Weatherlys Cherishing Final Run Together
June 2, 2017
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
HOWELL – It’s not hard to pick out the Weatherly boys on a baseball field. Sam, the senior, is 6-foot-3. Ty, a junior, is an inch taller.
It’s a little tougher to realize Howell co-coach Mike Weatherly is their dad. He's shading just north of 6 foot.
But watch closely, and you’ll figure it out. Jason Ladd, the other half of the Highlanders’ varsity coaching pair, has seen it plenty of times.
“They’ve both got some of their dad’s athleticism for sure, seeing how he played four years at Central Michigan University and they won four MAC championships while he was there,” Ladd said. “He was a captain, and they get a lot of leadership quality from their dad.
“But it’s unique in the fact that they’re able to be so respectful. Sometimes when you get parents who are coaches, (the kids) aren’t respectful. But they’re both totally respectful to their dad, appreciative of what he does, and you can tell there’s a lot of love beyond being the son of the coach.”
It’s a lot of fun at the Weatherly house these days. But really, it’s been that kind of spring as Mike gets one final chance to coach both of his youngest sons on a team that could do some damage when Howell begins Division 1 District play today at Dexter.
Sam Weatherly is arguably the top high school baseball player in Michigan this season. A lefty, he hits 92 mph on the mound, and he’s signed to continue his career at Clemson University – which currently is playing in the NCAA Regionals.
Ty is finishing his first year of varsity ball, but coming on strong. A righty, he throws in the mid 80s and no-hit reigning Division 2 runner-up Linden a week ago.
They’re the youngest two of four athletic children Mike and Marybeth (Chappelle) Weatherly have raised. Bobby, 25, played baseball at Howell and Muskegon Community College, while Tess is three years older than Sam and plays basketball at Northern Michigan University.
It’s a question Mike can’t help but get asked – how do you go about raising such a talented bunch? There are some pointers to be offered there. But right now, the focus is just on enjoying every moment they can share.
Following Mom and Dad's lead
Mike Weatherly was a shortstop at Central Michigan University – and a really good one, in fact.
So it makes sense that when he describes how his wife-to-someday-be flipped through the air in front of him back then, he calls it an “Ozzie Smith” in reference to the acrobatic Hall of Fame shortstop of St. Louis Cardinals lore.
He also knew at that moment that she was the one – or at least one he was interested in knowing better.
According to a Detroit Free Press report when she was a track star at Sterling Heights Stevenson, Marybeth had grown up in gymnastics and also was a cheerleader. She got into track later, but some of her school records still stand, Mike said. And because of her genes, her boys stand tall – the height is from her side of the family, as is their speed and a dose of their toughness.
“My mom had three older brothers. She’s been raised with wolves, and with us, she treats us the same way,” Sam said. “Crybabies never really happened in our house. You have to have a hard nose in this family."
All four clearly have used those physical gifts to their advantage – Sam and Ty most recently in helping Howell to a 26-9-1 record.
Sam is hitting .500 with 15 doubles, three home runs and 29 RBI, and he’s stolen 16 bases. He’s also 5-1 on the mound with a 0.73 ERA and 61 strikeouts in just more than 38 innings pitched. He’s given up 19 hits and four runs total this spring.
Ty – who grew four inches just over the last year – is finishing up his first varsity season strongly. He has thrown 35 innings and is 5-0 with a 2.00 ERA and 30 strikeouts.
When Sam was 6, he asked his dad about college baseball. Ever since, Sam wanted to be a baseball player. He chose jersey number 6 because it was Mike’s; he’s worn it since.
Sam and Ty always were together as the two youngest kids, and played on the same teams for about five years with Mike as their coach.
“They were fortunate to be born with some coordination, and worked at it. And they had good youth experiences, playing Little League … we let them develop at their own pace, and I think that’s the key,” Mike said.
“There was no extra coaching going on. If you look at their innings pitched, they were really green; they didn’t throw a lot. Sam played freshman baseball (instead of varsity). I think this generation of people push too hard too early. If we did one thing right, that’s it, that’s really it. You have to go out and have fun and enjoy it. Because it can get ugly if you don’t.”
Sharing the fire
Ladd spun a bit of a phrase in describing Sam and Ty. He said they are nothing alike, but just like their dad. And, strange as that might sound, he’s right.
Ty might be the jokester, but Sam is the talker of the two, even if he’s a little more serious. Mike, meanwhile, recalled how his CMU teams were referred to as the “mouths of the Midwest,” but not him – he kept quiet and played, and Ty is much the same.
And yet, competitive fire, however the sons show it, reminds Ladd of their dad.
Ty indeed is more like Mike in that he keeps it under the surface. That’s not to mistake either as calm; it’s just the intensity doesn’t necessarily come with a voice.
Sam’s intensity, on the other hand, “is way out there.” Ty said this perhaps a little tongue-in-cheek – but he also knows that after a bad loss, his brother holes up in his room until morning.
“He gets really ticked off,” Ty said. “He hates it. He wants to win at everything.”
And Ty admires his brother’s work ethic in trying to attain that goal. So much so, he’d love to see his brother go out in a couple weeks as the last one standing on the mound at Michigan State’s McLane Stadium, putting the finishing touches on a championship.
“I know this season has meant a lot to him, and he really, really wants that state championship,” Ty Weatherly said. “I know if he went out there and got that W for us, it would be really special to him.”
Here and now
It would be easy for Sam to look ahead. He wouldn’t have to look far.
Whenever Howell’s season does end over the next three weekends, he’ll officially become a member of the Clemson baseball program.
In a little more than a week, on June 12, the Major League Baseball draft will begin. He has a legitimate shot of being selected the second day, sometime during rounds 3-10.
But that’s not where his head, or rather feet, are today – or will be until the Highlanders have done everything possible to win their first MHSAA baseball championship.
And that’s not just saying the right thing because Dad is the coach. It’s especially apparent in his relationship with Ty – with all of this going on in Sam’s life, he’s still watching his brother’s moves on the diamond, ready with a few words of wisdom when they can help. Sam has gotten a lot of coaching from great sources the last few years, and through him Ty has been a recipient as well.
“I really care. I care about the team first, and personal accolades follow that,” Sam said. “You should be where your feet are, and my feet right now are in high school with my high school team, and that’s my first priority.”
But …
“All of it kinda hits me off the field,” he added. “I use baseball and friends to get away from it. It’s fun, but I’m very anxious at the same time.”
Howell has eluded a state ranking despite recent wins over No. 5 Birmingham Brother Rice, No. 9 Sterling Heights Stevenson and ranked Division 2 teams Linden and Fowlerville.
With No. 10 Brighton being upset by Ann Arbor Skyline in a Pre-District game Tuesday, today’s possibilities got a lot more interesting. Not that anyone is looking ahead or expecting to win. But simply forecasting from the outside, there are opportunities to keep this thing together a little while longer – especially with a ranked rival no longer in the field.
Mike knows the way. He coached Hartland to the MHSAA Semifinals in 2000, and with Ladd led Howell to the final weekend in 2012 and 2013. Those runs had to be a little bit different, of course; now he's writing his sons into the lineup at this most exciting time of the season.
“We’re trying to enjoy every moment and slow it down because it’s going to be gone before we know it,” Mike Weatherly said. “It’s exciting, but I’ll admit it’s a little stressful too.
“There’s a lot riding on stuff, but at the end of the day things will work out the way they work out. We’ll keep plugging away. All we’re trying to do is win a championship, try to win their last game, and that’s been our focus.”
Geoff Kimmerly joined the MHSAA as its Media & Content Coordinator in Sept. 2011 after 12 years as Prep Sports Editor of the Lansing State Journal. He has served as Editor of Second Half since its creation in Jan. 2012. Contact him at [email protected] with story ideas for the Barry, Eaton, Ingham, Livingston, Ionia, Clinton, Shiawassee, Gratiot, Isabella, Clare and Montcalm counties.
PHOTOS: (Top) Sam Weatherly, middle, stands with parents Mike (also his coach at Howell) and Marybeth. (Middle) Ty Weatherly shares a fist bump with his dad after reaching base. (Below) Sam Weatherly begins to unwind toward the plate during a game this season. (Photos by Andrea Leon.)
Forest Hills Eastern, Standish-Sterling Celebrate 5-4 Wins to Set Up Saturday Matchup
By
Drew Ellis
Special for MHSAA.com
June 12, 2025
EAST LANSING – Seeing its championship hopes slip away, Ada Forest Hills Eastern turned to a pair of juniors Thursday to give it a boost.
A relief effort from Colton Brinks and a timely hit from Ben Fausey allowed the Hawks to fight past Orchard Lake St. Mary’s in a Division 2 Semifinal, 5-4, at McLane Stadium on the campus of Michigan State University.
The win moved Forest Hills Eastern to Saturday’s Division 2 Final at 11:30 a.m., where it will face Standish-Sterling. The Hawks will be seeking their second title in program history, with the last coming in 2022.
“It’s just playing another game, that’s it,” Forest Hills Eastern coach Ian Hearn said of advancing to the MHSAA Final. “We really haven’t focused on the magnitude of the possibility of winning. The game is the same, people change, so we’re just going to keep approaching it the same way.”
The Hawks (41-1) held a 4-0 lead after one inning, but saw Orchard Lake St. Mary’s (26-13) slowly crawl back.
In the fifth, up 4-3, Hearn went to Brinks on the mound in relief of starter Cam Pallo with one out, and the junior got out of a bases-loaded jam.
“He has done that multiple times and been very successful,” Hearn said of bringing in Brinks. “I don’t want to say (OLSM) was starting to time (Pallo) up or whatever, but he was starting to get tired. He was hard with his fastball, and his slider and curve ball. So, everything was firm, firm, firm. Colton came in a little bit more over the top and was able to change a lot of speeds and hit his spots. It typically takes a moment to adjust, so we’ve been fortunate that Colton has been able to get us a lot of soft contact.”
The Eaglets would tie the game in the sixth inning on an error, but Eastern responded in the seventh when Fausey hit a leadoff double. Senior James Dempsey then laid down a bunt that forced a St. Mary’s throwing error and allowed Fausey to score to give the Hawks the lead back.
“My first three at-bats, I was getting some nerves out, but I know I am a good hitter,” Fausey said of his double. “I was hunting a fastball on the first pitch, and thankfully I was on time.”
In the bottom of the seventh, the Eaglets put the first batter on base, but Brinks forced a double play, followed by a flyout to end the game.
“I’ve done this in every single playoff game except for one, so I am kind of getting used to it,” Brinks said of locking up the game late.
Forest Hills Eastern didn’t waste much time getting on the scoreboard, as it posted four runs in the first inning. The first two Hawks were walked, followed by a bunt single from Dempsey.
Brendan Thompson, another senior, then came through with a two-run single up the middle to make it 2-0. Junior Kenric Penkevich brought in another run on a fielder’s choice, then Pallo had an RBI single to cap the scoring in the first.
“I think our guys came out very motivated, with a lot of positive energy,” Hearn said. “It was very good to get started with the lead, that’s for sure.”
Orchard Lake St. Mary’s had its first five batters retired before junior Tyler Shubnell laced a double to left field. Shubnell would advance to third on an error from a pickoff attempt, then score on a balk to make it 4-1 through two innings.
Junior Luke Crighton took the mound for Orchard Lake St. Mary’s in the second inning and retired the first eight batters he faced. Ultimately, he held the Hawks scoreless for five innings.
“He’s done that all year for us. He’s really a superb two-way guy,” St. Mary’s coach Nick Di Ponio said. “He does it at the plate, does it on the mound, does it defensively, does it running the bases. I can’t say enough good things about what he means to this team.”
The Eaglets manufactured a run with two outs in the bottom of the fourth inning as junior Andrew Tribul drew a walk and then was singled over to third by senior Wyatt Borbi. Shubnell then reached base on an error that allowed Tribul to score, making it 4-2.
OLSM got within a run in the fifth as a leadoff single from Anthony Elezaj was followed by two walks and a wild pitch to make it 4-3.
In the sixth, Forest Hills Eastern stranded the bases loaded, and St. Mary’s tied the game in the bottom of the inning. Shubnell hit a leadoff single and would score on a throwing error with two outs, putting the score at 4-4.
“He swung really, really well today,” Di Ponio said of Shubnell. “He squared up the bat well and helped get some big runs for us.”
Brinks got the win in relief, his ninth of the season. Crighton finished with eight strikeouts and one run allowed over six innings of relief.
Standish-Sterling 5, Mason 4
The third time proved to be the charm for Ryan Raymond and the Standish-Sterling baseball team.
After coming up shy two of the last three seasons in Semifinals, the Panthers punched their ticket to their first MHSAA Final on Thursday with a 5-4 win over Mason.
“It feels really good,” Raymond said. “We didn’t play our best game. Give Mason a lot of credit. They battled. We made a few errors and we are going to have to play clean on Saturday, but it feels really good to be in the Finals.”
The game was scoreless for four innings, but the Panthers (36-5-2) got a momentum-swinging play when Mason (31-7) was threatening in the top of the fifth.
With a runner on and one out, the Bulldogs had a single go into right field. However, Mason’s lead runner got caught in a rundown and eventually was tagged out, and the trailing runner then got caught in a rundown of his own and was tagged out to end the inning.
“It’s one of those things where you try to prep your guys, and every pitch we need to stay as focused as possible,” Mason coach Kohl Tyrell said. “It’s one of those things where we just got a little too aggressive. We tried to hold (the lead runner) up, so it backfired and he got caught. It’s a great teaching moment for us. Sometimes those teaching moments come in wins, sometimes they come in losses.”
That defensive play sparked the Panthers, as they would go on to score all five of their runs in the bottom of the inning.
“I think that defensive play where we turned a very awkward double play, I think that got us all out of a tense funk,” Raymond said. “It loosened us up a little bit.”
Playing looser, Standish-Sterling utilized its bunting to get the offensive surge. Senior Kasen Wendel put a perfect bunt single down the third base line to load the bases. Junior Ben Briggs then followed with a bunt of his own, which forced a Mason error at home plate and brought two runs across for the Panthers.
“We play small ball. I think that is the way the game should be played,” Raymond said. “You see how it works when it is executed correctly. My boys are good at doing that, because we work on it a lot.”
A sacrifice fly from senior Trace Collins was followed by a two-run single from senior Brock Bartlett to cap Standish-Sterling’s scoring.
Mason didn’t go quietly, as it posted two runs in the sixth inning on a sacrifice fly from junior Travis Davis and a Panthers error. In the seventh, Mason scored another two runs thanks to another error while Standish-Sterling was attempting what would have been a game-ending double play.
“That’s this team,” Tyrell said of Mason battling to the end. “That’s why this is super emotional. It’s not the outcome, it’s hard to leave a team like this. The boys wanted it, and the fight never stops. They’re Bulldogs.”
With the tying run at second base, Raymond turned to senior Sam Briggs to record the final out, which he did by forcing a ground ball. Briggs got the save in place of starter Preston Kann, who pitched 6 2/3 innings and struck out seven in a winning effort.
“I am fortunate to have a lot of good arms, but two exceptional ones,” Raymond said. “They are both touching 90 (mph), but they are pitchers and they are baseball players. That helps a lot. They put a ton of time into their sport. Sam and Preston are dudes when it comes to pitchers.”
PHOTOS (Top) Ada Forest Hills Eastern players celebrate their Division 1 Semifinal win over Orchard Lake St. Mary’s on Thursday. (Middle) Standish-Sterling’s Brock Bartlett (15) applies a tag on a Mason runner attempting to get back to second base.