AKRON, Ohio — The Rubber City will become more like the Queen City Friday afternoon.
The Division I baseball state final will be an all-Greater Catholic League South division event as Moeller plays St. Xavier in a heavily-anticipated Division I state final at 4 p.m. Friday at 7 17 Credit Union Park in Akron.
"We know Moeller, Moeller knows us," St. Xavier coach Don DiGiacomo said. "They're a tremedous program. (Moeller) Coach (Tim) Held has done a phenomenal job with them like he does every year. There's talent up and down their lineup."
Moeller coach Tim Held said after the first state semifinal Thursday that an all-GCL South final would represent everything good about Cincinnati-area high school baseball.
“I think that would be great for Southwest Ohio,” Moeller coach Held said. “We think selfishly that we play the best baseball in the state.”
St. X defeated Olentangy Orange 5-0 on Thursday in a Division I state semifinal in Akron. Moeller defeated Perrysburg 8-6 in the day’s first D-I state semifinal.
This will be the fourth meeting between the storied high school programs this season. Moeller defeated St. X 12-2 on April 15 while St. X won 7-4 on May 3 and 10-0 on May 6.
"We know the team we're playing," St. X senior Dillon Brus said. "Everybody knows the matchup that we've got going on."
Moeller (25-6) has won 10 consecutive games entering Friday’s state final. St. X (26-5) has won seven consecutive games.
Moeller is seeking its 10th state championship in program history. Moeller is in the state final for the first time since 2023 when it was the Division I state champion.
St. X is in the state tournament for the first time since 2003 when the Bombers defeated Milford 4-3 in the Division I state final. St. X was also a 1994 Division I state semifinalist.
On Thursday night, the Bombers dominated Olentangy Orange.
St. Xavier sophomore Dominick Dials tied the state tournament record (all divisions) for most home runs in a game (2). The last time two home runs happened by an individual in Division I was Lakewood St. Edward's Stephan Kisan in 2010.
Unofficially, the OHSAA communications staff and Akron Rubber Ducks staff said they've never seen a high school state tournament home run until Dials hit two Thursday night. The baseball state tournament has been at 7 17 Credit Union/Canal Park since 2019.
"It was really fun," Dials said. "It's a lot of fun going to the state championship."
Dials is just the fifth individual in Division I state tournament history to hit two home runs in a single game. He joins Kisan (St. Ed's, 2010), Rob Huffman (Hamilton, 1983), Paul Kurpiel (Chaminade, 1970) and a Hughes player from 1949, according to the Ohio High School Athletic Association.
Although it’s a rare matchup, a Moeller versus St. Xavier state final has happened before. This is the first time it will happen in baseball.
The 2019 boys volleyball state final was the most recent meeting between the schools. The two schools played in the volleyball state final in 2006, 2005, 2003 and 1997.
The Moeller versus St. X matchup also happened in basketball during the 2007 Division I state final in Columbus.
While Greater Cincinnati is guaranteed a Division I state champion Friday, there is another opportunity in Division III at 7 p.m. Friday.
Badin (28-3) plays for the Division III state championship against Columbus Bishop Watterson (27-3). The Rams defeated Parma Padua Franciscan 5-2 in a state semifinal Thursday in Canton. Badin has won 24 consecutive games.
The Rams are seeking their first state title since 1996 and third championship overall (also 1991).
Badin has earned three consecutive trips to the state Final Four and 17 state tournament appearances overall.
