St. Mary's Earns Another Saturday Return, Taking on History-Making Kenowa Hills
By
Steve Vedder
Special for MHSAA.com
June 11, 2026
EAST LANSING – Death, taxes and Orchard Lake St. Mary's baseball team finding itself in another MHSAA Finals championship game.
The last of those three certainties was affirmed again Thursday when the torrid Eaglets blanked Dearborn Divine Child 8-0 in a Division 2 Semifinal at Michigan State.
Orchard Lake St. Mary’s used two productive innings to soar into Saturday's 9 a.m. title game against Grand Rapids Kenowa Hills. The spot in the Finals will be the program's 10th since 2007, with three titles won from 2019-2022 and six since 1998.
Despite the long track record of success, Eaglets coach Nick DiPonio said the winning never gets old or taken for granted. The program has averaged 33 victories per season since claiming the 2019 Division 2 title.
"This was definitely not just another game," said DiPonio, whose No. 1-ranked team upped its winning streak to 26 games. "We're battle-tested. We play in a great league with great players, and we're used to competition. We've become good at blocking out all the extraneous noise."
Orchard Lake St. Mary's sent 12 batters to the plate to score five runs in the third inning and added three more runs in the fifth. The third inning barrage included three triples, including one by Hudson Brzustewicz with the bases loaded. Luke Crighton drove in a run with another triple.
The trio of runs in the fifth included an RBI single by Zach Essig, one of three current Eaglets who had older brothers play on previous state champions. Essig said his current teammates are well-aware of the program's previous success.
"It's crazy," said Essig, who has two older brothers on former champs. "I'm the only one without a ring; we haven't won anything yet. Those guys were role models for us. Our older brothers pushed us. We've got a lot of good guys on this team, and we're capable of beating anyone when we play well."
Crighton, who scattered four hits and faced only three batters over the minimum, thought he did a quality job of wading through a Divine Child lineup which scored 30 runs over the Regionals and Quarterfinal.
"I threw strikes and felt strong, and overall I thought I did okay," he said. "I was able to trust the defense to make the plays.
DiPonio said Crighton is a big-game pitcher.
"I expected him to go out and do this, the last two years, really," DiPonio said. "He always gives us a good chance to win. He throws strikes with multiple pitches."
Brzustewicz said there is no doubt one of the team's foremost goals is to carry on the long history of success in June. That success is felt by virtually all the players, he said.
"There is a brotherhood; we're going out there for our brothers,” he added. “We like to have fun and win, and we're right there this year. We've won like 26 in a row, but I don't know if we're at the same level yet as some of those teams. A couple won 40-some games."
Dearborn Divine Child coach Jeremy Shay, who has seen plenty of talented Eaglets teams in his four years, says the current club is a good one because it covers all parts of the game.
"They're very good," he said. "They obviously can hit and have very good pitching and play well defensively. They're tough to beat.”
Grand Rapids Kenowa Hills 9, Vicksburg 6
While Kenowa Hills may be known for an outstanding pitching staff, it was a pair of clutch seventh-inning hits that propelled the Knights into their first MHSAA Baseball Final.
Trailing 6-5 entering their final at-bats and having blown a 5-0 lead earlier, the Knights got a two-run triple from senior outfielder Andrew Lake and run-scoring single by Jack Stoddard to up their winning streak to 20 games.
"I was looking fastball and I choked up on the bat, and (the pitcher) hung a curve and I turned on it," Lake said. "You dream for this moment."
The clutch hits aside, Kenowa Hills (36-2) entered the game with a remarkable pitching staff which included three pitchers who had combined for a 26-1 record and ERA of under two runs a game. Kenowa Hills pitchers have 13 shutouts this season and 28 games where they have held teams to three runs or fewer.
"That's been our team all year – we battle," Stoddard said. "We come together as a team and have stayed motivated."
Kenowa Hills led 5-0 in the third inning with Hudson Drake driving in one run on a sacrifice fly and Brennan Gustinis adding an RBI triple.
But Vicksburg (30-8) cut the margin to 5-2 in the bottom of the third and then took a 6-5 lead into the seventh. Bulldogs junior outfielder Maguire Bowles drove in three runs with a single, bases loaded walk and triple. Graham Kubiak also drove in a pair of runs.
Despite the eye-popping numbers posted by the pitchers, first-year Kenowa Hills coach Todd VandenHeuvel said his club can hit and score clutch runs. The team entered Thursday with a .380 team batting average and come-from-behind wins over Grand Rapids Forest Hills Central and East Grand Rapids that proved to players that despite being unranked to start the season, they could be a power.
"Can we be really good or great?" he asked players earlier this season. "I think we've moved the needle toward being great. We've played from behind late before. It was an unusual situation, but I think it allowed us to play an aggressive game. That doesn't surprise me; that's what great teams do.
"I think we have a perfect balance of both (hitting and pitching). We like getting a run every inning; we don't do a lot of three or four-run innings."
Vicksburg coach Brian Deal, who is retiring after 28 years and 487 wins, said a team from a small town like Vicksburg making a Semifinal is a major feat.
"It's great for all the small towns," he said. "We did this for all those small towns. We think we can go toe-to-toe with any team. We had our chances to put more runs on the board."
PHOTOS (Top) An Orchard Lake St. Mary’s runner crosses the plate during the Eaglets’ Division 2 Semifinal win Thursday at McLane Stadium. (Middle) Kenowa Hills’ Bobby Haisma (19) applies a tag on Vicksburg’s Maddox Rosalin a few steps in front of first base.
Inspired Norway Earns 1st Finals Trip, Set to Face Reigning Champ Beal City
By
Scott DeCamp
Special for MHSAA.com
June 14, 2024
EAST LANSING – Cameron Varda’s go-ahead single scoring Ian Popp with two out in the sixth inning Friday may have been the greatest moment in Norway’s brief 15-year history as a high school baseball program.
It lifted the Knights to a 3-2 victory over Marine City Cardinal Mooney in an MHSAA Division 4 Semifinal at Michigan State University’s McLane Stadium.
That may not have been the best moment of the day, however. Coach Tony Adams had a surprise for his team, which hails from the western edge of the Upper Peninsula near the Wisconsin border.
U.P. legend Jason Whitens, a 2017 Powers North Central alumnus who led the Jets to three Division 4 basketball titles and two 8-player football championships, was on hand for the game and spoke to the Norway team after the program’s first Semifinal appearance.
Whitens played basketball for Michigan State after beginning his career at Western Michigan. He’s now an assistant strength coach for the MSU men’s basketball team.
“That’s Jason. I worked at North Central for a couple of years and I became really good friends with his mom and dad, Gerald and Faye, and that’s the kind of kid they raised. Back home, he’s larger than life,” Adams said. “I knew he was going to be here and I said, ‘Hey, will you say a few words?’ because I knew he would. I thought it was a phenomenal moment for our kids.”
Norway (28-3-1) is looking to make the weekend even more memorable as it faces perennial power and reigning champion Beal City (33-6) in Saturday’s 2:30 p.m. Final. Beal City defeated Vermontville Maple Valley, 5-1, in Friday’s first Semifinal.
With Norway and Cardinal Mooney (23-11) tied at 2 in the sixth inning and two out, Knights No. 9 hitter Popp singled up the middle. He attempted to steal second base, and as the ball skidded to the backstop on a wild pitch, he never stopped running and made it safely to third base. Leadoff batter Varda delivered a line single to center field to give Norway the lead.
Starter Cole Baij worked the sixth inning for the Knights, and Owen Baij closed it out in the seventh.
“I started off with a single with two outs. I wasn’t really thinking of it, but (my coach) gave me the steal sign and I was going and I looked at him and he said to keep going, so I thought Cameron put the ball in play and had a nice hit,” Popp said. “He told me to slide and I slid and turns out, the ball just went behind the catcher. All in all, it worked out very well.”
Said Varda: “I was just thinking, ‘Put the ball in play, score the runner on third.’ I just did a short swing, put the ball in play, and scored him.”
Norway got bats on the ball throughout its lineup, finishing with nine hits total. Owen Baij and Alex Ortman had two hits apiece.
Cole Baij earned the pitching win for Norway. The right-hander allowed two runs (one earned) on four hits with three strikeouts and four walks over six innings. Owen Baij allowed one hit and struck out one with no walks in his one inning to pick up the save.
Mason Martin took the loss for Cardinal Mooney in relief of George Szep. Martin allowed one earned run on four hits with one strikeout and no walks in two innings.
Cameron Spezia went 2-for-4 to lead the Cardinals.
“It’s hard, but it comes down to they executed more plays than we did and that’s how they won the baseball game,” Cardinal Mooney coach David Bowen said. “It just comes down to execution; that’s why you play a baseball game. They understand. They don’t like it, but they understand.”
Whitens delivered an inspirational message to Norway’s team, proving that “U.P. Power” still runs strong.
He said that Yooper pride definitely is a real thing.
“We’re such a strong community when you look at it. We’re such a small community when you look at it,” Whitens said.
“I grew up 15 minutes from Norway. There’s a lot of ties, a lot of my good friends are from Norway, a lot of my dad’s friends are from Norway, so there’s a lot of close ties. Whenever you see a U.P. school competing for a championship down here, you’re always pulling for them. Those ‘U.P. Power’ chants never get old in my head.”
The Norway players and coaches, who used to cheer for Whitens, now find him pulling for them – and it couldn’t be cooler for the Knights.
“It was really cool (with Whitens’ speech) because when we were younger and we were growing up and we were watching him play and everybody in the U.P. knew who he was, and to see what he did in his journey, it was awesome,” Popp said. “And now that he can speak to us and give us some wisdom, it’s very cool.”
Beal City 5, Vermontville Maple Valley 1
The Beal City baseball machine operated in top form Friday morning at McLane Stadium.
Seven players had hits, the defense made a couple of highlight-worthy plays to prevent a big inning, and Josh Wilson was effective on the mound.
Beal City (33-6) is seeking a second straight Division 4 title and sixth overall. Maple Valley, which made its first Semifinal appearance in 49 years, closed the season 29-8.
“It’s these guys. It’s a testament to these guys – these guys just play good ball and they’re good kids with great families and a great program. They bought into my style of baseball, and they’ve done a great job with it,” said Beal City coach Brad Antcliff, who returned to the team last season after stepping away from 2017-2022 to focus on his daughters and their softball teams.
Beal City wasted no time taking the upper hand against Maple Valley. After Wilson retired the Lions in order in the top of the first inning, the Aggies went to work in the bottom half scoring three runs without making an out.
Cayden Smith led off with a double to right field. He took third on a passed ball and scored on the same play with a head-first slide at home after the ball got away from the Lions’ catcher.
Jack Fussman’s triple into the right-field corner scored Owen McKenney, who had walked. Wilson followed with a double to center field to score Fussman.
Beal City hit throughout its lineup and continued to keep the heat on Maple Valley pitcher Jakeb McDonald. Jake Gauthier also doubled for the Aggies.
“The bottom half of the order has come up huge in the playoffs so far, and it puts a lot of pressure on the pitcher to take every batter seriously,” said Wilson, who led the Aggies with two RBIs.
Wilson, a 6-foot-2, 200-pound right-handed senior, took care of business on the mound, too. He allowed one unearned run on three hits with eight strikeouts and two walks in a complete-game effort. Wilson (8-3) also retired the Lions in order in the sixth and seventh innings.
“I felt good. First couple innings, I was struggling a little bit, couldn’t really get in the zone,” said Wilson, a four-year varsity player. “Found it and the defense played good behind me.”
Teegan McDonald led Maple Valley, going 2-for-3 with an RBI double in the fourth inning that pulled the Lions within 3-1. In the fifth, Beal City right fielder Bennett Gilde made a nice, sliding catch near the line to start the top half of the inning, and second baseman Cuyler Smith made a leaping snag of a line drive to end it.
The Lions had grown accustomed to winning close games and comebacks during the tournament, taking them by 3-2, 5-4, and 4-2 counts in two Regional contests and a Quarterfinal. They kept battling against the Aggies but could not come back this time.
“We know it takes 21 outs to finish a game, and we’re going to fight through every one of them,” Maple Valley coach Bryan Carpenter said. “I hope (the Semifinal experience) makes them hungry. I hope they now have a belief that this is possible and that we can do this on the regular. This doesn’t have to be once-in-every-49-years kind of thing for Maple Valley.”
Antcliff is seeking his fourth Finals championship as Beal City’s baseball coach. He also guided the Aggies to titles in 2009 and 2010. This is his eighth 30-win season in 12 years at the helm.
Beal City has been a model of consistency over the years. Friday’s game showed some reasons why that is the case.
“Our 1 through 9 are solid. We may not swing it every time and great at-bats, but at any time I feel like we can have nine base hits in a row. We do the little things right, getting bunts down and stuff, and that’s a testament to these guys and buying into (the culture),” said Antcliff, who expects his team will need more of the same to add another championship Saturday.
“Win the first pitch … We’re going to have to bring our ‘A’ game and see what happens.”
PHOTOS (Top) Norway’s Cole Baij delivers a pitch during his team’s Division 4 Semifinal win Friday at McLane Stadium. (Middle) Beal City’s Cayden Smith scores under the tag of Maple Valley’s Jakeb McDonald (18).