NORTH ROBINSON — Drayton Burkhart’s sophomore season was extraordinary. His senior season was historic.
The Richland Source Pitcher of the Year, Burkhart had arguably the greatest season in the brief history of the Northern 10 Athletic Conference. He was 13-1 with 108 strikeouts and a 1.60 earned run average.
His 13 wins and 108 strikeouts were the most ever in a single season for an N10 pitcher. The previous mark for strikeouts in a single season was held by Buckeye Central’s Josh Dentinger (105 in 2018), while the previous record for wins was held by Carey’s Trey Bame (11 in 2018).
A Defiance College recruit, Burkhart flirted with both records as a sophomore in 2019. He was 10-2 with 104 strikeouts and a 1.14 ERA as Colonel Crawford reached the Division IV regional semifinals.
After losing the 2020 season to the pandemic, the Eagles picked up this spring where they left off in 2019. Colonel Crawford was 26-3 overall and a perfect 16-0 in N10 play. The Eagles reached the district final before falling to Edison 6-5 in eight innings.
Burkhart was selected to the N10 first team and the District 9 first-team selection in Division III. He is the ace of an All-Richland Source pitching staff that was a combined 29-12 with 319 strikeouts.
Jared Scott, Clear Fork: The junior right-hander was 3-1 with 48 strikeouts and a 1.59 ERA in 39.2 innings of work. Scott was a Mid-Ohio Athletic Conference first team pick and a District 9 second-team selection in Division II.
Caden Armstrong, Ontario: The Warriors shared the Mid-Ohio Athletic Conference crown with Shelby thanks in part to Armstrong. The senior lefty was 4-1 with 24 strikeouts and a 3.08 ERA in 25 innings. Armstrong was a MOAC first-team pick and a District 9 honorable mention selection in Division II.
Alex Kanney, Buckeye Central: A junior, Kanney was an All-Ohio honorable-mention selection in Division IV. Kanney was 6-4 with 67 strikeouts and a 1.80 ERA in 66 innings pitched. Opponents hit just .213 against him.
Chase Hunt, Ashland: A senior left-hander, Hunt was one of the premier pitchers in the Ohio Cardinal Conference this spring. He authored a five-inning no-hitter against Mansfield Senior, striking out 14. For the season he struck out 72 and had a 2.26 ERA. The Ohio Dominican-bound Hunt was an OCC first-team pick and a District 9 first-teamer in Division I.
