Nothing but respect: Cincinnati baseball players offer shoutouts to opponents who impress

The spring season of high school sports is upon us. Who better to know what kind of talent Greater Cincinnati offers than the players themselves?

The Cincinnati Enquirer sought opinions from players across multiple conferences on opponents who have been impressive on the field this season. This week, area baseball players gave their input.

Check Cincinnati.com each week to see which baseball and softball players left an impress on their opponents this year.

More: 'It was pretty rough.' Colerain's Mark Hulgin pitches final season after losing his dad

More: Which teams top Southwest Ohio Baseball Coaches Association's final poll?

More: Vote: Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky high school athletes of the week, May 16

Want to give an opponent a shoutout for his or her stellar play this season? Contact Shelby Dermer at sdermer@enquirer.com or on Twitter @EnquirerShelby.

Brice Estep, Beechwood

"The player I would have to choose would be Brice Estep out of Beechwood. I played with Brice for a couple of seasons when we were younger and I can confirm that he is one of the hardest workers in Northern Kentucky. That has led him to be, in my opinion, the best catcher in the Ninth Region and one of the best bats in the region as well. The way Brice goes about himself is impressive and he is one to fear and respect whenever opposing him."

— Chase Gartner, Cooper

Estep, a junior Eastern Kentucky University commit, hit .380 with a team-high 46 hits last season to help lead Beechwood to a 35th District title, Ninth Region championship and a berth in the KHSAA state tournament.

This season, Estep leads Beechwood in batting average (.494), hits (43), RBI (52) and doubles (14) to go with five home runs. The Tigers are 25-5 and the top team in the region.

Brenden Garula, Mason

"I respect Brenden Garula’s game so much as a player. His stuff was nasty last year and it’s only gotten better. He can run it up to mid 80s and has a very sharp curveball. Not to mention the kid just flat out rakes."

– John Rodriguez, Fairfield

Garula is coming off a perfect game in Thursday's 1-0 win over Western Brown, striking out 17. He also went 2-for-2 with a walk and scored the game's only run.

The University of Cincinnati signee was honorable mention All-Ohio and first-team All-Greater Miami Conference last season after going 6-2 with a 1.74 ERA with 88 strikeouts in 56 ⅓ innings. He helped lead the Comets to a district championship.

This season, the left-hander is 7-0 with a 1.26 ERA and has punched out 87 over 50 innings. Garula is also one of the top hitters in the GMC, hitting .356 combined over the last two seasons with five homers, 15 doubles and 40 RBIs.

Jimmy Nugent, Badin

"The toughest matchup by far this season is senior catcher Jimmy Nugent from Badin. He’s such a great catcher and as a runner he keeps you on your feet on the base paths and doesn’t allow much advancing, if any. Pitching wise, it’s even more tough, because if you leave one pitch over the plate he won’t miss it."

— Ty Brenner, Roger Bacon 

Nugent, a Penn State University signee, helped lead Badin to a regional championship last season, hitting .426 with seven extra-base hits and 13 knocked in.

This season, Nugent is hitting .295 with 10 doubles and leads the Greater Catholic League-Coed in homers (3) and is second in RBIs (29).

Top-seeded Badin opened the postseason with an 11-1 win over Norwood May 19 with Nugent going 2-for-4 with a double and three knocked in.

Parker Corbin, Cincinnati Country Day

"I have nothing but respect for Parker Corbin and the way he goes about the game. He plays hard and plays the game right. He has such a smooth swing and the ball jumps off his bat."

– Alex Davis, Summit Country Day

Corin tore his ACL playing football for CCD in October, but recently returned to the diamond. In four games for the Nighthawks, Corbin had a three-run double in an 8-4 win over Loveland and homered in Thursday's playoff loss to Summit Country Day.

Corbin, an Ohio State University commit, hit .321 as a freshman last season with seven doubles, 18 RBIs while walking 32 times in 30 games. He also pitched in 10 games, going 2-0 with a 2.31 ERA, helping lead Cincinnati Country Day to a district title and regional final appearance. 

Brayden Stewart, Ryle

"Someone I always love to compete against is Brayden Stewart from Ryle. I respect his game a lot and he is always a tough out at the plate and tough competitor on the mound."

– Corbin Fletcher, Cooper

Stewart, a senior and Southwest Tennessee Community College commit, has hit over .300 in each of the last two seasons for the Raiders.

As a junior, he led Ryle in homers (7) and RBIs (25) while hitting .325. This season, Stewart is hitting .315 with 11 extra-base hits and a team-high 26 knocked in.

Stewart has also made 15 appearances on the mound in the last two seasons, posting a 0.95 ERA. He was 5-1 with a save as a junior. This spring, he has not allowed an earned run over five appearances and has registered a pair of saves.

Lleyton Flamm, New Richmond

"I would like to shout out Lleyton Flamm from New Richmond. I have faced Lleyton the last four years and have been impressed every single at-bat. He has impeccable control with his off speed and has a unique sense of what I am looking for each pitch. We struggled immensely as a team against him this year; he was definitely one of the best pitchers we faced."

– Max Stewart, Batavia

Flamm was recently named first-team All-Southern Buckeye Conference-American division for the second consecutive year. He was 5-2 this season with a 1.68 ERA over 50 innings. Over the last two seasons combined, Flamm is 10-4 with a 1.86 ERA with over 100 strikeouts and just 32 walks in 104 innings.

Flamm started his prep career with a seven-inning perfect game with 15 strikeouts in an 8-0 win over East Clinton on March 27, 2021.

Flamm has also hit over .300 in each of the last two seasons.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Cincinnati baseball: Area players shoutout opponents who impress