D1 Baseball: Pilots Fly High Again
June 15, 2012
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
BATTLE CREEK – When Warren DeLaSalle began this season 3-14-1, coach Matt Cook had little choice but to simply look ahead to the next practice, the next game.
But he promised the Pilots if they stayed the course, the tough times wouldn’t last forever.
Kevin Carroll and his classmates made sure of it.
DeLaSalle is 17-8 since, and will play for its fourth MHSAA championship Saturday thanks to a 3-2 win over Howell in Friday’s Semifinal.
“No one’s going to stop this team right now. We’re playing better than we ever have,” said Carroll, who gave up five hits and struck out six in getting the pitching win. “Everyone’s here to play. Everyone’s here to win. There’s not one person who doubts it.
“I don’t know what the turning point was or where it was, but I think that definitely it was because of the seniors. The seniors decided we were done losing. We didn’t like it.”
DeLaSalle (20-22-1) faces No. 6 Hudsonville at 12:30 p.m. Saturday for the title. Data isn’t readily available to confirm the Pilots could become the first team to win an MHSAA championship with a losing record.
But it’s fair to believe this run is bordering on unprecedented.
“These guys did a heck of a job putting it together and doing things the right thing,” said Cook, who as a player caught for the Grand Ledge team that fell in the 2001 Division1 Final to Grosse Pointe South. “I kept telling them to play their game. You play baseball the right way, it’s going to turn around.”
The Pilots scored one run apiece in the tops of the fourth, fifth and sixth innings. Howell came back with a run in bottoms of the fifth and sixth. But sophomore second baseman Dominic DiPuma’s home run in the top of the sixth ended up being the game-winner when the Highlanders (30-11) failed to scratch one more across.
“We’ve battled through. That’s been our thing all year; our kids have never given up,” Howell co-coach Jason Ladd said. “We were down 7-1 in the Regional, battled back and won. And I think these kids expected we were going to win this one.”
Senior outfielder Reed Carnagie had two hits and an RBI for the Pilots. Senior Josh Vyletel fell to 15-3 on the mound despite tossing a complete game and striking out four for Howell. Click for a full box score.
Hudsonville 4, Saline 3
Hudsonville earned its first championship game berth with a two-run rally in the fourth inning and shutdown pitching by senior Blake Hibbitts and sophomore Logan Magsig. Saline had just one more hit after opening up a 3-0 lead.
Magsig, playing shortstop before he moved to the mound, also drove in the first run of the go-ahead rally before scoring what became the winning run later in the fourth inning.
Senior first baseman Hunter Prince also had two hits for No. 6 Hudsonville (32-5). Junior second baseman Andrew White, sophomore rightfielder Michael Hendrickson and senior catcher Patrick Price all had a double and an RBI for No. 9 Saline, which finished 30-11. Click for a full box score.
PHOTOS: (Top) Warren DeLaSalle players celebrate sophomore Dominic DiPuma's home run that proved to be the game winner against Howell. (Middle) Hudsonville senior Hunter Prince connects during his team's Semifinal against Saline.
Sacred Heart Adds 1st Title in 30 Years to Coach's 57-Year Celebration
By
Keith Dunlap
Special for MHSAA.com
June 13, 2026
EAST LANSING — This was quite an anniversary present for longtime Mount Pleasant Sacred Heart baseball coach Earl Hartman.
On Saturday, his team’s matchup with Marcellus in the Division 4 championship game also happened to fall on the same day as his 57th wedding anniversary.
The Irish provided a nice gift, winning the school’s third Finals championship and first since 1996 with a 10-0 win in five innings over Marcellus.
“We were here (39) years ago in 1987, also on our anniversary, but we were runner-up,” said Hartman, who just finished his 43rd year as head coach. “Took a long time to make amends.”
Always one of the state’s top-ranked programs in Division 4, the biggest thing for Sacred Heart this year was getting past powerhouses such as Beal City and Portland St. Patrick before getting to the Semifinals.
The Irish finally did so again this spring, and went on to earn dominant wins in East Lansing. Sacred Heart had defeated Royal Oak Shrine Catholic in its Semifinal, 4-0.
“We still had to dial it in, but once we got over that St. Patrick and Beal City hump, it was smooth sailing from there,” said Sacred Heart senior Brady Davis, who was the standout in Saturday’s Final.
On the mound, he allowed just one hit while throwing all five innings, striking out eight.
At the plate, Davis hit his first-ever home run, sending a shot over the big wall in right field with a man on in the fourth inning to give the Irish a 7-0 lead.
“I’ve always dreamed of hitting a bomb like that,’ Davis said. “So it was great.”
In the bottom of the fifth inning, Davis came up with the bases loaded and one out with Sacred Heart up 9-0. He then sent a deep fly ball to the outfield to bring home the 10th run and end the game on the run-differential rule.
The Irish wasted little time getting going Saturday, scoring four runs on two hits in the bottom of the first inning to take a 4-0 lead. Senior Teegan Duffy had an RBI single, junior Hank MacDonald an RBI groundout and then freshman Jaxon Moore had a two-run single to comprise the rally for Sacred Heart.
Marcellus had a threat in the fourth inning, loading the bases with two outs before Davis got out of the jam with a strikeout.
Beyond that, Davis was in full control.
Marcellus (22-12) was making its first appearance in the championship game.
“That team is unreal,” Marcellus head coach Christian Hutson said. “That’s a buzzsaw.
“Nobody believed we could make it this far. It’s an amazing experience. There’s nothing to be ashamed of for this group.”
Indeed there wasn’t for Marcellus, but the day belonged to Sacred Heart’s team and the anniversary celebration for its longtime coach.
“It’s huge for the whole community and everybody showed up,” Davis said. “For Coach Hartman, It’s been a while since we’ve been back here, so we wanted to do it for him.”
PHOTOS (Top) Sacred Heart's Noah Zeien (3) sprints to first base during the Division 4 Final on Saturday. (Middle) The Irish's Maxim Boykin Lynch crosses the plate as the ball lands in front of Marcellus catcher Eli Torres.