Worthington Kilbourne High School baseball coach Jeff Boulware didn't shy away from acknowledging his team's success in capturing an OCC-Central Division championship last Monday.

But he wasn't about to let the celebration linger following the 9-1 victory over Dublin Coffman.

"The boys should be proud of themselves because we've had a great season so far, but we've got a long way to go," said Boulware, whose team was 15-5 overall and 12-1 in the league before playing Thomas Worthington last Wednesday. "We know when the next season begins it's one and you're done."

The last time Kilbourne won a Division I district title was 2006 when it defeated Dublin Scioto 6-5 and finished the season 25-5.

As the 10th seed, the Wolves host Westerville North on Monday. The winner plays host to Westerville South or Logan on Wednesday in a second-round game.

Kilbourne defeated North 5-1 on April 1 when junior Alio Gasbarro struck out 11 batters in the complete-game victory.

Those types of outings have become routine for Gasbarro and junior Cody Strayer, whose brother, Jared, helped the Wolves win the title in 2006.

In 29 innings, Gasbarro was 6-0 with a 0.72 ERA with 36 strikeouts. Strayer, who earned a complete-game victory last Monday, was 7-1 with a 2.19 ERA and 36 strikeouts in 55 innings.

"They've been pretty amazing, and they've been very consistent against our league opponents," Boulware said. "They work fast, and they don't walk people."

Kilbourne will need strong pitching in a tournament bracket featuring second-seeded Dublin Jerome and fourth-seeded Dublin Scioto. Grove City is the No. 1 seed. The Wolves play Scioto on Saturday in a regular-season matchup.

"We've taken it one inning at a time throughout the season, and we've got to be the same way in the tournament," Strayer said. "What's really been different for us this year compared to last has been our hitting."

The Wolves are batting .347 through 19 games and have earned plenty of victories with timely hitting.

That was evident in the 6-3 victory over Upper Arlington on April 26 when Rocky Gasbarro hit a bases-clearing double with two outs. The Golden Bears entered the game atop the OCC standings.

"We've really been a more patient team at the plate this year and I give our hitting coach a lot of credit for that," Boulware said. "We've learned to not be afraid to hit with two strikes."

Three players were batting better than .400 in Will Meador (.477, 2 doubles, 9 RBI), John Jacob (.429, 9 doubles, 11 RBI) and Dan Eurich (.419, 7 doubles, 2 home runs, 17 RBI).

Jack Lawson was the top run-producer with 19 RBI.

Strayer was hitting .407 in 27 at bats.

"We've got to go into the tournament with the same offensive philosophy and not worry about the finality that comes with the postseason," Boulware said.

At a glance

Below are the recent results and coming schedule for the Kilbourne and Thomas baseball teams:

KILBOURNE

*April 27 - Defeated Westland 11-0

*April 28 - Def. Hilliard Davidson 6-3.

*Last Friday - Def. Central Crossing 13-0

*Last Monday - Def. Dublin Coffman 9-1. Kilbourne locked up the OCC-Central Division championship with the victory.

*Last Wednesday - Played Thomas Worthington

Today - Home vs. Ready

Saturday - Home vs. Dublin Scioto

Monday - Home vs. Westerville North in first round of Division I district tournament. Winner plays host Wednesday to Westerville South or Logan in second round.

Of note: The Wolves were 15-5 overall and 12-1 in the OCC-Central before last Wednesday.

THOMAS

*April 27 - Defeated Dublin Coffman 9-5

*April 28 - Def. Westland 11-6

*Last Friday - Lost to Hilliard Darby 16-11

Last Saturday - Game vs. Ready canceled because of bad weather

*Last Monday - Def. Central Crossing 13-2 in five innings

Last Tuesday - Played Watterson

*Last Wednesday - Played Kilbourne

Today - Home vs. St. Charles in regular season finale

Wednesday - Home vs. Briggs in first round of Division I district tournament. Winner plays at 12th-seeded Upper Arlington or Lancaster on Wednesday. Winner plays sixth-seeded Gahanna, Northland or Westerville Central in a district semifinal on May 17 at Grove City.

Of note: The Cardinals were 13-9 overall before last Tuesday and 7-6 in the OCC-Central before last Wednesday.

*OCC-Central game