Cleveland baseball rising the ranks behind two-headed pitching monster
Published 4:18 pm Friday, May 2, 2025
Arlo Copony (Staff photo: Austin White)
Ezra Oster (Staff photo: Austin White)
Noah Karoli (Staff photo: Austin White)
Arlo Copony (Staff photo: Austin White)
Quinn Renauer (Staff photo: Austin White)
James Ho (Staff photo: Austin White)
James Ho (Staff photo: Austin White)
Arlo Oetting (Staff photo: Austin White)
Quinn Renauer
The start to the 2025 season wasn’t exactly what the Cleveland High School baseball team was looking for.
Three canceled games due to weather left the Warriors with nonleague games, and they lost the first seven of them, including two losses to 3-16 McNary and one to 5-11 Liberty.
After a blowout against McKay for its first win, Cleveland finished the nonleague slate against Grant on April 10, the result of a switch from three-game league series to two in 2025.
And on the road, the Warriors picked up a 5-4 victory in nine innings, setting in motion a win streak that has run up to eight games and a 6-0 start in PIL play to cement themselves as contenders for the league title.
“We got off to about as slow of a start as you can get, losing to teams we had no business losing to with the talent we have,” Cleveland head coach Brad Blocker said. “Once we got rolling a bit and we got to that Grant game, I just felt something click and they’re buying into what I’m trying to sell here and changing the culture.”
Blocker is in his second year leading the Warriors, but is no stranger to the Oregon weather that wiped out nearly all of Cleveland’s outdoor practices coming into the season.
Limited to practicing indoors on fake mounds and gym floors due to the lack of a turf field or other resources, the Warriors first real time on a field came during the Volcanoes Spring Break Tournament.
But going against PIL powerhouse Grant on the road, the Warriors knew they had nothing to lose at 1-7 overall. They threw their two best arms in junior Arlo Copony and senior Ezra Oster, combining for nine innings pitched with only five hits given up and four runs.
“That game was big for us, we got a peek into what we really have in the tank,” Copony said. “We really showed that we have what it takes to grind it out and contend for a top PIL spot, which is the goal.”
Copony was also 2-for-4 at the plate that game with an RBI, springboarding what has become a memorable spring for the junior pitcher/shortstop.
Copony is currently second in the PIL in batting average at .457, first in on-base percentage at .612 and fourth in runs scored with 21.
And those are just the numbers on offense.
On the mound, Copony is second in the PIL among pitchers with at least 15 IP in ERA at 1.91, first in WHIP at 1.09 and second in strikeouts with 45.
Copony credits the leap in his offseason work as he’s seen a jump of 5 mph in his fastball and put on 30 pounds to fill in his long frame for more power.
But what Blocker loves most about the emerging junior is his ability to lead the team and not let the numbers get to his head.
“Having a guy like (Copony), being able to play shortstop as well as anybody in high school, hit as well as anybody in high school, pitch as well as anybody in high school, it’s a huge luxury,” Blocker said. “Beyond that, it’s just his leadership. He’s got other guys buying in and he’s taken charge in that dugout. I can’t say enough about how valuable he is to us.”
Copony is only one of the two-headed pitching/hitting monster the Warriors boast with Oster having a strong season as well.
The first baseman/pitcher is batting .419 this year, good enough for sixth in the PIL currently, and has an OBP of .528, also sixth. His 17 RBIs land him in fifth in the PIL.
On the pitching side, Oster is seventh in ERA at 3.42 with 30.2 innings pitched, his 31 strikeouts are tied for sixth and his 1.30 WHIP is third.
“(Oster is) probably the best first baseman I’ve ever coached in high school, but beyond that, he’s an even better pitcher,” Blocker said. “As good as (Copony) is, I think (Oster) is right there, they’re neck-and-neck. Different pitchers, but take one, take the other, it doesn’t matter.”
The rest of the senior crew has filled in behind them well with players like senior James Ho having a great year in centerfield despite a major shoulder injury back in the fall playing football.
Quinn Renauer is another possible arm on the mound who has been slowly figuring it out, highlighted by a six-inning performance April 30 against Franklin where he gave up only two hits with nine strikeouts and three walks. He has the third highest batting average on the team as well at .351.
Henry Devlaeminck and Willem Munro have come through in their roles as well, which includes a massive two-run home run by Munro in a 6-4 win over McDaniel on April 23 in extra innings. Meanwhile Devlaeminck hits ninth in the order to provide a sort of secondary leadoff hitter when the lineup flips over.
“The seniors, I can’t say enough about them this year,” Blocker said. “I love all these seniors, I really do.”
The big tests are coming up for the Warriors with their next two-game league set being against Ida B. Wells (11-6, 5-1 PIL), currently the highest ranked PIL team in the OSAA rankings at No. 10. Game one is set for 5 p.m. Friday, May 2 at Wells with game two scheduled for 5 p.m. Monday, May 5 at Powell Park.
After that, it’s a two-game set with Roosevelt on May 7 and 9 and the Warriors close against Grant and Lincoln.
It’s a daunting slate to wrap up May, but with the Warriors’ legs finally under them and one of the best one-two pitching punches in the state, Cleveland is ready to turn some heads.
“We’re a pretty young group…I think early on we struggled with confidence, we were a little unsure of ourselves,” Copony said. “I think these young guys just needed to see what baseball at a high level is like.
“This team is great, the vibes are unlike anything I’ve seen from a Cleveland team, which I’m really happy with the change (Blocker) has brought.”
