Century-Old Postcard Inspires Researcher to Tell Story of Athens Baseball Dynasty
By
Ron Pesch
MHSAA historian
June 25, 2026
Shortly after graduation from little Athens High School in 1969, Larry DeBow had the chance to head east for a three-day music festival. Held that August on a dairy farm in upstate New York, Woodstock attracted some 400,000 and became one of the most famous cultural moments of the 1960s.
“I didn’t know what it was and blew it off,” he recalled. “I’ve always regretted that.”
That fall, DeBow left the Calhoun County village south of Battle Creek and made his way to Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo. There, he crammed four years of education into three, then, starting in Tecumseh, began a 41-year career in industrial sales with various companies and bounced around the world.
He retired in 2013, took up photography, and started a small business. Unexpectedly, the trip east not taken decades ago, would influence what came next.
“In 2016 I added video when a friend and I decided to take a just-you-and-I road trip,” said DeBow, capsulating life’s path. Their destinations: Woodstock and the Baseball Hall of Fame.
“We were at Woodstock, and my friend Dave – he always talked like this – said ‘Dude, we gotta make a movie about this.’ So, I just started to snap pictures, and I used my iPhone taking video. Then I got home and go, ‘What am I going to do with this? I don’t know how to make a video.’ But on my computer was Movie Maker 7. I created my first video … I think it (runs) only about 10 minutes.”
Eventually, he found Movie Maker couldn’t keep up with his growing technology needs. Now a videographer and tinkering with AI tools, DeBow is ready to debut his latest work – a baseball documentary.
Subject Matter
Following the road trip, DeBow experimented with technology and posted short films to YouTube. In 2017, at the suggestion of another Athens graduate, John Royer, they started assembling material for 1969 – A Celebration of Accomplishment, a documentary initially shared at Larry’s 50th class reunion. The Indians had fielded two pretty good sports teams during DeBow’s senior year.
“John was a year behind me (in high school). He was on the track team … and was (one) of the four guys who still hold the mile relay record for the school. I was on the basketball team, although I was the 12th man,” recalled DeBow, laughing. “I was far from a star. We were the first team to win a Regional game in school history that winter. In the spring, the track team took second in the state Finals.”
Running 26 minutes in length, the finished video included interviews, snapshots, memorabilia, and some old family 8mm film footage from the state track meet.
DeBow followed the production up with another documentary on the Athens’ 2022 girls volleyball team, runner-up in Class D in the annual MHSAA Tournament. While digging around on that project, he came across a real picture postcard. It would set the stage for the current project.
A Baseball Dynasty
The image features members of a team riding on a horse-drawn wagon. Inscribed is, “Athens High School State Champions, 1910, Base Ball Team.”
“Tom Doubleday doesn’t like the (professional) title,” states DeBow. “I give it to him anyway. He’s like the curator of the sports section at the Athens Area Historical Society. He asked, ‘Can we do something with this (to tell their story).’"
DeBow immediately recognized the challenge. “If this is all we’ve got, I can’t do anything with that.”
With Doubleday’s assistance they dug into the Society’s archives. The story grew. Intrigued, DeBow was quickly hooked. But this one would highlight the challenges and requirements needed to tell a story cast more than 100 years ago.
Sharing stories
For roughly 30 of the 45 years that I’ve delved into the history of high school sports, the vast majority of time was spent perched on a chair in a library, mostly in Michigan, occasionally somewhere in the Midwest, scrolling through the pages of microfilmed reels of newspapers and periodicals or scanning old school yearbooks, searching for data.
That frequently included trips from Muskegon to the State of Michigan Library in Lansing, where a warehouse of nearly pristine reels of microfilm is maintained for a majority of the state’s newspapers. Over the last 15 years, dramatic changes have allowed searchable scans of the nation’s newsprint to be moved online. Initially, it was a handful of smaller long-defunct publications. Today, the archives of most of the state’s largest dailies are now included in subscription databases, and the listings continue to grow.
One of the great joys of serving as the MHSAA historian is sharing knowledge and resources with sportswriters, coaches, players, school administrators – past and present. Often, individuals reach out, looking for information and guidance on projects on which they are working. Occasionally, we strike up friendships, mostly via telephone calls and email, where we each cheer on each other’s projects and share news of our successes and challenges. Sometimes we meet in person.
In February 2024, I received my first email from DeBow. With the subject line, “Athens Michigan HS 1907 thru 1918 Perhaps a Michigan Baseball Dynasty?”
A Cutout
Tapping into the collection of the Athens Area Historical Society, they found additional postcards and artifacts that would visually expand the lost tale from the early days of prep baseball, featuring an interesting cast of characters.
“They found some posters or bills saying Athens was playing North Adams, or Athens was playing Marshall or Athens is playing somebody,” recalled DeBow. “These would be displayed in store windows. There was a poster for (a) 1909 (championship) game with Mt. Pleasant. I don’t know where they found it … but it was literally cut off a wall. None of us had really noticed it before in the historical society. It could have slapped you right in the face because it was right on the side of a doorway going from one section (of the building) to another. I’ve got a lot of that stuff in the documentary.”
Hitting the internet with searches on high school baseball from the era, DeBow came across a list prepared by Kevin Askeland, a staff writer at MaxPreps.
Using research from multiple sources, MaxPreps has retroactively chosen national champions back to 1910, designed to recognize a single champion for each year. The compiled list is a consolidation of previous work produced over the years by various organizations and historians, according to Askeland. MaxPreps credits those individuals and expands on their work via research using modern day access to online newspaper databases that now allow deeper dives into the scanned recorded print history of cities, towns, and villages, with tools previously unavailable.
DeBow asked Askeland if the list was malleable. Askeland said it could happen but would require documentation and detail that strongly made a case for a change.
Contact
DeBow’s conversation with Askeland added a new dimension to his research and led to our connection.
Shortly after his email, we spoke on the phone. At the time, DeBow’s initial newspaper research was limited to the Athens Times microfilm stored at Lansing’s State Library. Purchasing database subscriptions allowed DeBow to conduct research on the first two decades of the century behind a laptop without the road trip. He keyed in countless combinations of words and phrases in search of clues. Before long, he was waist-deep in a long-forgotten and expanding story. Hours flew by. By June of 2025, he had a strong outline, focused on the 10-year span 1907-1916.
By August 2025, DeBow estimated he had viewed approximately 500 individual articles. Larger newspapers from nearby Battle Creek and Marshall included scores from games. Kalamazoo, Saginaw, and Detroit papers provided additional hints. The Times provided much of the color and detail.
Certain questions hovered above his research. Claims over eligibility of certain players often surfaced in newspaper game coverage. What were governing rules during those days? How did playing “summer ball” affect eligibility? Were there age rules?
Without question, baseball was the “national pastime” during the era. Reports of games in the state of Michigan appear in print as early as 1860. Old Reach and Spalding Baseball Guides help explain the hierarchy, structure, and importance of the sport in these years as foundry, city, independent, and semi-professional minor league teams dominated the landscape in many cities and towns.
The teams competed for talent. "Base ball" was popular in high schools, but certainly not sponsored by all schools. Initially governed by a subcommittee of the Michigan State Teachers’ Association, and then from 1909 through 1924 by the Michigan Interscholastic Athletic Association (MIAA) – both predecessors to the MHSAA – prep athletics at member schools voluntarily cooperated with regulations of eligibility pertaining to amateurism, enrollment, semesters of athletic competition, and school scholarship.
DeBow mentioned he had come across articles that spoke of state champions in track & field, football, basketball, tennis, and summer independent baseball … even MARBLES. But there was no mention of an official “state high school baseball champion” for the years he studied.
Outside of track & field championships, the MIAA did not sponsor postseason tournaments. Hence, all other titles claimed by schools in other sports were generally made by the press, school administration, and/or admiring followers, justified by outstanding results in the win-loss column. That led to challenges from other schools elsewhere in the state making similar claims, and often contests between the schools were arranged, meant to resolve the debate.
Utilizing modern tools, DeBow collected schedules and final results, and compiled folders full of detail. Slowly, he distilled data into a narrative covering forgotten games and players who represented Athens, and the opponents that they faced. His focus narrowed to a remarkable four-year span – 1909 through 1912 – where the Indians compiled a stunning 42-0 record. Before stellar crowds they triumphed over bigger schools including Dexter, Millington, Mount Pleasant, Battle Creek and Saginaw Arthur Hill.
In September 2025, DeBow penned an e-mail to Askeland, detailing the Athens seasons in a 51-page document. The 1909 team finished 12-0 after defeating Mount Pleasant, 1-0, in a title game at Athens, while 1910’s squad downed Arthur Hill in Saginaw in another 1-0 championship contest, to finish 11-0. Both teams featured the Fox brothers – Loyd, pitcher/outfielder, and Roy, catcher – perhaps the team’s top players. As a sophomore in 1910, Loyd struck out 16 in the title game – the first loss in three years for Arthur Hill.
So, DeBow pitched the 1910 squad to Askeland for consideration as a replacement to 9-1 Commercial High of Brooklyn, N.Y. as the list’s new national champion. Impressed with Athens’ accomplishments, this past February, MaxPreps updated its list accordingly.
Thrilled by the news, and with his research complete, DeBow’s focus narrowed on wrapping up the documentary. His biggest challenge was the limited number of photographs available from the timeframe. To help move the story along, he tapped into the latest Google and Microsoft-funded AI tools to generate period newspaper-style illustrations. The finished film flows like a modern-day graphic novel come-to-life.
After three-plus years of work, the half-hour production, “The Dynasty” Athens High School Baseball 1909-1912, is now available to view on YouTube.
Next, DeBow plans to submit the story to a film festival. With the project complete, he’s given up pretty much all the software subscriptions he’s used on the project – except one.
“I’m probably going to convince myself to keep Chat GPT,” DeBow noted, “just because I’m having too much fun doing other stuff!”
PHOTOS (Top) The 1910 Athens baseball team poses for a photo celebrating its championship season. (2) The 1910 team is welcomed during a parade through its hometown. (3) A sign advertises a matchup with Lansing that season. (4) Brothers Roy and Loyd Fox pose for a photo together in 1911. (4) Videographer Larry DeBow sits at his work station with his latest work on Athens baseball displayed on his computer screen. (Team photo courtesy of the David V. Tinder Collection of Michigan Photography, William L. Clements Library, University of Michigan Library Digital Collections. All others were gathered by Larry DeBow and the Athens Area Historical Society.)
Preview: McLane to Showcase Spring's Stars Seeking to Become Saturday's Champions
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
June 12, 2024
Fans filling Michigan State’s McLane Stadium for this weekend’s MHSAA Baseball Semifinals & Finals will have opportunities to watch several accomplished standouts and plenty of potential stars in the making as well.
This weekend’s Division 1 and 2 games will feature their shares of high-caliber college prospects – and even a few potential Major League Baseball draft selections.
Our Division 3 and 4 brackets, meanwhile, are guaranteed to produce at least one team apiece Saturday playing for a first Finals championship in this sport – both of those divisions have three contenders vying to win it all for the first time.
Division 1 – Thursday
Bay City Western vs. Northville - 2:30 p.m.
Grosse Pointe North vs. Bloomfield Hills Brother Rice - 5 p.m.
Division 2 – Friday
Flint Powers Catholic vs. Trenton - 2:30 p.m.
Spring Lake vs. Richland Gull Lake - 5 p.m.
Division 3 – Thursday
Charlevoix vs. Jackson Lumen Christi - 9 a.m.
Detroit Edison vs. Watervliet - 11:30 a.m.
Division 4 – Friday
Beal City vs. Vermontville Maple Valley - 9 a.m.
Marine City Cardinal Mooney vs. Norway - 11:30 a.m.
FINALS – Saturday
Division 1 – 11:30 a.m.
Division 2 – 5 p.m.
Division 3 – 9 a.m.
Division 4 – 2:30 p.m.
Tickets cost $11 and may be purchased online only at GoFan. One ticket is good for all baseball, softball and girls soccer games at MSU’s Old College Field that day. All Semifinals and Finals will be broadcast and available with subscription from MHSAA.tv, with free audio broadcasts on the MHSAA Network.
Below is a glance at all 16 teams taking the field:
Division 1
BAY CITY WESTERN
Record/rank: 35-6-1, No. 4
Coach: Tim McDonald, 32nd season (867-281-11)
League finish: Second in Saginaw Valley League
Championship history: Division 1 champion 2014 and 2013.
Players to watch: Mikey Deluca, jr. IF (.422, 45 R, 29 2B); Aidan Robinson, sr. OF (.316, 39 R, 22 SB); Luke Lacourse, jr. P/IF (12-0, 0.50 ERA, 111 K/69 1/3 IP). Kole Wilson, sr. P/OF (.330, 35 R, 26 RBI, 17 SB, 6-0, 1.52 ERA).
Outlook: This will be Western’s first Semifinal trip since its back-to-back championship seasons, but the Warriors have won at least 33 games five times over the last decade. They advanced this time in part thanks to a District win over Midland Dow, which split with Western during the regular season and had eliminated the Warriors two of the last three years. Western also split in league play with Division 2 top-ranked Flint Powers Catholic, which won the SVL. Robinson made the all-state second team last spring and is one of six regulars batting over .300, with senior Bryce Neitzel (.371, 32 RBI) and junior Jack Sequin (.330, 33 R) among other top hitters. Sequin also is 6-1 on the mound, and junior Brayden Simmon is 10-1 with a 1.89 ERA. Lacourse has committed to Michigan State.
BLOOMFIELD HILLS BROTHER RICE
Record/rank: 43-1, No. 1
Coach: Bob Riker, 26th season (730-243-4)
League finish: First in Catholic High School League Central
Championship history: Three MHSAA titles (most recent 2008), three runner-up finishes.
Players to watch: Owen Turner, sr. C/IF/P (.477, 53 R, 10 HR, 39 RBI); Ryan Tyranski, sr. 1B/OF/C/P (.472, 52 R, 15 2B, 36 RBI, 21 SB, 5-0 pitching, 1.84 ERA); Chase Van Ameyde, jr. P/OF (.417, 48 R, 17 2B, 10 HR, 67 RBI); Blake Ilitch, jr. P (8-0, 0.68 ERA, 97 K/62 IP).
Outlook: Aside from an early April loss to Detroit U-D Jesuit, Brother Rice has been unbeatable this season with late sweeps of Northville and Detroit Edison among highlights. The Warriors have defeated No. 12 West Bloomfield, No. 13 Birmingham Seaholm and No. 20 Allen Park as well during this tournament run. Turner made the all-state first team last season and will continue his career at Yale, and several of his teammates already have their post-high school plans decided as well including senior outfielder Ty Fox (Ohio State), Van Ameyde (Notre Dame), Tyranski (Central Michigan), senior infielder Max Orozco (Oakland), Ilitch (Duke) and freshman catcher/first baseman Broder Katke (Duke). Among other stat standouts Fox is hitting .414, senior Tristan Crane also has 10 homers, and sophomore Cole Duhaime (10-0, 0.87 ERA, 73 K/55 1/3 IP) and freshman Aiden Pack (7-0, 1.80 ERA, 50 K/35 IP) also bolster the pitching staff.
GROSSE POINTE NORTH
Record/rank: 16-19, unranked
Coach: Kevin Shubnell, third season (63-49)
League finish: Third in Macomb Area Conference White
Championship history: Two MHSAA titles (most recent 2006), one runner-up finish.
Players to watch: Brennan Hill, sr. P/OF (6-1, 0.46 ERA, 73 K/46 IP); Shane Armbruster, sr. 3B (.376, 20 R); Bobby Rhodes, sr. 1B (.305, 21 RBI); Rocco Cardinale, sr. P/OF (1.42 ERA, 49 K/44 1/3 IP).
Outlook: Grosse Pointe North – the Division 1 runner-up two seasons ago – has put together the surprise run of this tournament, entering the postseason on a 1-7 skid but rebounding to outscore its six playoff opponents by a combined 40-5 with four shutouts, Among those was a 2-0 Regional title clincher over No. 6 Macomb Dakota, and the 7-4 District Final win over Grosse Point South avenged an earlier 11-0 loss. Eight pitchers have started at least one game for the Norsemen, who have a 2.98 team ERA despite playing 10 games against teams ranked at the end of the regular season. Hill made the all-state second team last season and will continue at Michigan.
NORTHVILLE
Record/rank: 30-7, No. 3
Coach: Dan Cimini, first season (30-7)
League finish: First in Kensington Lakes Activities Association West
Championship history: Division 1 runner-up 2017.
Players to watch: Dante Nori, sr. CF (.477, 49 R, 14 2B, 20 SB); Justin Brown, sr. P (8-2, 1.68 ERA, 78 K/58 1/3 IP); Caden Besco, sr. P/1B (9-1, 0.98 ERA, 88 K/64 IP); Evan Deak, sr. OF/P (.311, 10 2B, 33 RBI, 3-0 pitching, 1.06 ERA 43 K/33 IP).
Outlook: Northville reached the Quarterfinals in 2022 and fell in a Regional Semifinal to eventual Division 1 champion Novi last year, but will attempt to follow Cimini to its first championship – he guided Grosse Pointe Woods University Liggett to five over two decades leading that program. Nori has signed with Mississippi State and is ranked No. 47 in this summer’s draft class by MLB.com. He made the all-state first team last season with now-senior pitcher Joey Broughton (Pittsburgh), while senior infielder Luke Dieringer made the second team in 2023. Broughton hasn’t pitched this season, but Northville has turned successfully to several others including Besco and Brown, the latter of whom will continue at Michigan next season. The Mustangs have defeated Novi, No. 5 Detroit Catholic Central and No. 18 Okemos during this tournament run.
Division 2
FLINT POWERS CATHOLIC
Record/rank: 35-6, No. 1
Coach: Tom Dutkowski, 42nd season (871-537-10)
League finish: First in Saginaw Valley League
Championship history: Class B champion 1980 and 1974.
Players to watch: Grant Garman, sr. P/1B (.369, 32 R, 22 RBI, 14-0 pitching, 0.40 ERA, 122 K/70 IP); Isaac Sturgess, sr. OF/P (.548, 65 R, 11 3B, 10 HR, 57 RBI, 21 SB, 4-0 pitching, 0.27 ERA, 46 K/25 1/3 IP); Connor Kelly, sr. SS (.360, 33 R, 38 RBI); Fischer Hendershot, sr. P/1B (8-1, 1.04 ERA, 82 K/54 IP, 36 RBI).
Outlook: Powers has won three straight Regional titles and reached the Semifinals last season as Garman, Sturgess and Kelly all made the all-state first team. Sturgess has signed with Michigan State, Garman with Oakland and Hendershot will play next at Eastern Michigan, and they headline a pitching staff giving up only 1.76 earned runs per game. The Chargers have defeated No. 18 Lake Fenton and No. 17 DeWitt during this tournament run and won their league ahead of Division 1 No. 4 Bay City Western.
RICHLAND GULL LAKE
Record/rank: 26-11, unranked
Coach: Reggie Walters, eighth season (148-104)
League finish: Sixth in Southwestern Michigan Athletic Conference
Championship history: Has never played in an MHSAA Final.
Players to watch: Landon Evans, sr. IF/OF (.427, 33 R, 15 2B, 33 RBI, 21 SB); Luke Anderson, jr. P/IF (.405, 31 R, 28 RBI, 2-1 pitching, 1.68 ERA, 5 Sv); Evan Kaiser, sr. P/OF (.386, 19 SB); Julian Harris, sr. P/IF/OF (.346, 36 R, 30 RBI, 28 SB, 2-0 pitching, 0.00 ERA)
Outlook: Gull Lake is another contender that has surged somewhat unexpectedly into this weekend, as the Blue Devils defeated reigning Division 2 champion Grand Rapids Christian 8-0 to earn this trip to East Lansing – its first to the Semifinals since 2014. Gull Lake won nine of its last 12 games heading into the postseason, with two of those defeats close ones to Division 1 No. 16 Portage Northern. Senior Brendan Tanner (.378, 30 R) and sophomore Max Markham (.346, 30 R) also are top contributors to a team hitting .330 as a whole, and sophomore Jacob Palmatier (6-3, 1.93 ERA) has the most decisions on the mound. Harris has signed with Western Michigan and made headlines during the winter as he overcame a cancer diagnosis.
SPRING LAKE
Record/rank: 31-9, No. 15
Coach: Bill Core, second season (52-23)
League finish: Second in Ottawa-Kent Conference Blue
Championship history: Class B runner-up 1995 and 1978.
Players to watch: Oliver Smies, soph. OF (.409, 13 2B, 34 RBI); Jaden Core, jr. IF/P (.348, 31 R, 19 SB, 2-0 pitching, 1.56 ERA); Zane Stahl, jr. P/IF (8-2, 1.53 ERA, 102 K/77 2/3 IP); Will May (.322, 6-2 pitching, 2.95 ERA).
Outlook: Bill Core coached the Spring Lake softball varsity for 30 years, just finished his 23rd leading the boys basketball team and guided the girls hoops program for 10. But although he’s in just his second with the baseball varsity, he’s led the Lakers to two straight Regional titles and now its first Semifinal since that most recent runner-up season in 1995. Junior outfielder Gabe Trask (.345, 30 R) leads off and with senior infielder Zach Schlepp (.316, 32 R) is another key to the offense, while sophomore Maddux Kipling has been the biggest winner on the mound at 11-3. Stahl has committed to sign with Louisville.
TRENTON
Record/rank: 30-10-1, No. 4
Coach: Todd Szalka, 17th season (393-198-3)
League finish: Third in Downriver League
Championship history: Class B champion 1994.
Players to watch: Ashton Rooney jr. P/SS (.360, 30 R, 13 2B, 34 RBI, 24 SB, 6-3 pitching); Caleb Kidd, sr. P/1B/OF (.336, 9-0 pitching, 0.67 ERA, 85 K/73 1/3 IP); Josh Pippin, sr. OF (.379, 31 R); Joel Mator, jr. P/OF (8-2, 0.57 ERA, 77 K/61 1/3 IP).
Outlook: Trenton won its third Regional title in five seasons (not counting COVID-canceled 2020) and is back at the Semifinals for the first time since 2019 after emerging from a league that included No. 12 Southgate Anderson and Division 1 No. 20 Allen Park. The Trojans have defeated Anderson, No. 8 New Boston Huron, No. 14 Adrian and 2023 Division 2 runner-up University Liggett over their last four playoff games. Senior Zach DeChane (.325, 21 SB) and junior Carson Boike (.380) are two more of the highest-hitting regulars contributing to the team’s overall .323 average.
Division 3
CHARLEVOIX
Record/rank: 27-10-1, No. 10
Coach: Steve Speigl, first season (27-10-1)
League finish: First in Lake Michigan Conference
Championship history: Has never played in an MHSAA Final.
Players to watch: Bryce Johnson, sr. P/IF (.307, 7-1 pitching, 0.75 ERA, 91 K/56 IP); Ryan Pearl, jr. IF/C (.363 13 2B, 34 RBI); Aiden Speigl, jr. IF (.476, 43 R, 36 RBI, 29 SB,); Owen Waha, jr. P/IF (.361, 33 R, 30 RBI, 26 SB, 9-2 pitching, 1.67 ERA, 70 K/54 1/3 IP).
Outlook: Charlevoix is making its first trip to the Semifinals since 1980 having won 11 of its last 12 games and after scoring at least five runs in all of its first five playoff matchups. Aiden Spiegl made the all-state first team last season and Johnson made the second, and the Rayders have seen plenty of tough competition along the way this spring with a split against Division 4 top-ranked Beal City, another win over Division 4 No. 2 Mount Pleasant Sacred Heart and losses to Division 1 Rockford and Division 2 Spring Lake among other larger opponents. Junior Emmett Bergmann is another big bat of note, hitting .330 this spring from the second slot in the lineup, and senior Troy Nickel gives the team a third 20-steals threat at the top.
DETROIT EDISON
Record/rank: 25-11, No. 5
Coach: Mark Brown, eighth season (165-85)
League finish: First in Charter School Conference
Championship history: Division 3 runner-up 2022.
Players to watch: Marwynn Matthews, sr. IF (.349, 25 RBI, 23 SB, 6-2 pitching, 1.50 ERA, 60 K/52 IP, 4 Sv); Jordan Jones, sr. 3B/1B (.357, 28 RBI, 27 SB); Kole Waterman, jr. P/OF (.328, 8-3 pitching, 1.75 ERA, 52 K/71 IP, 3 Sv); DeShawn Williams, sr. OF/P (.352, 33 R, 31 SB).
Outlook: Edison is making its second trip to McLane in three seasons, with a Regional Final win over No. 2 Algonac highlighting this run. Matthews made the all-state first team last season, and Waterman and Jones made the second, and they help lead a lineup that includes seven .300 hitters total – sophomore Jon’Tae Wright (.322), senior Aveon Royster (.313) and junior Parrish Smith (.345, 58 runs) join the four above. Matthews is expected to take the ball on the mound and is one of five pitchers with at least four wins this season – and those five also all have saved at least one game.
JACKSON LUMEN CHRISTI
Record/rank: 29-10, No. 15
Coach: Phil Clifford, 14th season (276-146-2)
League finish: Fourth in Catholic High School League AA.
Championship history: Two MHSAA titles (most recent 2015).
Players to watch: Brodie Gregory, jr. IF (.442, 12 2B); Gabe King, sr. P/SS (.441, 10-3 pitching, 1.09 ERA); Paul Sattler, soph. IF (.369); Kash Kalahar, jr. C/3B (.355).
Outlook: The Titans are headed to the Semifinals for the first time since making back-to-back trips in 2015 and 2016. They’ve outscored their six playoff opponents by a combined 47-3, with a 1-0 District Final win over No. 7 Olivet among highlights. Lumen Christi also took two of three from Division 2 No. 19 Dearborn Divine Child and won the CHSL’s Cardinal Tournament with a third win this spring over Division 4 No. 6 Marine City Cardinal Mooney. Freshman Benny Gaston (.346) has added another solid bat to the lineup, and juniors Timmy Crowley (8-0, 1.81 ERA) and Nathan Hinkley (5-2, 0.55 ERA) also could see the mound this weekend.
WATERVLIET
Record/rank: 29-7, No. 8
Coach: Josh Tremblay, 14th season (267-116)
League finish: First in Southwestern Athletic Conference Lakeshore
Championship history: Has never played in an MHSAA Final.
Players to watch: Alex Hicks, sr. P/3B (.441, 36 R, 44 RBI, 38 SB, 3-1 pitching, 2.83 ERA); Owen Epple, jr. C (.420, 30 R, 11 2B); Wyatt Epple, sr. P/SS (.541, .55 R, 20 2B, 42 RBI, 25 SB, 9-1 pitching, 1.08 ERA, 56 K/51 2/3 IP); Caleb Jewell, soph. P/OF (.473, 26 SB, 8-0 pitching, 0.63 ERA, 58 K/44 1/3 IP).
Outlook: Watervliet returned to the Quarterfinals last season and took another step this month earning its first Semifinal trip since 2005. Wyatt Epple made the all-state second team last season and leads a lineup hitting a combined .368. The team’s 216 stolen bases (in 227 attempts) rank fourth in MHSAA history for a single season, and senior Chase Tremblay is another standout on the basepaths with 27 steals without being caught. The Panthers finished a season sweep of 2023 champion Bridgman with a Regional Final win over the No. 17-ranked Bees, one of three shutouts for Watervliet over five playoff games as they’ve outscored their postseason opponents by a combined 40-4.
Division 4
BEAL CITY
Record/rank: 32-6, No. 1
Coach: Brad Antcliff, 12th season (369-78-5)
League finish: First in Highland Conference
Championship history: Five MHSAA titles (most recent 2023), three runner-up finishes.
Players to watch: Jack Fussman, sr. CF (.388, 44 R, 37 RBI, 24 SB); Jake Gauthier, sr. C (.424, 24 R); Josh Wilson, sr. 1B/P (.455, 34 R, 10 2B, 53 RBI, 7-3 pitching, 2.66 ERA); Cayden Smith, sr. P/SS (.446, 56 R, 30 SB, 9-0 pitching, 0.62 ERA, 104 K/56 2/3 IP).
Outlook: Beal City has played in the last two Division 4 championship games, finishing runner-up in 2022 before winning a year ago, and the Aggies return all but one starter from last season’s Finals lineup. Smith, Wilson, Fussman and Gauthier started in both of those title games. Wilson is a two-time all-state first teamer, while Fussman made the first team as well last year and Gauthier made the second. Senior Lane Gross (.410, 30 R, 20 SB), junior Owen McKenny (.374, 47 R, 30 RBI, 29 SB) and sophomore Blake Walcutt (.342, 31 R) are among other top-hitting returnees. Smith has signed with Kent State.
MARINE CITY CARDINAL MOONEY
Record/rank: 23-10, No. 6
Coach: David Bowen, first season (23-10)
League finish: Tied for first in CHSL AA.
Championship history: Division 4 runner-up 2021.
Players to watch: Ty Boedecker, sr. SS (.314, 21 RBI); Avery Brohl, jr. LF/P (8-3, 2.54 ERA, .275, 22 R); Cameron Spezia, jr. 2B (.347, 26 R, 26 RBI); George Szep, sr. P (10-1, 1.53 ERA, 97 K/63 2/3 IP).
Outlook: Bowen was promoted after three years as an assistant and has led Cardinal Mooney to its third Regional title and second Semifinals over the last four seasons. The Cardinals defeated No. 15 Waterford Our Lady of the Lakes in the District Final and also earned pairs of wins over Divine Child and Lumen Christi during the regular season. The starting hitting lineup has only three seniors, and sophomore Joseph Doddy (.306, 19 R) occupies the third spot in a lineup that has scored 56 runs over six postseason games. Freshman Mason Martin (4-0, 1.59) has been an important arm out of the bullpen.
VERMONTVILLE MAPLE VALLEY
Record/rank: 29-7, unranked
Coach: Bryan Carpenter, 23rd season (312-338)
League finish: First in Big 8 Conference
Championship history: Class C runner-up 1975.
Players to watch: Ayden Wilkes, sr. OF (.346, 54 R, 37 SB); Callan Hoefler, sr. C/P (.371, 52 R, 11 2B, 36 SB, 10-2 pitching 1.96 ERA, 87 K/60 2/3 IP); Jakeb McDonald, jr. 1B/P (.308, 36 R, 30 RBI, 8-2, 1.42 ERA, 87 K/64 IP); Camden Carpenter, sr. UTY (.385, 30 R, 42 RBI, 19 SB).
Outlook: Bryan Carpenter, a 1993 Maple Valley grad, has led the program to other successes over the last few decades but has seen everything come together the last two seasons as the Lions have built toward this first Semifinal run since the 1975 championship season. Five seniors have helped set the pace, but all four classes have at least one starter in the lineup. Maple Valley defeated No. 16 Kalamazoo Hackett Catholic Prep in the Quarterfinals after earning a pair of one-run Regional wins to advance.
NORWAY
Record/rank: 27-3-1, No. 10
Coach: Tony Adams, 10th season (174-81-3)
League finish: First in Skyline Central Conference
Championship history: Has not played in an MHSAA Final.
Players to watch: Cole Baij, jr. IF (.390, 29 R, 34 RBI, 21 SB, 11-1 pitching, 1.02 ERA, 85 K/54 2/3 IP); Owen Baij, soph. IF (.435, 41 R, 23 SB, 5-0 pitching, 0.41 ERA); Landon Amundson, jr. C (.425, 39 R, 10 2B); Alex Ortman, sr. IF (.395, 37 R, 28 RBI, 4-2 pitching, 0.20 ERA, 67 K/34 2/3 IP).
Outlook: The Upper Peninsula had three of the top 17 ranked teams in Division 4 at the end of the regular season, and Norway has emerged to make its first trip to the Semifinals. The Knights earned one-run Regional wins over No. 17 Painesdale Jeffers and No. 12 Rudyard before defeating Onaway to reach this weekend. Norway’s only in-state losses were to No. 2 Sacred Heart and Division 2 Escanaba. Sophomore outfielder Cameron Varda is another strong all-around contributor, hitting .405 with 43 runs and 39 stolen bases leading off and going 4-0 with a 1.31 ERA on the mound.
PHOTO Bay City Western’s Luke Lacourse (12) takes a throw at first base ahead of Northville’s Ryan O’Neil when their teams met in a regular-season matchup. (Photo by Terry Lyons.)