Licking County came out of the game strong for the 2009 season with a pair of 3-2 victories over Cincinnati in their season opening doubleheader.  Strong pitching was the order of the day for the Settlers who remain perfect in season openers.  Starters Phil Klein (Youngstown State University) and Jonathan Kountis (Ohio Dominican University) starred with five and six inning outings of shut out baseball, respectively.  

Even with the stellar mound-work, the Settlers required a walk-off hit from Chris Serritella (Southern Illinois University) in game one to secure the victory after a 2-0 lead evaporated in the late innings. Aaron Hammons (Ball State University) was credited with the victory in game one, while the Settlers 4-5-6 combination went 7-9 at the dish in the win.  John Turk (University of Akron) paced the Settlers with a pair of RBI's while Aaron Roberts (Southern Illinois University) reached safely five times between the two games. 

In the second affair, Licking County pushed across a pair of runs in the second inning thanks to a Kyle McMillen (Kent State University) two-RBI single.  Another Settler tallied when Dan Buchholz (UW-Milwaukee) added to the RBI count and contributed to the cushion of Kountis.  The Domincan Panther needed little offensive help as he curtailed the Steam (1-2) attack, spinning three-hit baseball with only one walk allowed over six innings.   

Justin Warrington (Ball State University), Andy Podolinski (West Virginia University), and Nick Karow (Furman University) closed the deal in the final three frames, with Karow collecting the first save of the season for Licking County.  

Catch all of the Licking County Settlers home contests and selected road games on the web as the Settlers once again partner with Teamline.cc to bring you all the summer's action. 

Click here for the link to listen live.  Also, to find a complete listing of upcoming games that can be heard on the Internet, check out the "Listen Online!" link.   All broadcasts begin ten minutes before the scheduled opening pitch with the Settlers Pre-game Show to set the stage for the upcoming game.

To contact the Settlers with any questions or comments, feel free to email the front office at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Jeremy Hazelbaker

Former Licking County Settler, Watkins Memorial High School, and Indiana University baseball standout Eric Arnett made headlines as the highest drafted Settler in organization history.  Arnett was picked in the first round, with the 26th overall pick by the Milwaukee Brewers. The right-handed pitcher enjoyed a breakout senior season with the Hoosiers, finishing with a 12-2 record and a sparkling 2.50 ERA while leading Indiana to their first Big Ten Tournament championship since 1999.

Arnett, who threw for the Settlers during the 2007 summer, became the first ever first-rounder selected in the Major League Amateur Draft. 

Two-year Settler Jeremy Hazelbaker, a Ball State University Cardinal,saw his draft stock skyrocket after a tremendous junior campaign in which the outfielder hit at a .429 clip with staggering numbers in hits (87), extra-base hits (34), walks (48), and stolen bases (29). He was selected in the fourth round, 138th overall, by the Boston Red Sox.

Hazelbaker departs Licking County as one of the top five performers in virtually every major statistical category.

Rounding out the top-ten round picks, Bradley University Brave Rob Scahill went 241st overall to the Colorado Rockies in the eighth round.  Scahill enjoyed a solid 2008 season with Licking County, and his junior year solidified his status as a prominent draft pick.  Scahill went 3-3 with a 4.05 ERA for the Braves.

Follow the progress of the Settlers in the professional ranks here on settlersbaseball.com.

Photo Courtesy of Ball State University Sports Information

The 2009 Licking County Settlers roster has been named. Nineteen new faces join the squad, adding to the six Settler veterans.

Click here for the complete list.

The Settlers season kicks off on Sunday, June 14th at 1 p.m. from Don Edwards Park as Licking County entertains defending GLSCL champion Cincinnati in a doubleheader.