland and Stark County areas as we enter the transition period between the 2024/25 and 2025/26 school years.

With all of that said, we still have openings to cover teams and tournaments if there is demand. If you would like us to broadcast games for your team or tournament, contact me at nsmee00@gmail.com. Also, if you are a business owner looking to sponsor broadcasts, contact me at the email listed above, and we can work out a deal.

We have a few broadcast links posted at the time of writing. See below to get a sneak peek at our future broadcasts. Here’s to a busy, yet exciting Summer ahead of broadcasting!

Link to Stark County Terriers Vs Premier Ohio Baseball: https://www.youtube.com/live/uSvg6JRCegk?si=tivQyD28reZHTPf6

Link to Wayne Baseball Club Vs Force Ohio Baseball: https://www.youtube.com/live/BFYT1E6lMf4?si=R0YCg1fYheNadgfV

Link to Wayne Baseball Club Vs Force Ohio Baseball Game 2: https://www.youtube.com/live/TGo3A-FlQsk?si=sWzc7sv3QVFUENbE

Lakewood Baseball Stuns St Edward’s 4-2 Under the Lights

Lakewood, OH- For the first time in a long while, Lakewood baseball has beaten their cross-town rivals St Edward’s by a final score of 4-2. This win comes after years of close matchups that always favored the Eagles.

St Ed’s had a solid start to the ballgame. After Luca Reyes grounded out, Langston Lucas and Robert Anderson drew walks. With two on and one down, Grant Lashutka flew out to center field. This would be the first of many putouts recorded by Lakewood’s Luke Legato in the outfield. With two down, the Eagles tried getting creative. As the Rangers’ starting pitcher–Leo Soneson– came set, they attempted to take third. However, Lakewood’s defense called it out in time for Soneson to get Lucas trying to take third.

In the bottom of the first, the Rangers would score the first two runs of the game. After a leadoff walk from Cooper Russell, Legato smoked a ball over Karlo Hepp in left field. This resulted in an RBI double. Next, Drew Jones was able to score Legato on a sacrifice fly. The twist on this play was that Jones was a former Eagle. In fact, he transferred to Lakewood after last season. Soneson followed this up with a one-out single. However, Nick Hart would ground into a 6-4-3 double play to end the inning with the Rangers up 2-0.

St Edward’s came out in the second ready to respond. After a long battle, Hepp was able to single up the gut. Soneson regathered himself by striking out the Eagles’ catcher, Jack Laux. Hunter Mayville was able to score Hepp from second on the following at-bat as he singled down the right field line. Brady Page would walk following a Cam Fuehrer groundout, putting two runners on base again for St Ed’s. Just like last inning, the Lakewood defense worked out of the game, forcing Reyes to ground out to Riley Verderber at first. This kept the score at 2-1 in favor of the Rangers.

In the home half of the second, St Edward’s starting pitcher Peyton Beck was able to hold down the fort, retiring Lakewood in order. This set the stage for the Eagles to take control of the game at the top of the third. However, no damage was done outside of a leadoff single from Lucas and a walk from Lashutka. This was helped in large part by Logan Ellis throwing out a runner stealing second. Defensively, Beck got the same result in the home half of the third as he did in the prior frame. Through three innings, Lakewood was hanging on up 2-1.

The top of the fourth inning saw St Edward’s first two batters retired. Still, the Eagles fought to put two runners on as Fuehrer singled and Page walked. Peter Checkett ended the frame with a ranging putout in right center. This would signal the end of Soneson’s day on the mound. After suffering an injury a while back, this was going to be a ‘rehab’ start of sorts for the Mount Union commit. Either way, he proved he still has it after a historic 2024 campaign, which saw him set the Lakewood record for lowest ERA (0.808) in a single season.

The bottom of the fourth inning saw the Rangers ground into their second double play of the night. This time, it was a 4-6-3 double play that retired Jones and Soneson. Hart would single with two down, but Verderber’s groundout to Lucas at first ended the inning. With three innings left to play, Lakewood still led 2-1.

Jones came onto the mound for the fifth inning after starting at third for the Rangers. In turn, Soneson moved to first base while Verderber went from first to third. Lucas opened the inning with a single. Anderson and Lashutka followed the hit up with a flyout and ground out, respectively. Still, St Edward’s didn’t go down without a fight. After Jones walked the next two batters, the bases were loaded for Mayville. He gave the ball a good ride into center field, but Legato was there to save the day for Lakewood.

The Rangers had to find a way to respond in the home half of the fifth. Ellis walked to get the frame going, but he was thrown out attempting to steal second by Laux. With a popout from Long and a strikeout from Checkett, the inning was over.

At long last, St Edward’s would tie the game up in the top of the sixth. Fuehrer walk was followed by a Page strikeout. With one down, Reyes stepped into the batter’s box and roped the ball deep to right center field. This double resulted in Fuehrer scoring. This made the score 2-2, the first tie since the bottom of the first. However, the following two batters were retired.

With the top of their order set to hit, it was now or never for Lakewood. Russell began the frame with a leadoff single. Legato followed this up with a walk. The stage was now set. Jones, the former Eagle, had two runners on with no outs. Then, it happened. Jones found his storybook play, an RBI double. With the score now 3-2, the Rangers wanted more. After Soneson struck out, Nick Hart hit an RBI double of his own, which scored Jones. Verderber would be struck out by Brandon Florjancic–who came on to pitch a few batters prior–thus ending the inning. In his short outing, Florjancic would record two punchouts.

Jones remained on the mound for Lakewood in the top of the seventh. After striking out Lashutka and forcing Hepp to ground out, history was one out away. Laux stood in the way of Jones’ fairytale ending as he put a ball in play. However, Brady Long was able to scoop up the grounder and hit Soneson at first. As this play was made, celebrations from the Lakewood faithful became louder than ever. This play sealed a historic 4-2 victory for the Rangers.

Lakewood now sits at 10-4 on the year with big clashes against Bay and Rocky River on the docket this coming week. As for St Edward’s, they fall to 7-9 with Walsh on deck today at the PBR Ohio High School Classic. This game truly was an instant classic. A tight battle throughout between cross-town rivals. In the end, Jones’ return was something straight out of a movie as he changed the Rangers’ fate. Lakewood, for this season at least, is back to being Purple and Yellow.

CrossFit Strongsville Player of the Game: Drew Jones

Watch the Full Game Here: https://www.youtube.com/live/rjmo7g4QPCA?si=uDuOVBhmubQ51X2g

The Battle for Lakewood Under the Lights

Lakewood, OH- Friday Night Under the Lights has become a beloved tradition for Lakewood baseball over the years. On May 2, this tradition will turn into a battleground as St Edward’s rolls in.

This game has the makings of an instant classic from the start. On one hand, the Rangers have home-field advantage along with a better record. On the other hand, the Eagles’ ability to win is almost unmatched in Northeast Ohio. As for state rankings via MaxPreps, this is as close as physically possible. Lakewood enters the night as the 143rd-ranked team in Ohio while St Ed’s sits at 144th. In regard to form, the Eagles are in control as they’ve won their last four, while the Rangers only have a one-game win streak.

While both sides have plenty of standout players, Cooper Russell (LKWD) and Leo Bartolone (SEHS) are two of the expected impact players in this ball game. Bartolone is committed to play college ball at John Carroll after this season. Speaking of the Blue Streaks’ rivals, Mount Union scooped up Logan Ellis and Leo Soneson from Lakewood. With the NCAC calling JCU, it remains to be seen if these three will face off in another rivalry game after this one.

First pitch is scheduled for 7 PM at Lakewood High School. In the past few years, Lakewood has completed its all-turf field with some renovations. With that being said, the Rangers have one of the best fields in all of NEO. You can watch the game live on the SmeeSports YouTube Channel. Nathan Smee will have the call beginning at 6:50 PM with the SmeeSports Pregame Show. The player of the game announced at the end of this broadcast will be presented by our friends over at CrossFit Strongsville.

Watch Lakewood Vs St Edward Baseball: https://www.youtube.com/live/rjmo7g4QPCA?si=w0kCJySwaEEoM5Mh

‘Mount Lax’ Takes Center Stage, Defeats Baldwin Wallace 12-9 to Advance to OAC Championship 

Alliance, OH- Entering play tonight, only four women’s lacrosse teams remained in contention for the Ohio Athletic Conference title—Mount Union, John Carroll, Capital, and Baldwin Wallace. At Kehres Stadium, the Purple Raiders took care of the Yellow Jackets 12-9. This was a game of redemption for UMU as they lost 15-12 in Berea on April 2. 

As expected, Mount Union came out with a vengeance. Graduate student Eden Kessler opened the scoring 85 seconds in. Next up, Katie Clark made it 2-0 with 9:49 left in the first quarter. Emily Funk made it 3-0 minutes later while UMU was up a player. Halfway through the first quarter, the Purple Raiders had complete control of the match. Claire Alic put BW on the board with 6:28 on the clock in the first. Ella Nejad capped off the scoring for UMU in the first with a goal of her own. With the score sitting at 4-1, Lily Tope beat the buzzer with a last-second goal, making the score 4-2 after 15 minutes. 

Nejad became the first repeat goal scorer of the day as she put Mount Union’s first of four second-quarter goals into the back of the net. Kessler and Clark backed up Ella soon after with strikes of their own. With 12:48 on the clock in the first half, it was all UMU 7-2. From there, Alic would complete her hat trick with two unassisted goals in the following seven minutes. Nejad finished what she started with 1:47 remaining in the first half as she scored the Purple Raiders’ eighth goal of the game. At halftime, UMU comfortably led 8-4. 

The second half had a slow start. Both teams had opportunities to advance, but no one was able to get the opening blow. Then, Mariana Melgoza delivered the first blow of the third quarter after a good battle near the crease. Alic continued her solo success by scoring twice, making it 8-7. Then, the equalizer. Taylor Miklos—assisted by Melgoza—tied the game up at 8 with a masterful goal. With 15 minutes left to play, everything was still to play for. 

It has been well known this season that Mount Union women’s lacrosse has a strong New York backbone. The likes of Abby Lindkvist, Reese Fuenfstueck, Makenzie Kolstad, and Mae Pawlikowski have led many great plays this season. Tonight, that was no different. 53 seconds into the fourth, Fuenfstueck found the breakthrough. Next, Pawlikowski backed up her assist with a goal of her own. Finally, Funk scored for the second time, assisted by Fuenfstueck. Exactly one minute after that goal, Annette Doren brought the Yellow Jackets back within two. After 10 minutes of back-and-forth defense, the game was all but over. However, Pawlikowski added the cherry on top with a last-second goal. As the final buzzer sounded in Alliance, it was Mount Union victorious 12-9.  

While the team celebrated on the field afterwards, this win was a stepping stone to something greater. The next step? An OAC championship victory. Last year, they fell short in Columbus against Capital 22-9. Mount Union is ready to get back to their 2010s dominance, which saw them win six consecutive OAC tournament championships from 2014-2019. The team in their way this time out–John Carroll. The Blue Streaks won their first 14 games before the Purple Raiders had their number 16-10 in Alliance on April 23.  

The OAC championship game is Saturday at 1 PM at Kehres Stadium. The game can be streamed on OAC TV with Nathan Smee on the call.  

The ‘Tops Continue to Roll, Putting JUCO on the Map 

Parma, OH- I don’t know about you, but Tri-C baseball is feeling 22—win 22 in a row. On Friday, the Triceratops took down Clark State 17-2 and 20-6 in two games. The defending OCCAC champions from a year ago are undefeated in conference and 23-5 overall.  

Looking back to February, Tri-C was in a completely different spot. After starting off 1-0, four losses against Cleveland Community College and one against Macomb Community College saw the Triceratops sit at 1-5. Then, the winning started. A hard-fought 7-6 win over the Monarchs, Tri-C sat at 2-6. Lorain County Community College was next—16-6 and 7-2 wins followed. After the Commodores, SUNY Broome was downed 20-4 and 5-2. Following this sweep, John Carroll’s JV squad was the next barrier. After 22-12 and 6-3 wins over the Blue Streaks, Tri-C sat with a record of 8-5.  

From there, Cuyahoga Community College dominated. Wins over LCCC, Point Park, Terra State, JCU, Lakeland Community College, Walsh, and Clark State see them with a record of 23-5. Now, a big question arises—how did this run happen? The answer is simple: hard work. In talking to Brock Miller, Joey Lehner, and Brendan Hazuda, SmeeSports learned about just how hard practices are at Tri-C.  

Tri-C Head Coach Kyle Stahlberg said, “I love what our coaching staff has done with them and what they require of them every day. Every single day, these guys show up and answer that call.” 

Lehner echoed this sentiment as he said, “Nobody works harder than us…It’s the long nights in the Winter that really define who we are.” 

In the latest win, 37 runs were scored by the Triceratops across 8 innings off offense. In other words, Tri-C averaged 4.63 runs per inning in the doubleheader. With this much dominance, the standard has been redefined. 

Hazuda told us, “It is going to get to a point where this is what we’re going to expect out of this ball club.” 

Tri-C has become more well-known over the past few years. Coach Stahlberg has gained a positive reputation for producing elite ball players. Last year alone, seven Triceratops went on to play for a Division One program.  

Miller told prospective prospects to, “Bet on yourself and take that risk.” 

Tri-C looks to complete a season sweep of Clark State on April 6th on the road. With two more wins, the Triceratops will be winners of 24 straight games. After the games against the Eagles, 14 games remain. In 2024, Tri-C went 31-15. Not only do they have a chance to improve upon that record while winning the OCCAC again, but they could also finish the regular season on a 36-game winning streak. If they do so, regionals would be destined to land at Ron Mottl Field.  

Times of change for college athletics are upon us. With NIL, the transfer portal, and JUCO eligibility adding new aspects to the game, there are so many uncertainties. Still, Cuyahoga Community College has found a way to be a consistent source of top transfer prospects. Many four-year institutions will be picking up their phones to call Coach Stahlberg about this group, a group that has their sights set upon not only an OCCAC championship but a national championship.  

2025 SmeeSports Internship Program Announcement

Strongsville, OH- I am happy to announce that SmeeSports is launching an internship program starting in the Summer of 2025! This has been a long time in the works and I am so blessed to finally be at this point.

Right off the bat, this is an UNPAID internship. However, I will be making sure I give out SmeeSports merch to interns. Additionally, this internship can count as a practicum or college credit. Still, DOUBLE CHECK WITH YOUR UNIVERSITY AND PROFESSORS! Some might not accept.

With that out of the way, the next question I will address is, “Why intern with SmeeSports?” While we are a newer company, we have experienced great growth over the past few months. Entering this school year, we had just over 100 subscribers on YouTube and around (or less) than 2000 followers on Instagram. Now, we have almost 2700 subscribers on YouTube and approaching 3000 on Instagram with a consistent stretch of having over 100,000 impressions per month. What does that mean? Your work WILL be seen.

Another reason why is that I understand what it feels like to be new or in the unknown in this industry. I am only 19 years old and a freshman at Mount Union. However, I have worked in sports media since 2021. I created Holy Name Broadcasting and grew the social media accounts from scratch. Then, I spent 6 months at KeeOnSports gaining more experiences and opportunities. Now, I have decided to bet on myself and my skills. While a few reels generated a lot of my following, I am here because I worked as hard as I could to get here. If you want to make it big, I will do all I can to help you get there.

My vision for this internship is to have interns write sports articles, take pictures of sporting events, or run broadcast equipment live. However, I am open to new ideas. If you have even the smallest idea, let me know. I am here to help you grow. I do not have all of the answers.

While we are based out of the Cleveland area, we will have events in Stark County including the 2025 NABF World Series at Thurman Munson Stadium in Canton. Additionally, we will be covering numerous tournament games including Kent State Invites at Kent State University. Long story short–we are everywhere.

If you are interested, please fill out the Google form at the bottom of this article. I am looking forward to meeting and talking to you. Here’s to a successful Summer of internships, opportunities, and breakthroughs!

Apply Here: https://forms.gle/trWBNbQMcat17fJK8

Mount Union MVB Wins the 2025 MCVL Regular Season Crown

Alliance, OH- For the first time since the 2023 season, Mount Union has won the MCVL regular season title. Today, they took down rivals Baldwin Wallace 3-2 on the road to ensure a solo title.

The last time the Purple Raiders won the conference, they went 7-1 with their loss coming against #3 Wittenberg. Before the season began, the Purple Raiders were slated to finish third in the conference behind the Tigers and the Yellow Jackets.

In the regular season finale, Mount Union got out to an early 7-0 lead in set 1. BW fought back as much as they could, getting as close as 2 points. Still, it was UMU taking home the opening frame 25-19. The Purple Raiders kept cruising in the second set, establishing a cushion from the jump. In the end, Mount Union left set 2 with a 25-20 victory.

Baldwin Wallace started their comeback in the third frame. With a 20-16 lead in the third, the game looked destined to head to a fourth set. However, a 7-1 run from the Purple Raiders saw them lead 23-21. With their backs against the wall, the Yellow Jackets rallied off 4 points in a row to win the third set 25-23. BW turned around after the third to control the fourth set, winning 25-20. Unlike the third set, Baldwin Wallace controlled the tempo.

Heading into the final set, momentum was with the Yellow Jackets. Still, Mount Union got to work and battled. A 3-0 run from the Purple Raiders set UMU up to succeed. In the middle of the fifth, a 6-0 run put the dagger in BW’s valiant comeback. Jacob Nussdorfer’s 10th and final kill sealed the 15-7 win in set 5.

Looking at the stat sheet, it was the senior duo of Jack McClure and Will Heeney who led the charge. McClure posted 19 kills while Heeney recorded 41 assists. As for digs, it was a balanced effort. Peyton Koszelak had 10 digs while Aaron Armour and Beckham Heller had 9.

For the Yellow Jackets, Daniel Latham led the way with a game-high 22 kills. Evan Herbst ran the BW offense with a total of 38 assists. In the back line, it was Daniel Abercrombie who ran the show with 13 digs.

The stage is now set for the MCVL Tournament. Mount Union will host as the #1 seed. Wittenberg will be the #2 seed with Baldwin Wallace sitting as the #3 seed. Finally, Trine makes the tournament as the 4th and final seed. On Friday, April 11, the Purple Raiders will play the Thunder while the Yellow Jackets look for redemption against the Tigers. The championship game will be played the following afternoon. While the times are not confirmed, the games are rumored to be played at 4PM and 7PM on Friday and 4PM on Saturday.

Picture Credit: Payton Berkley (PB30photos on Instagram)

Welcome to the SmeeSports Website

By Nathan Smee

Strongsville, OH- After a long thought process, I have decided to launch a website for SmeeSports. We will be featuring written content, broadcast information, and much more!

If you want to sponsor our articles, contact me at nsmee00@gmail.com and I would love to work out a deal. We will be covering high school and college athletics among other features.

I am excited about this new step for SmeeSports. The growth this past year has been tremendous and I can’t thank you all enough. Stay tuned as well continue to grow the SmeeSports brand.

Game Preview + Streaming Information: St Vincent St Mary Vs Alliance Baseball (April 7, 2025)

Akron, OH- On Monday, April 7, SmeeSports will be at Skeeles Field on the campus of the University of Akron for OHSAA Baseball between St Vincent St Mary and Alliance.

Heading into the matchup, the Aviators are a perfect 5-0 on the year with victories over Massillon, Perry, JFK Catholic, Cuyahoga Falls, and Green. As for STVM, they have a 3-1 record with wins over Field, Cloverleaf, and CVCA. Their one loss came against St Ignatius as the Wildcats won 3-2 in walk-off fashion.

Zach Kurkey leads the way for the Fighting Irish, batting .417 on the year with 2 RBIs and 2 extra-base hits. As for pitching, the three-headed monster of Tyler Slone, Matt Large, and Will Tober lead the way. Out of 27.2 innings of play this season, 27 of those innings were pitched by the three. The other 0.2 innings were pitched by Sam Robinson.

Looking at the 5-0 Aviators, it is a four-year varsity player Michael Blackwell leading the way while batting .556 with 6 RBI’s and 4 extra-base hits. However, Blackwell missed the last two games due to injury. Bo Davis is second in batting average on the team, posting a .467 average. On top of his impressive average, he has added 6 RBIs and 2 doubles.

Nathan Smee will have the call live on the SmeeSports YouTube Channel. This will be our 4th Alliance game of the baseball season and the first for STVM. The Fighting Irish are 2-1 in games Smee has called. The Aviators are 3-0 in games Smee has called.

First pitch is at 5:15 at Skeeles Field at Akron University.

Watch STVM Vs Alliance Baseball: https://www.youtube.com/live/YXQqV6GlGZ0?si=h-1O7ssLbUuSikDp