The Henderson Flash are the 2026 Ohio Valley League Champions after defeating the Hoptown Hoppers 15-7 on Wednesday night to sweep the series. It is their second OVL title in three years.
“I’m really happy for the whole town, the host families, Clay, the players, and everyone associated with us,” Manager J.D. Arndt said. “Our guys showed a lot of grit and determination throughout the season. It was fun to watch. I was blessed to coach them as individuals, personality-wise, but also as a team.”
The Flash quickly fell behind when the Hoppers scored three runs in the bottom of the first on back-to-back home runs. The deficit would be short-lived, however, as the Flash came back with four runs of their own in the second. Jacob Froehlich doubled to centerfield to drive in Clark Gries and Jacob Tucker. Froehlich would then score on a groundout by Tyler Rinehart. After Alec Satterfield was hit by a pitch, he scored on a triple by Gunnar Waldrop to give the Flash a 4-3 lead, which they would not relinquish.
Henderson added to its lead in the third inning, starting with a leadoff home run by Brayden Mineo. Tucker then sent Dom Davis home with a double. Froehlich picked up another RBI with a groundout that allowed Gries to score. That was followed by a Rinehart single that brought in Tucker.
The Flash would score one run each in the fifth and sixth. Then in the seventh, Waldrop did what he does best. With Satterfield on base, Waldrop lifted a pitch over the center field wall for a two-run homer, extending Henderson’s lead to 12-5.
Hoptown scored two runs in the eighth, but a Hoppers error in the ninth allowed Gries, Tucker and Froehlich to score. Reed Rheinhardt shut down the Hoptown lineup in the bottom of the ninth to secure the win and championship for the Flash.
“It was an awesome night for us to celebrate and look back on the things that we did this season that were very awesome,” Satterfield said. “The community is so much involved in the game that we play out here. It’s just awesome to be able to give it back to them because they give so much to us.”
Tucker went 3-for-3 with three walks, two RBI, and four runs scored. Froehlich collected three RBI. Waldrop had two hits and three RBI, including the home run. Rinehart added two RBI, while Peyton Tatum and Mineo each added one.
Palmer Schiff started and allowed four earned runs over 3.1 innings. Egan Prather earned the win allowing one run and striking out five in 2.1 innings of work. Ashton Tindle threw 1.2 innings and allowed one run. Luke Parr gave up one run in 0.2 innings. Rheinhardt fanned two batters in a scoreless ninth.
“It was gratification more so for the guys. It was such a great team and a great group of guys. The offensive stats we put up all summer long were unbelievable. My 2024 guys will kill me for saying this, but this is the best team we’ve ever had, hands down,” Owner Clay Bolin said.
The Flash ended the season with a 31-11 record, winning their last five games, scoring double-digit runs in each. Over four playoff games combined, they scored an astounding 66 runs.
After starting the season 4-5, the Flash went on an epic 11-game win streak, followed closely by a six-game win streak and the rest was history.
Three hitters finished batting over .400, including Gries (.456), Waldrop (.410), and Drew Isenberg (.409). Waldrop led the team with 59 hits, 13 home runs, 61 RBI, 61 runs, 18 doubles, three triples, 29 walks, and was second with 20 stolen bases. He was named the Cubb Stokes Offensive MVP for the OVL, after leading the league in several of those categories as well.
The key to Henderson’s success was simple, according to Arndt.
“We’re talented. We could hit,” Arndt said. “It’s hard to pitch to our lineup because we are so deep. There’s not a lot of easy outs in our lineup. They’re just relentless. They love to hit.”
Rheinhardt led all pitchers with 40.2 innings on the season. Payton Helmerich, Zach Mason and Ashton Tindle tied for the lead with four wins. Mason also had a team-high three saves on the year. Mason Bratcher had a team-best 2.42 ERA, while also leading the Flash with 45 strikeouts.
The Flash have been the winningest team in the OVL since 2019, according to Bolin. He hopes the recent success they have enjoyed translates to even more future championships. He recognized how integral community involvement has been from the fans to the host families to the sponsors, noting that they deserved lots of credit for helping develop the Flash into a winning program.
“I hope from a community standpoint, it just continues to build and grow… The community of Henderson is what makes this happen,” Bolin said. “Everybody wants to be a part of a winner and that’s why we work so hard in the offseason to bring in not only great baseball players, but high-quality kids into the community.”
Henderson Flash 16, Hoptown Hoppers 13 (Game 1)
July 28– It was another high-scoring affair as the Flash took Game 1 of the OVL Championship from Hoptown. Henderson got on the board first with two runs in the first inning, then scored five more in the second. With the bases loaded, Brayden Mineo was hit by a pitch allowing Tyler Rinehart to score. An error on a groundball hit by Dom Davis on the next pitch scored Alec Satterfield and Gunnar Waldrop. Then, Clark Gries hit an RBI-single to right field to drive in Mineo before Jacob Tucker singled to bring Davis home and make it 7-1.
Hoptown cut the deficit to two runs, but a big fourth inning gave the Flash another cushion. Peyton Tatum led off the inning with a home run to center. After Gries walked and Tucker reached on a single, Jacob Froehlich launched a three-run shot over the center field wall to extend the lead back to 11-5.
By the middle of the eighth, the Hoppers had pulled to within one run. Poor pitching from Hoptown in the bottom of the inning let Henderson score some much needed insurance runs, however. Even though they allowed just two hits in the inning, Hoptown pitchers walked five batters and hit another, allowing the Flash to score five runs and open up a 16-10 lead.
A three-run homer off Zach Mason by the Hoppers in the ninth made things tense, but Luke Parr was able to strike out the last batter of the game to claim a Game 1 victory for the Flash.
Froehlich was 2-for-5 with a home run and three RBI. Gries went 2-for-2 with three RBI and two walks. Rinehart finished 3-for-5 with an RBI. Davis and Tucker each added two RBI as well. Kiefer Parsons started the game, throwing four innings and allowing five runs, four earned. Drew Isenberg also allowed four earned runs over 1.2 innings. Riken Burkett tossed 1.1 scoreless innings. Mason was the winning pitcher, though he gave up four earned runs in 1.2 innings. Parr closed the game by getting the final out.
