Preview: Hopefuls Head to McLane
June 11, 2014
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
Michigan State University’s McLane Baseball Stadium will host its first MHSAA Baseball Finals this weekend, and in doing so welcome two reigning champions and two more teams that finished runners-up a year ago.
Bay City Western is back in the Division 1 Semifinals after claiming its first championship in 2013, while Grosse Pointe Woods University Liggett is the reigning Division 4 champ but playing this time in Division 3.
But don’t assume Division 4 belongs now to last season runner-up Beal City; semifinalists Maple City Glen Lake and New Lothrop also are back for the second straight season. Reigning Division 2 runner-up Richmond also is back after making its first championship game a year ago.
For the first time as well, Semifinal play will begin Thursday and continue Friday with all four Finals on Saturday. Below is this weekend's schedule, followed by a look at each contender.
Semifinals – Thursday
Division 1
Battle Creek Lakeview (32-5) vs. Grosse Pointe South (26-17) - 11:30 a.m.
Clarkston (20-12) vs. Bay City Western (36-7) - 5 p.m.
Division 2
DeWitt (23-10) vs. Richmond (34-3) - 9 a.m.
Mount Pleasant (30-8-1) vs. Richland Gull Lake (30-9) - 2:30 p.m.
Semifinals – Friday
Division 3
Gladstone (29-4) vs. Decatur (23-6) - 2:30 p.m.
Reese (28-7-1) vs. Grosse Pointe Woods University Liggett (23-8) - 5 p.m.
Division 4
Beal City (35-3) vs. Kalamazoo Christian (18-17) - 9 a.m.
New Lothrop (32-6) vs. Maple City Glen Lake (31-2-1) - 11:30 a.m.
Finals – Saturday
Division 1 - 11:30 am
Division 2 - 9 am
Division 3 - 5 pm
Division 4 - 2:30 pm
Tickets cost $7 per round or $15 for an all-tournament ticket that includes admission to baseball games. Radio broadcasts of all games can be heard online at MHSAAnetwork.com. All games will be streamed live online at MHSAA.TV and viewable on subscription basis.
All statistics below are through at least the regular season, with most through teams' Regionals or Quarterfinals. (Click for links to brackets and scores.)
Division 1
BAY CITY WESTERN
Record/rank: 36-7, No. 4
Coach: Tim McDonald, 22nd season (600-205-7)
League finish: First in Saginaw Valley Association North
Championship history: Division 1 champion 2013.
Players to watch: Justin Gorr, sr. P/1B (.427, 12 2B, 42 RBI); Carson Eby, jr. C/IF (.395, 10 2B, 41 RBI); Jason Clark, soph. P/2B (9-2, 1.22 ERA, .318, 42 R); Scott Badour, sr. P/OF (9-2, 0.71 ERA).
Outlook: A senior-heavy team won Western’s first MHSAA title a year ago, but the Warriors are back in the Semifinals despite graduating four who earned all-state recognition. The pitching has been stellar (19 shutouts), especially during the tournament – Western has given up only one run in five playoff games, to Midland in the District opener. Juniors Tony Robbins and Aaron Rodriguez and sophomore Brandon Wise join Clark and Badour with at least four wins each and ERAs of 2.12 or lower.
BATTLE CREEK LAKEVIEW
Record/rank: 32-5, unranked
Coach: Jeff Sovern, 10th season (245-94)
League finish: First in Southwest Michigan Athletic Conference East
Championship history: Three MHSAA titles (most recent 2006), two runner-up finishes.
Players to watch: Travis Snyder, soph. C (.420, 32 RBI); Nick Jones, soph. 3B/C (.405, 34 R, 29 RBI); Jacob Herbers, jr. P/1B (.411, 40 R, 11 2B, 8-0, 1.02 ERA); Jake Bivens, sr. SS (.409, 42 R, 10 2B, 29 RBI).
Outlook: Lakeview will add to a solid baseball tradition with its first Semifinal appearance since the last championship run in 2006. And only three starters are seniors – although Bivens is a big-time contributor and made the all-state first team in 2013. The young Spartans have shown plenty of poise during a tournament run that has included one and two-run wins over traditional powers Grand Ledge and Howell, respectively, and a 9-5 Quarterfinal victory over No. 5 Saline.
CLARKSTON
Record/rank: 20-12, unranked
Co-coaches: Phil Price, 16th season (325-175)
League finish: Third in Oakland Activities Association Red
Championship history: Class A champion 1976.
Players to watch: David Steward, sr. P; Ryan Rea, sr. P; Nathan Witt, sr. P (Stats not submitted.). Outlook: Clarkston is making its third Semifinals appearance and first since 2002 and is giving up an average of only two runs per game during the tournament. Witt has signed with Michigan State University and could get the chance to throw in his future home park.
GROSSE POINTE SOUTH
Record/rank: 26-17, unranked
Coach: Dan Griesbaum, 31st season (707-359-1)
League finish: First in Macomb Area Conference Red
Championship history: Division 1 champion 2001.
Players to watch: Andrew Eaton, sr. 1B/P; Richard Kish, sr. P/IF; James Menchl, sr. P/IF (Stats not submitted.).
Outlook: Grosse Pointe South has won seven straight District championships but is back in the Semifinals for the first time since 2005. The Blue Devils upset top-ranked Sterling Heights Stevenson 2-0 in the Quarterfinal to advance, and have allowed only two runs during the MHSAA tournament – both to Detroit U-D Jesuit in the Regional Final.
Division 2
DEWITT
Record/rank: 23-10, unranked
Coach: Alan Shankel, fifth season (108-58)
League finish: Third in Capital Area Activities Conference Red
Championship history: Two MHSAA titles (most recent 1993), two runner-up finishes.
Players to watch: Sam Smith, sr. 1B/P (.441, 27 RBI, 5-2); John-Michael Moody, sr. C (.386, 32 RBI); Keaton Sackett, jr. SS (.394, 36 R, 13 SB); Justin Stygles, sr. RF (.352, 33 R, 35 RBI, 12 2B).
Outlook: DeWitt started this season hot, cooled off for a bit, but warmed back up in time to make the Semifinals for the first time since 2003 and eliminate No. 3 Portland along the way. Moody was an all-state second-teamer last season and is one of 10 seniors who helped the Panthers to their first Regional title since 2009. DeWitt can rely on a number of contributors including seven pitchers with at least one win this spring.
MOUNT PLEASANT
Record/rank: 30-8-1, unranked
Coach: Luke Epple, 21st season (613-166)
League finish: Second in Saginaw Valley Association North
Championship history: Two MHSAA titles (most recent 2007), two runner-up finishes.
Players to watch: Zach Heeke, soph. 3B (.410, 34 R, 32 RBI, 12 2B, 22 SB); Hunter Buczkowski, soph. P (7-2, 1.23 ERA, 92 K); Dean Marais, sr. LF (.362, 34 RBI); Aaron Leasher, sr. CF/P (8-3, 1.27 ERA, 114 K, .329).
Outlook: Mount Pleasant’s run over the last decade is incredible – eight District titles, seven Regional championships, now six trips to the Semifinals and an MHSAA title in 2007 and runner-up finish in 2008. Unranked this time around, the Oilers eliminated No. 5 Bay City John Glenn along the way and has given up only four runs total in six tournament games.
RICHLAND GULL LAKE
Record/rank: 30-9, No. 4
Coach: Bill Blakely, 22nd season (489-246)
League finish: Second in Southwest Michigan Athletic Conference East
Championship history: Has never played in an MHSAA Final.
Players to watch: Nick Miller, sr. CF/P (43 R, 12 SB, 11 2B, 4-1, 1.75 ERA); Drew Blakely, soph. C/P (.478, 35 RBI); Walter Graf, sr. P/2B (8-2, 1.95 ERA, .396, 48 R, 24 RBI, 12 2B, 17 SB); Jarod Burton, jr. 1B (.356, 29 R, 16 2B, 49 RBI).
Outlook: Gull Lake has been on the verge of playing in its first championship game, with this its third Semifinal in 11 seasons after also making it this far just three seasons ago. The Blue Devils have won nine District and nine league titles as well over the last 11 seasons. Sophomore Caleb Scoles (6-0, 1.66 ERA) will provide another key arm if Gull Lake is in need this weekend.
RICHMOND
Record/rank: 34-3, No. 10
Coach: Scott Evans, third season (91-19)
League finish: First in Blue Water Area Conference
Championship history: Division 2 runner-up 2013.
Players to watch: Evan Kratt, jr. C (.449, 29 R, 29 RBI); Austin Harvey, sr. 3B (.475, 51 R, 11 2B, 33 RBI, 45 SB); Ryan Boyd, sr. SS (.367, 39 R, 35 RBI, 35 SB); Zach Leach, sr. P/RF (10-1, 1.22 ERA, .538, 52 R, 45 RBI, 28 SB); Dillon McInerney, jr. P/1B (12-0, 1.00, .348, 10 2B, 37 RBI); Dustin Leach, sr. CF (.441, 44 R, 42 SB).
Outlook: Richmond has won 31 straight since opening 2-3 and after last season’s longest-ever tournament run. Six starters are back from last season’s championship game lineup, and Zach Leach and Boyd were all-state second-teamers. The Blue Devils are a catcher’s nightmare – their 204 stolen bases entering the week rank third in MHSAA history for one season, and Richmond has been caught only 11 times.
Division 3
DECATUR
Record/rank: 23-6, No. 7
Coach: Ben Botti, 20th season (427-191-1)
League finish: Second in Southwestern Athletic Conference South
Championship history: Four MHSAA titles (most recent 2012), one runner-up finish.
Players to watch: Cody Huston, jr. 3B/P (7-0, 1.20 ERA, .333); Cole Southworth, jr. C (.387); Joby Kawaski, jr. P/1B (.418, 44 R, 22 RBI, 15 SB, 7-0, 2.16, 92 K); Matthew Botti, jr. P/SS (.403, 24 R, 29 RBI, 10 2B, 3-1, 1.62 ERA), Carter Smith, soph. 2B (.372, 31 R, 16 SB).
Outlook: Decatur will look to add a Division 3 title to the four it’s earned in Division 4 over the last 15 seasons under Ben Botti. The Raiders made the Quarterfinals for the third straight season and haven’t missed a beat since moving into their new division this spring, eliminating No. 9 Watervliet during this tournament run. The experience will no doubt prove valuable, as the team has only five seniors – and starts only one.
GLADSTONE
Record/rank: 29-4, No. 3
Coach: Don Lauscher, second season (47-14)
League finish: Does not play in a league.
Championship history: Has never played in an MHSAA Final.
Players to watch: Justin Jurek, jr. DH (.381, 42 R, 37 RBI); Jake Peterson, jr. RF/P (.351, 30 R, 7-0, 2.87 ERA); Sam Pouliot, sr. IF/P/C (7-1, 1.17 ERA); Hunter Garling, soph. C (.486, 35 R, 12 2B, 27 RBI, 3-2, 1.18 ERA).
Outlook: There are only about 20 baseball programs in the Upper Peninsula during a given season, and Gladstone brought its back last season after not having a team since 1959. The Braves caught up quickly and have only one in-state loss this season, to much larger Marquette. The program was able to take off in part because the community has a strong summer American Legion tradition, but this team is still young with only four seniors and the rest picking up valuable experience.
GROSSE POINTE WOODS UNIVERSITY LIGGETT
Record/rank: 23-8, unranked
Coach: Dan Cimini, 11th season (300-63)
League finish: Second in Michigan Independent Athletic Conference Blue
Championship history: Three MHSAA titles (most recent 2013 in Division 4), two runner-up finishes.
Players to watch: Nicholas Azar, jr. SS (.400, 30 RBI, 15 2B, 10 SB); Anthony Simon, sr. P/IF (.400, 11 SB); Gehrig Anglin, fr. P/IF (11-2, 1.16 ERA, .386); Adam Fiema, sr. P/CF (6-3, 2.14 ERA, .457, 27 R, 13 2B, 23 SB).
Outlook: University Liggett graduated three all-staters and moved to Division 3 this season after winning two of the last three Division 4 championships, but have been similarly impressive. Azar also was a Division 4 all-stater in 2013 and with Fiema is one of five senior starters. Despite entering unranked, University Liggett knocked out No. 1 Madison Heights Bishop Foley in the Regional Final and No. 10 Clinton on Tuesday.
REESE
Record/rank: 28-7-1, unranked
Coach: Dave Elliott, 19th season (418-197-4)
League finish: First in Greater Thumb Conference West
Championship history: Has never played in an MHSAA Final.
Players to watch: Frank McKenzie, sr. 2B (.329, 25 R, 24 RBI, 12 SB); Cody Peyok, sr. CF (.410, 33 R, 30 RBI, 10 2B, 19 SB, 8-2, 1.92); Matt Sahr, sr. P (.337, 26 R, 26 RBI, 15 SB, 9-1, 0.32, 79 K); Tony Bentley, sr. LF (.351, 32 R, 276 RBI, 11 2B, 15 SB).
Outlook: This is Reese’s second Semifinal appearance; the Rockets also advance this far in 1997 and reached the Quarterfinals in 2001. They’ve given up only two runs total in five tournament games and are riding a 16-game winning streak. Reese was swept by Pinconning 7-6 and 20-1 early this season before avenging those with a 5-1 Quarterfinal win Tuesday. The team has eight seniors, including the top six hitters in the starting lineup and two winningest pitchers.
Division 4
BEAL CITY
Record/rank: 35-3, No. 2
Coaches: Brad Antcliff, eighth season (259-42-3)
League finish: First in Highland Conference
Championship history: Three MHSAA championships (most recent 2010), one runner-up finish.
Players to watch: Ty Rollin, sr. SS/P; Chase Rollin, soph. RF (Stats not submitted.).
Outlook: Beal City finished runner-up in 2013 and is in the Semifinals for the fifth time in six seasons. Top pitcher Ty Rollin was an all-stater last season and is one of seven starters back from last season’s championship game lineup; he gave up only six hits as Beal City lost to University Liggett 3-2. The Aggies knocked out top-ranked Muskegon Catholic Central in the Regional Final to highlight this run.
KALAMAZOO CHRISTIAN
Record/rank: 18-17, unranked
Coach: Steve Bennecke, second season (34-30)
League finish: Sixth in Kalamazoo Valley Association
Championship history: Has never played in an MHSAA Final.
Players to watch: Stephen Niewoonder, jr. P/1B/LF (.351, 22 R, 14 SB, 5-3); Alex Visser, fr. 2B (.385); Justin Richardson, sr. P/OF (7-3, 2.10 ERA); Greg Harris, jr. RF (.352, 10 SB).
Outlook: Kalamazoo Christian has won District titles in both seasons under Bennecke and made the Semifinals as recently as 2009, but has to be the surprise of this tournament after opening this season 5-10. The team has only four seniors and only two who start, but also two standout freshman starters among those gaining valuable experience for potential runs to come.
MAPLE CITY GLEN LAKE
Record/rank: 31-2-1, No. 3
Coach: Kris Herman, 11th season (223-166-5)
League finish: First in Northwest Conference
Championship history: Class D runner-up 1984.
Players to watch: Austin Odziana, jr. 1B (.422, 36 RBI, 10 2B); Thomas Waning, sr. P (12-1, 0.72 ERA,165 K, .360, 47 R, 10 2B); Travis Moore, soph. 3B (.494, 43 RBI, 12 2B); Trevor Apsey, sr. C (.518, 37 R, 38 RBI, 13 2B, 18 SB), Tristan Williams, sr. SS (.442, 48 R, 24 SB. 12 2B); Zach Cooper, soph. LF/P (13-0, 0.97 ERA, 79 K).
Outlook: Glen Lake has returned to the Semifinals for the second straight year while keyed by many of the same players as last season, including all-state first-teamer Odziana and second-teamer Apsey. Its only losses were to rivals Suttons Bay and Bellaire, and Glen Lake then beat both during the tournament while outscoring its postseason opponents by a total of 40-14.
NEW LOTHROP
Record/rank: 32-6, No. 5
Coach: Keith Villano, fourth season (112-25-2)
League finish: First in Genesee Area Conference Blue
Championship history: Has never played in an MHSAA Final.
Players to watch: Quentin Taylor, soph. OF/P; Grant Steinborn, jr. 1B/P; Kyle Chappelle, sr. 3B (Stats not submitted.).
Outlook: New Lothrop has risen from Quarterfinalist in 2012 to Semifinalist in 2013 and hopes to take the next step this weekend into its first championship game. Steinborn was an all-state second-teamer last season and leads a staff that should give the Hornets a solid chance. New Lothrop eliminated No. 8 Potterville and No. 6 Sterling Heights Parkway Christian during this tournament run.
PHOTO: Maple City Glen Lake catcher Trevor Apsey waits for the throw home as Beal City’s Ryan Tilmann slides under just in time to score in a 2013 Division 4 Semifinal.
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.)