Union City to Omaha: Skirka Takes Murray State Baseball to 1st College World Series
By
Scott Hassinger
Special for MHSAA.com
July 28, 2025
UNION CITY – From his days fielding ground balls at Alumni Field in Union City to coaching the Murray State Racers at the 2025 College World Series in Omaha, Neb., Dan Skirka has never taken the game of baseball for granted.
A 2003 Union City graduate, Skirka credits his experience of growing up with three older brothers as playing a major impact in his athletic development.
"I played all three sports – football, basketball and baseball – when I was younger while growing up. After my freshman year, I began to concentrate solely on basketball and baseball," he said.
Inspired by watching his older siblings Darren (graduated 1995), Justin (1999) and Brian (2001) compete for the Chargers, Dan couldn't wait to be just like them when he reached the high school level.
"I would attend my brothers' games and I was always trying to emulate them and their teammates,” Dan Skirka said. “The desire to compete for my school when I got the chance helped turn me into the person I am today. It was just really special being on that field, and I never take the game for granted."
While his older brothers played multiple positions, Dan began his career as a pitcher, but an arm injury his freshman year convinced him to switch to shortstop, where he started his last three years for the Chargers.
Skirka was brought up to varsity his freshman year in both baseball and basketball. He played baseball under Joe Tinervia, earning all-conference at shortstop his sophomore, junior and senior seasons. As a senior, Skirka batted .520 in earning all-region as well.
He also was selected all-conference in basketball his sophomore, junior and senior years. A small forward, Skirka remembers well the thrill of winning a District championship his junior year before losing in the Regional Final. Being able to share that experience with guys he grew up with was priceless.
"I learned a lot about leadership skills and how necessary they were in my growth and maturity as a player in high school and college. I learned a great deal from the example the older guys set," Skirka said.
After graduating from Union City, Skirka became a two-year starter at shortstop at Kellogg Community College for head coach Russ Bortell. The Bruins captured a Michigan Community College Baseball Association title during Skirka's sophomore season. The Bruins also reached the regional semifinals that spring after falling in the regional final his freshman year.
"We had a great program at Kellogg, and I learned a ton about baseball from the coaching staff there.” Skirka said. “Grand Rapids Junior College won the regional both years I was at Kellogg. They had a tremendous team and were tough to beat."
Skirka received a Division II baseball scholarship to Grand Valley State University, where he played under Steve Lyon and helped the Lakers win two Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference titles. As a senior, Skirka was selected GVSU's Scholar-Athlete of the Year and named to the Division II all-region team, one step away from All-America honors, after hitting .400. He graduated from GVSU majoring in social studies with future plans to become a high school teacher and coach.
Skirka helped his teams at Kellogg and GVSU win a combined 173 games. He credits then-assistant coaches Eric Laskovy (Kellogg) and Jamie Detillion (GVSU) as being heavy influences in his decision to pursue a career in coaching college baseball.
"Laskovy and Detillion were both great assistant coaches who later became head coaches at those schools, and they served as great mentors to me. They both felt that I'd make a good college coach,” Skirka said. “I had always had good relationships with my college coaches, and I served as a team captain at each school. I learned a lot of lessons about toughness and loving the game. Sometimes we played in front of no spectators, and there were a lot of long bus rides."
Laskovy, now a highly-successful head coach himself at Kellogg, describes Skirka as the same genuine and humble person that he was during his playing career.
"Dan was quiet, but real confident and he handled himself well on the field. His strong work ethic as a player made him a coach's dream. He had good leadership skills and he always led by example,” Laskovy said. “That shows up now in his personality as a head coach. He knows the game well and won't get outworked by anyone, and he's seen every situation there is to see in baseball. He knows his stuff, and he's earned the respect of every one of his players and they love him. I couldn't be any prouder of him and the success he's went on to enjoy."
Detillion, who served as GVSU's head coach for 12 seasons before joining Henry-Scheim as a dental sales rep, described Skirka as being another coach on the field during his playing career.
"Dan went from being a good contact hitter to being a power hitter his senior season at GVSU. He was another coach on the field and he outplayed others by how well he prepared," Detillion said. “He always does the right thing, and his mannerisms and the way he goes about his business reveal his high character.”
While student-teaching before graduating from GVSU, Skirka served as an assistant coach in 2008 at GRJC before becoming an assistant coach in 2009 for Ouachita Baptist University in Arkansas. He joined Murray State's coaching staff as an assistant from 2010-2015 before leaving to become the recruiting coordinator at Walters State Community College (Tenn.), which finished as national runner-up in 2018.
Skirka accepted the position of head baseball coach back at Murray State on July 2, 2018. He’s only a few weeks removed from leading the Racers to a historic season.
Murray State, which is 206-151 under Sirka, finished with a school-record 44 wins this spring, winning the Missouri Valley Conference regular-season and tournament championships. The Racers earned their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2003 and fourth in program history. Murray State then upset host Ole Miss to claim the school's first NCAAA Regional crown, followed by a Super Regional victory over Duke that earned the Racers' their first trip to the College World Series. Murray State ended the season 44-17 after CWS losses to UCLA and Arkansas.
Skirka, who received Missouri Valley Conference Coach of the Year and the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association Mike Martin National Coach of the Year awards, turned down several coaching offers at other schools to remain at Murray State. He recently received a four-year contract extension that came with a substantial pay raise to become reportedly the highest paid coach in the MVC.
Skirka stated that his decision to stay on at Murray State was a simple one.
"Murray State is a real special place. I love the guys and people in this community, and it just feels like home,” Skirka said. “College baseball presents a lot of challenges. The game is difficult sometimes, and guys need to remember to be patient. It takes weeks, months and sometimes years to earn your time and develop a winning program."
Skirka pointed out clutch performances this season from his senior duo of outfielder and lead-off hitter Jonathan Hogart and third baseman and No. 3 hitter Carson Garner. Hogart hit a school-record 22 home runs, and Garner had 17.
"We have tough kids who grinded out and won 14 games by one run. We were never out of any game with a good mixture of veterans and underclassmen,” Skirka said. “It was a group of guys that loved one another and went out every day and had fun. This group worked hard and competed like crazy. They play the game the right way, and do it with a smile on their face. Our coaching staff is great as well. We meshed pretty well together."
Skirka and his wife Kelsey (Hanson) – also a 2003 Union City grad and a standout in volleyball, basketball and softball – have a 9-year old son, Keagan.
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PHOTOS (Top) At left, Union City sophomore shortstop Dan Skirka makes a throw to first base after fielding a grounder in 2001. At right, Skirka dons headphones for a postgame interview this past season. (Middle) Skirka (32) lays the ball up for two points while playing for Union City against Athens. (Below) Skirka is pictured with wife Kelsey and son Keegan before a game this spring. (Union City photos courtesy of Union City High School. Murray State photos courtesy of ProfEatonPhoto/Murray State athletics.)
Small Ball Drives St. Patrick, Plymouth Christian Capitalizes on Big Rally
By
Steve Vedder
Special for MHSAA.com
June 13, 2025
EAST LANSING – It may be an old-fashioned style of baseball, but Portland St. Patrick isn't complaining.
While many teams may prefer to slug it out en route to a Finals championship, the Shamrocks are literally content to taking it a step at a time. Case in point was Friday's 7-0 win over Norway in a Division 4 Semifinal at Michigan State's McLane Stadium.
St. Patrick bunted seven times, with at least six contributing to runs as the No. 1-ranked Shamrocks danced into Saturday's 5 p.m. championship.
It's not always the case, but moving runners along – any way possible – is part of the team's strategy, sophomore shortstop Jerryd Scheurer said.
"For us it's like hitting a home run. It's part of what we do every day," said Scheurer, who scored three runs. "Our dugout loves it. The team gets hyped up when we do it."
Combine an outstanding three-hit shutout from junior pitcher Brady Leonard, five Norway errors and just enough clutch hits to complement the small-ball approach, and St. Patrick will play in its first final since 2017's 6-2 win over Hudson. It will be the Shamrocks' fifth trip overall to the championship game.
St. Patrick improved its record to 33-1. The team's only loss was 10-5 to Mount Pleasant Sacred Heart, which halted a 26-game winning streak in the second to last regular-season game. That loss was avenged by the Shamrocks 5-4 in 12 innings in the Regional Final.
St. Patrick coach Bryan Scheurer said the team isn't necessarily wedded to the idea of a bunt-at-will approach, but they'll pick spots and utilize the weapon as best as possible.
"It's about the situation being part of what we do," he said. "When we get people on, we want to move them along. It's something the players buy into. Maybe it's not glorious, but they not only accept it, they embrace it."
The strategy was never more evident than during a three-run third inning that snapped a scoreless tie. The Shamrocks sent eight batters to the plate, managed only a double and a single – neither of which drove in a run – and still managed to score the three runs.
The rest was left up to Leonard, who surrendered only three singles, two to Owen Baij. Norway (28-5-1) managed to get only two runners on base in the same inning once. Leonard said there was no secret to what was working for him.
"Everything," he said. "I try to trust my stuff and know it'll get us here. I thought I pitched well."
Norway coach Troy Adams said the loss represents a key teaching moment.
"I didn't do a good job of preparing them for a brand of baseball you don't normally see, and that's on me," Adams said. "They get baserunners on and put you in a bind. We've got to get better at certain things we don't do. But hats off to St. Patrick. It took the No. 1 team in the state to eliminate us again."
Norway lost in last year's Final to back-to-back champ Beal City 10-0.
Plymouth Christian Academy 9, Petersburg-Summerfield 1
Plymouth Christian (29-7) bunched six hits with three errors, a sacrifice fly, two wild pitches and a walk to score seven runs in the third inning. The outburst turned a 2-0 lead into a 9-0 margin.
Luke Janigian threw a two-hitter for the win while also contributing an RBI in that third inning. Josh Yeager and Carter Dattilio also drove in runs with singles. Janigian struck out nine and walked two.
The win furthered an outstanding tournament showing by Plymouth Christian's pitching staff, which has allowed only five runs over six games with three shutouts.
"We didn't know much about them, but Coach said just get ahead early and command your pitches," Janigian said. "A shout out to the boys in playing behind me. When you throw strikes, good things happen."
Plymouth Christian coach Eero Perkola said the team relies on a substantial level of experience.
"Our 1 and 2 (starters) throw strikes, and we also have a couple crafty lefties in the bullpen," he said. "They trust the defense wholeheartedly. They just let the defense work, and especially in Division 4, that's nice."
Petersburg-Summerfield coach Reid Olmstead said five errors are far too many to make against good teams.
"We've been playing fundamental baseball; we just didn't do it today," he said. "Maybe it was nerves. Or sometimes when you make one or two errors, it snowballs. That was definitely the case today. You have to play clean baseball in big games."
PHOTOS (Top) Portland St. Patrick's Tyler Thelen rounds third base during his team's Semifinal win over Norway. (Middle) Plymouth Christian Academy's Luke Janigian throws a pitch during his team's victory.