MORROW – The last time the Little Miami varsity baseball team won or split a conference title, it was 1994. Ace of Base's "The Sign" topped Casey Kasem's Top 40, and if you wanted to listen to it in your car's CD player, you had to visit a Sam Goody or Circuit City at the local mall. The Lion King and Jurassic Park dominated movie theaters—or were being rented on VHS from the neighborhood Blockbuster.

A lot has changed in 31 years.

None of the players on the 2025 Little Miami High School baseball roster were even born within a decade of that last title, and the Panthers first-year skipper Gabe Olivencia was a year from being born too. Meanwhile, Little Miami Schools has experienced exponential growth, moving from a rural district to a major player in Southwest Ohio's athletic scene. The Panthers have since transitioned from founding members of the Fort Ancient Valley Conference to the Southwest Ohio Conference, and now, after five years, they're turning heads in the ultra-competitive Eastern Cincinnati Conference (ECC). "I am extremely proud of this group of young men and what they have accomplished this year! We'll continue working towards a strong finish to the regular season and get ready for postseason play," said Olivencia.

This spring, the 2025 Panthers made history—clinching a share of the ECC title after finishing the regular season 14-4 in conference play (17-6 overall), with three Greater Miami Conference (GMC) opponents still left ahead of the OHSAA postseason. Currently, they share the 2025 crown with Lebanon, which also ended at 14-4. The two teams split their season series: Little Miami beat Lebanon 6-3 on April 16, but the Warriors bounced back with a dominant 17-4 win just two days later. And lastly, Loveland still has one regular season conference game remaining with rival Milford. If the Tigers win, the ECC title ends in a three-way knot. However, if the Eagles prevail, the Panthers and Warriors remain in the final split.

Standout Performers

In the infield, the Panthers were anchored by:

• Kaleb Mullins, 1B (.275 AVG, .351 OBP, 14 H, 5 2B, 12 RBI, 8 R, 1 SB)

• Lucas Basta, 2B (.355 AVG, .452 OBP, 22 H, 7 2B, 1 3B, 17 RBI, 13 R, 12 SB)

• Ian Sukup, SS (.333 AVG, .408 OBP, 22 H, 6 2B, 14 RBI, 17 R, 6 SB)

In the outfield, senior and two-sport athlete Ian Arthur (.333 AVG, .467 OBP, 8 H, 1 2B, 5 RBI, 12 R, 10 SB) patrolled left field, while Colin Milligan (.345 AVG, .478 OBP, 19 H, 10 RBI, 16 R, 11 SB) controlled center field with speed and precision.

Behind the plate, senior catcher Charlie Whitacre (.278 AVG, .366 OBP, 10 H, 2 2B, 1 3B, 1 HR, 8 RBI, 7 R) remained a steady presence on both sides of the ball throughout the season.

Dominance on the Mound

Pitching has been a major strength for the Panthers. Three arms in particular helped fuel the title run:

• Jackson Reynolds: (6-0, 34 IP, 23 K, 1.441 ERA) – ECC Co-Leader in Wins; ECC Player of the Year Nominee

• Carter Sellers: (4-1, 34.2 IP, 51 K, 0.61 ERA) – ECC ERA Leader; Illinois State signee; ECC Player of the Year Nominee

• Luke Brewsaugh: (1-0, 8.2 IP, 5 K, 2.42 ERA, 3 SV) – ECC Co-Leader in Saves

Sellers, who followed up a standout basketball season in the winter, has emerged as one of the top two-sport athletes in the conference and is in line for numerous postseason accolades.

2025 ECC Honors

1^st Team
Sr. Carter Sellers – Pitcher

2^nd Team
Sr. Jackson Reynolds – Pitcher
Jr. Lucas Basta – Infielder
Jr. Ian Sukup – Infielder
Sr. Colin Milligan – Outfielder
Sr. Ian Arthur – Outfielder

Honorable Mention
Sr. Charlie Whitacre – Catcher

Looking Ahead

Little Miami will host No. 13-seeded Colerain in the opening round of the OHSAA postseason tournament on Tuesday, May 27 at LMHS. With a win, the Panthers could face perennial powerhouse and No. 1 seed Moeller in the district final—a daunting challenge, but a fitting stage for a program that has shown it's ready to compete with the best. Tickets are required for OHSAA postseason baseball, and can be purchased at ohsaa.org/tickets.

The Panthers last reached the district final in 2021 before the OHSAA expanded its playoff format. That year, they fell 13-4 to Mason in the Round 4 game at Princeton. Now, in 2025, the Panthers are no longer chasing history—they're making it.