๐ง๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฃ๐ถ๐ฐ๐ธ ๐๐ ๐๐ป!
Congrats to Butler Baseball great Kaden Echeman who was selected in the 12th round (360th overall) by the St. Louis Cardinals in the 2025 MLB Draft.
A 2021 Butler grad, Echeman was part of a sensational pitching duo and sound defensive player for the Aviators. After graduation he went on to have a stellar career at Northern Kentucky University where he shined for the Norse.
We wish Kaden all the best, as another Aviator takes flight on the road to The Show!
๐ง๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฃ๐ถ๐ฐ๐ธ ๐๐ ๐๐ป!
Congrats to Butler Baseball great Boston Smith who was selected in the 6th round (171st overall) by the Washington Nationals in the 2025 MLB Draft.
A 2021 Butler grad, Smith made his name as a power-hitting catcher and team leader for the Aviators. After leaving a legacy in the purple and gold โ he went on to do the same for the Raiders at Wright State University.
We wish Boston all the best, as another Aviator takes flight on the road to The Show!
Congratulations to the following Aviators on being named @Starting9_37_ selections.
๐๐๐น๐น ๐ต๐ฏ๐ณ-๐๐ถ๐ฟ๐๐ ๐ง๐ฒ๐ฎ๐บ ๐ฆ๐ฒ๐น๐ฒ๐ฐ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป๐๐:
๐ฃHunter Richardson - Senior
๐ฃKoby Dues - Sophomore
๐ฃJackson Schilling- Sophomore
Note - If you aren't familiar with the Starting (9)37 podcast check them out on Spotify. They provide great coverage of high school baseball in the 937. ๐
๐ฉ๐๐ก๐๐๐๐๐ โ The tournament doesnโt care how you got here.
It doesnโt care if youโre 27โ3 and the top ranked DIII team in the state โ or if youโre 18โ9 and the seventh seed few expected to see in June.
The tournament doesnโt care about records, matchups, or reputations. It only cares about whoโs still standing when the dust settles.
It gives you seven innings. Maybe less.
On Tuesday at Miami Universityโs Hayden Field, Butler will face a Hamilton Ross team thatโs flipped the bracket upside down โ and turned more than a few heads in the process.
The Rams have won three straight tournament games by a combined score of 32โ4, capped by a five-inning, 12โ2 dismantling of Tippecanoe in the district final.
Yes, that Tippecanoe.
So if youโre underestimating Ross, you havenโt been paying attention.
๐ง๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฅ๐ฎ๐บ๐ ๐๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐ฅ๐ผ๐น๐น๐ถ๐ป๐ด
By most accounts they werenโt supposed to be here โ at least not according to the bracket. But the Rams, a middle-of-the-pack team in the SWBL this season, have caught fire in May.
They opened the tournament with a 14โ1 rout of Western Brown, then knocked off Cincinnati Turpin 6โ1. Against Tipp, they collected 12 hits and sent the Red Devils limping home in five.
Offensively, theyโre getting production throughout the lineup:
โข Evan Gabbard drove in four against Tipp, including a walk-off hit.
โข Gavin Burns sparked the first inning with a 2-run single.
โข Bryce Fulmer chipped in with a second-inning double.
โข Josiah Lynch and Griffin Mueller set the table for the game-ending rally.
Itโs been timely hitting, smart baserunning, and quality at-bats โ the kind of baseball that wins when it matters most.
๐ง๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐ฟ๐บ ๐๐ผ ๐๐ป๐ผ๐: ๐ก๐ผ๐น๐ฎ๐ป ๐๐ฟ๐๐ฒ๐น
Ross will likely give the ball to senior right-hander Nolan Ertel, the kind of pitcher who wins with command, not velocity. He enters Tuesdayโs matchup with a 0.77 ERA over 54.2 innings โ a mark built on precision, if not power.
Ross head coach Brad Voegele calls Ertel one of his โfour No. 1s.โ On Tuesday, heโs the one with the ball.
Heโs not going to blow it past you. But heโs going to throw strikes, work fast, and dare hitters to hit his pitch. Ertel keeps the ball down, limits walks, and doesnโt let innings spiral. His WHIP sits below 0.90, and heโs walked just a handful all season โ meaning youโre going to have to earn your way on.
What he lacks in flash, he makes up for in feel. He mixes speeds, changes eye levels, and forces weak contact. And when he's in rhythm, he makes good lineups look off-balance. For Butler, the approach will need to be disciplined: stay patient, extend at-bats, and be ready to capitalize if he misses โ because he rarely does.
๐๐๐๐น๐ฒ๐ฟ: ๐๐๐ถ๐น๐ ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐ง๐ต๐ถ๐
The Aviators have played a loaded schedule โ some wins, some tough losses โ and theyโve squared off against the best Division I has to offer. Theyโve stood firm against state-ranked powerhouses, taken their lumps, and answered with pitching, defense, and a lineup that doesnโt blink.
They know the stage. Theyโve been here before.
Butler has arms that can go toe-to-toe with anyone โ and bats that have come through in the biggest moments.
๐ง๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฆ๐๐ฎ๐ธ๐ฒ๐
A trip to Thursdayโs regional final is on the line. One team riding tournament momentum. The other, anchored by a seasonโs worth of excellence.
The numbers wonโt matter. The rankings wonโt matter. What will matter is who executes โ who handles the moment.
Because the tournament doesnโt care how you got here.
It only cares whoโs moving on.
In a program known for its tradition, its championships, and its competitive fire, one of Butler Baseballโs greatest strengths has always been its consistency.
And for thirty seasons, Mike Bardonaro has been an integral part of that.
โBardoโs been with me for three decades,โ said head coach Trent Dues. โNot only are we coachesโweโre great friends. Weโve been through a lot of wins and a lot of tough losses.โ
Thirty seasons. Thatโs not just loyalty. Thatโs a legacy.
After successful baseball careers at Chaminade-Julienne High School and Wright State University, Bardonaro joined the program in 1995, cutting his teeth as an assistant on the junior varsity staff.
He became JV head coach in 1999, leading his teams to a string of 20-win seasons. It was in 2009 that he joined the varsity staff as pitching coach, his presence truly helping to galvanize the heart of the program. A year later, he was named the Miami Valley Baseball Coaches Association Assistant Coach of the Year.
And yetโheโd be the last to mention any of that.
Instead, heโll tell you how proud he is just to be part of it all. How much it means to coach beside his longtime friend. How grateful he is for the players, the staff, the community. Heโs said it time and again: โIโm just proud to be part of Butler Baseball.โ
Bardonaro doesnโt crave the spotlight. Heโs usually behind the scenesโtoting buckets of baseballs, keeping the technology side of baseball operations humming, or tossing batting practice until his shoulder begs for mercy.
โI call him my right brain, weโre yin and yang,โ Dues says with a smile.
On game day, the players trust him. His fellow coaches rely on him.
Ask the pitchers. Heโs the calming voice when the moment gets too big, the guy who brings just the right words to the mound. A little wisdom, a little levity, and somehow, the storm passes.
What makes Bardonaro even more remarkable is that his commitment isnโt confined to the diamond. A teacher at Butler High School, heโs shaped young minds in the classroom too.
At home, the program has always been a family passion. Mike and Heidi Bardonaro have raised two talented daughters, Samantha and Dillanโboth standout basketball players who grew up around Butler Baseball. The duo has always been incredibly supportive and invested in the girlsโ success.
Samiโs now playing college ball at USC Aiken. Dillan, a sharp-shooting sophomore at Butler, carries the Bardonaro grit into every game.
And if you look a little deeper into the Butler Baseball family tree, youโll find Gus โPopsโ BardonaroโMikeโs fatherโwoven into the fabric too. He was in the stands watching Mikeโs brother Jeff play for the Aviators from 1994 to 1998. Later, he joined Mikeโs JV staff and went on to become a familiar, calming presence in the varsity dugout, serving as the teamโs mental coach. Two generations, all connected to one program, not by spotlight, but by steady, genuine presence.
Coach Dues summed it up best: โWithout him, our program would not be what it is today.โ
Thirty seasons later, Bardonaro will tell you that it still isnโt about him.
But in a program built on tradition, consistency, and careโmaybe, just this onceโit should be.
@VB_Boosters@AlumniVandalia @VBaviators @Vandaliabutler @ButlerAviatorFB Great regular season and a triumphant return to hosting playoff football! A lot to be proud of and much to look forward to!
Taylor Decker (@__taylordecker) talks about what it means to have his jersey retired at Butler. It's also fun to see both Ohio State and Detroit Lions Decker jerseys behind him. @Vandaliabutler @VBaviatorAD
https://t.co/1Xa0mv6sXJ
A little draft team competition to end the day yesterday! A successful overnight camp in the book, and we look forward to getting more work in tonight with @nrpolarbears! #AviatorPride
He's a great coach, but an even better teacher, father and husband. We can't wait to see what he can do with our program! #AviatorPride
https://t.co/ujFVcbX9tw
The next stop on our Miami Valley Football Tour: The Butler Aviators! The advantage bringing back 21 starters gives them this year, and how @ButlerAviatorFB plans to bring a winning culture back to Vandalia, tonight on @dayton247now
Congratulations to Coach Cates for another @MVFCAtweets Coach of the year award! This is his 5th time receiving this award. Also, congrats to Coach Sutherland for being selected for the second time! #AviatorPride#Family
It was a great night for the Lift-A-Thon last night. Congrats to @9_Droppa for winning the "pound for pound" champion! A lot of great performances and we can't wait to build on those for this upcoming season! #AviatorPride#Family
These cool nights! Are you ready for some Football?
In just 65 Days, were gonna witness our awesome
@ButlerAviatorFB@VBaviatorsFB Football Team take the field!
Save the Date. Friday, August 27th, Aviators Unite!
Memorial Stadium - @Vandaliabutler