I have to admit that I was a little shocked to see Defiance only ranked No. 15 in the state in the first Ohio High School Baseball Coaches Association Division II state poll of 2010. Yes, I know Defiance hasn’t been to regionals in two years, but to me, I think there’s a little bit of disrespect out there toward the 2010 edition of Defiance baseball.

What makes me say that is the fact that Wapakoneta is ranked No. 6 in the state and Lima Shawnee is ranked No. 10. I’m not saying that Wapakoneta and Shawnee aren’t having good seasons, but the fact remains Defiance has won 36 straight contests in the Western Buckeye League, winning the last three championships with perfect 9-0 records.

Last time I checked, both Wapakoneta and Lima Shawnee are in the WBL, which means that despite the fact Shawnee knocked Defiance out of the tournament last year in the district finals, the Bulldogs have still pretty much owned the other 9 teams in their league.

But at the same time, maybe this is a good thing. I don’t think Defiance needs any incentive when it comes to beating teams in the WBL, but seeing two teams ranked ahead of you that you’ve beaten the last three years in league play won’t hurt where motivation is concerned when the Bulldogs play both of those teams. By the way, Wapak comes to town Tuesday to take on Defiance at 5 p.m. at Booster Field.