Adams' Multi-Sport Gem Picot Providing Robust Reminder of Value on Diamond
By
Keith Dunlap
Special for MHSAA.com
May 11, 2023
ROCHESTER HILLS – In a way, it’s ironic for anyone watching Rochester Adams senior Parker Picot thriving and excelling at his best sport right now during the spring.
The small twist of irony is that a few months ago during the fall, some felt the same thing while he was playing a different sport.
For any observers of high school sports who follow football and not much else, they likely know all about Picot and how much of an all-around force he was for Adams on the gridiron. He was a lockdown defensive back and a dual-threat quarterback who did just about everything for a Highlanders team that advanced to the Division 1 championship game in 2021 and a Regional Final this past November.
People probably watched and wondered where his future in college football would take him, and for good reason given Central Michigan and University of Massachusetts headlined programs that offered him football scholarships.
But if those same observers are wondering why Picot isn’t going to play college football, all they have to do is watch him play baseball for Adams this spring.
If they do, it’s likely a collective “Oh” would be coming out of their mouths.
No doubt, as good as Picot was at football, he is even better at baseball, and will rightfully pursue that sport going forward after signing with Alabama in November.
“I’ve always loved football,” Picot said. “But I enjoy baseball more.”
Entering a Tuesday game against fellow Oakland County power Lake Orion, Picot owned the career school records for home runs (19) and stolen bases (57).
Playing in a tough league and against a formidable nonconference schedule, Picot was batting .339 with six home runs, 23 RBI and 10 stolen bases this spring hitting primarily out of the No. 2 spot in the Adams lineup.
Also a hard-throwing ace pitcher, Picot was 4-0 and had allowed four earned runs in 19 innings pitched going into Tuesday.
“He’s pretty good at everything,” Adams head coach Jeff Hall said. “He’s solid all the way around. He’s a great center fielder and one of the fastest kids in the country. I think in Chicago, he ran some ridiculous 60-yard dash.”
It’s not out of the realm of possibility that there could be something even greater ahead for Picot in baseball that has nothing to do with college.
“We have about five MLB scouts at every game,” Hall said.
Whether his name is called during July’s Major League Baseball draft remains to be seen, but regardless, Picot will go down as one of Adams’ all-time greatest athletes.
All the battles he has had on the baseball and football fields probably were nothing compared to all the battles he had in the backyard growing up with older brother Nick and twin brother Tait, who also was an invaluable two-player player for Adams in football and was batting close to .400 for the baseball team this spring going into Tuesday.
It didn’t matter if it was Wiffle Ball or tackling drills, the competition was intense enough to where maybe the brothers should have charged admission for neighbors to watch.
“They were pretty intense,” Picot said. “We definitely had fun. A lot of my success comes from there. We just went at it. It was brotherly love and brotherly competition. We had fun.”
Parker and Tait Picot obviously dream of leading Adams baseball to its first MHSAA Finals championship in June before Parker begins his college career at Alabama, or even gets drafted high enough to where it becomes tempting to bypass college altogether.
Assuming Picot eventually winds up in Tuscaloosa, there will be no lobbying Alabama football coach Nick Saban or anyone else on his staff for a walk-on spot on the football team.
Picot couldn’t be more in his passion and element going full-steam ahead in baseball from this point forward.
“It’s nice,” he said. “You don’t have to worry about anything else. I can just focus in and grind on baseball.”
Keith Dunlap has served in Detroit-area sports media for more than two decades, including as a sportswriter at the Oakland Press from 2001-16 primarily covering high school sports but also college and professional teams. His bylines also have appeared in USA Today, the Washington Post, the Detroit Free Press, the Houston Chronicle and the Boston Globe. He served as the administrator for the Oakland Activities Association’s website from 2017-2020. Contact him at [email protected] with story ideas for Oakland, Macomb and Wayne counties
PHOTOS (Top) Rochester Adams’ Parker Picot comes to the dugout during a game against Lake Orion on May 9. (Middle) Picot looks to his third-base coach for signs while at the plate. (Photos by Keith Dunlap.)
Preview: Right Place, Right Time
June 12, 2019
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
While it’s an obvious statement this spring’s 16 MHSAA baseball semifinalists have peaked at the right time, it might mean a little more this weekend at Michigan State University’s McLane Baseball Stadium.
Five teams – including half the final fields in Divisions 1 and 2 – were unranked at the start of Districts. The fifth team, Saginaw Nouvel, is riding one of the most impressive playoff streaks in any division despite entering the playoffs below .500.
Meanwhile, seven teams are playing for their first championships this weekend – including the highest-ranked remaining in three divisions.
See below for a schedule of this weekend’s games, plus glances at all 16 teams that will take the field beginning Thursday.
Semifinals – Thursday
Division 1
Macomb Dakota vs. Rockford, 9 a.m.
Portage Northern vs. Bloomfield Hills Brother Rice, 11:30 a.m.
Division 2
Orchard Lake St. Mary’s vs. Muskegon Oakridge, 2:30 p.m.
Grand Rapids Catholic Central vs. Trenton, 5 p.m.
Semifinals – Friday
Division 3
Pewamo-Westphalia vs. Homer, 9 a.m.
Grosse Pointe Woods University Liggett vs. Gladstone, 11:30 a.m.
Division 4
Petersburg Summerfield vs. Gaylord St. Mary, 2:30 p.m.
Saginaw Nouvel vs. Decatur, 5 p.m.
Finals – Saturday
Division 1: 9 a.m.
Division 2: 11:30 a.m.
Division 3: 2:30 p.m.
Division 4: 5 p.m.
Tickets cost $8 per round and include admission to softball and girls soccer games those days also at MSU’s Old College Field. 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. Click for links to brackets, scores and a parking map.
Division 1
BLOOMFIELD HILLS BROTHER RICE
Record/rank: 25-12, unranked
Coach: Bob Riker, 22nd season (603-215)
League finish: Third in Detroit Catholic League Central
Championship history: Three MHSAA titles (most recent 2008), three runner-up finishes.
Players to watch: Tito Flores, sr. OF/1B/P (.368, 44 R, 6 HR, 28 RBI, 26 SB); Sterling Hallman sr. IF/P (.330, 5 HR, 34 RBI); Jack Orlowski, sr. 3B/P/DH (.321, 11 2B, 6 HR, 34 RBI); Tyler Sarkisian, sr. P/OF/IF (3-1, 1.54 ERA, 63 K/50 IP).
Outlook: Brother Rice opened this season ranked No. 1 by the coaches association after making the Semifinals a year ago, but fell out of the list with a 7-7 start. The Warriors have won eight straight, with a District Final victory over No. 8 Birmingham Seaholm and Regional Final win over No. 5 Romeo among postseason highlights. Flores made the all-state second team last season and leads off a lineup that begins with four seniors and ends with five underclassmen. He will continue his career at University of Michigan, and Sarkisian will play at University of Chicago.
MACOMB DAKOTA
Record/rank: 21-16-1, unranked
Coach: Gerald Carley, ninth season (208-99-1)
League finish: Fifth in Macomb Area Conference Red
Championship history: Has not appeared in an MHSAA Final.
Players to watch: Greg Guzik, soph. IF (.359, 25 R, 19 RBI, 11 SB); John Sovey, sr. IF/P (.324 20 R, 5-3 pitching, 2.60 ERA, 50 K/51 IP); Andrew Wouters jr. OF (.315, 25 R), Mike Biebuyck, sr. P (5-4, 2.60 ERA).
Outlook: Dakota is another team that was ranked early – the Cougars have regular-season wins against Brother Rice and Romeo to their credit – but also played in a league with three teams ranked among the top 17 in Division 1 heading into Districts. They got past a big obstacle with reigning Division 1 champ Grosse Pointe South in the Super Regional Final – GPS beat Dakota three times during this regular season and also in last year’s Quarterfinal matchup. This will be Dakota’s first trip to the Semifinals and comes as the team is riding an 8-2-1 wave.
PORTAGE NORTHERN
Record/rank: 37-7, No. 2
Coach: Chris Andrews, 19th season (492-208)
League finish: Second in Southwestern Michigan Athletic Conference West
Championship history: Division 1 runner-up 2015.
Players to watch: Zach Quinn, sr. OF/P (.434, 44 R, 36 RBI, 13 SB, 2-0 pitching, 0.82 ERA); Nolan McCarthy, jr. SS/P (.430, 45 R, 13 2B, 48 RBI, 16 SB); Cam French, sr. P/1B (10-0, 1.26 ERA, 49 K/61 IP, .301, 23 RBI); Tyler Helgeson, sr. OF/P (.355, 50 R, 30 SB, 27 RBI, 4-3 pitching, 2.12 ERA, 40 K/33 IP).
Outlook: Portage Northern emerged from a Super Regional that included top-ranked Brownstown-Woodhaven, No. 15 Saline and No. 18 Grand Ledge and has won 22 of its last 23 games. The lineup is junior heavy and loaded with hitters: juniors Greg Lapetina (.390, 42 R, 31 RBI, 13 SB), Gannon Andrews (.402), Jack Beffel (.441), Parker Brey (.387, 37 RBI) and Malcolm Gaynor (.344) also stick out as the team hits .373 as a whole. Sophomore Xander Morris (9-0, 1.44) gives Northern another ace as well. Helgeson will continue his career at Eastern Michigan University.
ROCKFORD
Record/rank: 27-9, No. 10
Coach: Matt Vriesenga, fifth season (124-50)
League finish: First in Ottawa-Kent Conference Red
Championship history: Division 1 champion 2011.
Players to watch: Joe Kelley, sr. OF (.409, 34 R, 10 2B, 10 HR, 43 RBI); Alex Miller, sr. OF (.371, 18 R, 13 SB); Zach Schamp, sr. OF (.324, 34 R, 21 RBI); Zach Marshall, sr. P/OF (.318, 8-4 pitching, 2.25 ERA, 83 K/62 1/3 IP).
Outlook: The Rams will play in the Semifinals for the first time since that championship season in 2011, and Vriesenga previously led Grand Rapids Christian to a Division 2 runner-up finish in 2005. Rockford has won 12 of its last 13 games since a regular-season defeat to Byron Center, which it avenged in the Regional Final. Kelley is an incredible story – as reported by the Grand Rapids Press, he broke the school’s home run record this season after being cut as a junior. He’s one of six seniors in the starting lineup, and senior Grant Martin (6-1, 1.36) is the team’s second-winningest pitcher. Sophomore Luke McLean (5-1, 2.06) is another important arm.
Division 2
GRAND RAPIDS CATHOLIC CENTRAL
Record/rank: 26-10, unranked
Coach: Tim MacKinnon, third season (54-43)
League finish: Second in O-K Blue
Championship history: Class B champion 1985, two runner-up finishes.
Players to watch: Myles Beale, jr. SS/P (.330, 42 R, 10 2B, 30 RBI, 41 SB); Joe Collins, sr. P/3B (.420, 6-3 pitching, 1.08 ERA, 50 K/51 2/3 IP); Ben Joppich, sr. P/OF (8-1, 0.73 ERA, 75 K/67 IP); Kyle Tepper, jr. CF/P (.378, 29 R, 15 SB, 2-1 pitching, 2.63 ERA).
Outlook: GRCC owns a 28-7 combined margin of victory over five postseason games including wins over No. 3 East Grand Rapids, No. 4 Holland Christian and reigning Division 2 champion Stevensville Lakeshore in the Super Regional Final. MacKinnon, who previously coached East Kentwood from 2005-15 and overall has a 256-186-2 record, took this program from 13-18 his first season to two wins from the title in his third. Senior Jack Nawrocki is another big contributor, hitting .342 from the clean-up spot and going 6-1 with a 2.19 ERA on the mound, and junior Zach Grabowski (.407) and senior Luke Passinault (.330, 10 2B) are two more key bats in the middle of the lineup.
MUSKEGON OAKRIDGE
Record/rank: 26-7, unranked
Coach: Brandon Barry, 27th season (499-286)
League finish: First in West Michigan Conference
Championship history: Has never played in an MHSAA Final.
Players to watch: Koleman Wall, sr. P/SS (.461, 30 R 13 2B, 30 RBI, 8-2 pitching, 1.07 ERA, 129 K/73 IP); Ethan Miller, soph P/1B (.375, 6-1 pitching, 1.06 ERA, 43 K/41 2/3 IP); Kolbe Stewart, jr. LF (.347, 25 RBI, 18 SB); TJ Ruel, sr. P/1B (5-0, 2.15 ERA, 55 K/40 1/3 IP).
Outlook: Oakridge won its fifth Regional title this decade and will play in the Semifinals for the first time since 2011 after beating No. 10 Essexville Garber in the Super Regional Final. Wall came back from injury to shine in that game and has had an all-around stellar season, while Ruel was an all-state pitcher as a junior and with Miller provides intriguing options should Oakridge advance to Saturday. Junior shortstop Austin Fairchild has seen the mound in 10 games, and with a 0.23 ERA also could provide some solid help during the final weekend.
ORCHARD LAKE ST. MARY’S
Record/rank: 32-9-2, No. 2
Coach: Matt Petry, ninth season (181-128-2)
League finish: First in Detroit Catholic League Central
Championship history: Three MHSAA titles (most recent 2015), three runner-up finishes.
Players to watch: Dillon Kark, sr. IF (.352, 33 R, 26 RBI); Alex Mooney, soph. IF (.444, 48 R, 15 2B, 42 RBI, 21 SB); Logan Wood, jr. P (9-0, 1.16 ERA 128 K/72 2/3 IP); Nolan Schubart, fr. OF (.393, 25 R, 13 2B, 42 RBI).
Outlook: St. Mary’s finished Division 2 runner-up in 2015 and made the Semifinals a year ago, and has the pitching in particular to take on anyone this weekend. Wood was an all-state first-team selection a year ago, and he’s joined by freshman Brock Porter (8-2, 1.20 ERA, 78 K) and juniors Anthony Fett (6-3, 1.53 ERA, 79 K) and Mikey Gall (4-2, 2.43 ERA) on a strong staff. Kark also was an all-state first-team selection last season and is one of six regulars hitting at least .323. Senior Harrison Poeszat (.323, 32 R, 30 RBI) and freshman Jack Crighton (.379, 10 2B) with Schubart fill out the middle of the lineup.
TRENTON
Record/rank: 32-9, No. 15
Coach: Todd Szalka, 12th season (283-157-1)
League finish: Second in Downriver League
Championship history: Class B champion 1994.
Players to watch: Adam Wilding, jr. P/IF (.458, 43 R, 25 2B, 38 RBI, 22 SB, 5-2 pitching, 2.77 ERA); Jay Solano, sr. P/IF (.427, 33 R, 11 2B, 27 RBI, 12 SB, 4-1 pitching, 2.00 ERA); Kyle Richey jr. P/1B (10-3, 1.09 ERA, 92 K/71 IP); Gabe Cavazos, jr. P/OF (.425, 32 R, 31 RBI).
Outlook: Trenton is playing in its first Semifinal since 2001 and riding a 10-game winning streak. Another reason for excitement is this team has only three seniors – but makes up for any tournament inexperience with assistants Gary Szalka and Bob Jones, who have a combined 90 years of coaching experience in varsity baseball; Szalka ranks 20th all-time with 648 wins from his 37 seasons at Melvindale (1971-2009). Trenton finished second in its league only to Division 1 top-ranked Brownstown Woodhaven. Junior Brenden Donovan (.387, 41 R) and sophomore pitcher Micah Ottenbreit (8-1, 1.32 ERA, 83 K) are others who are likely to play big roles this weekend.
Division 3
GLADSTONE
Record/rank: 29-7, No. 13
Coach: Kelly Shea, first season (29-7)
League finish: First in Great Northern Conference
Championship history: Has never played in an MHSAA Final.
Players to watch: Carson Shea, sr. P (.429, 22 SB, 10-1 pitching, 0.63 ERA); Cooper Cavadeas, sr. C (.378, 23 RBI); Cody Frappier, sr. RF (.382, 30 R, 29 RBI); Daniel Martin, sr. DH (.347, 36 R, 28 RBI, 25 SB).
Outlook: Gladstone is back at the Semifinals for the second straight season and fifth time in six years. The Braves have won 13 of their last 14 games and advanced with a Super Regional Final victory over No. 7 Beaverton. Frappier and Carson Shea were among key cogs on last season’s Semifinals team as well, and junior shortstop Zach Hanson (.346, 19 SB) is another impact bat from the lead-off spot and also is 4-1 on the mound. Kelly Shea formerly coached the junior varsity and as a varsity assistant before taking over the program this spring.
GROSSE POINTE WOODS UNIVERSITY LIGGETT
Record/rank: 23-9, No. 4
Coach: Dan Cimini, 16th season (438-99)
League finish: First in Detroit Catholic League AA
Championship history: Five MHSAA titles (most recent 2016), two runner-up finishes.
Players to watch: Billy Kopicki, sr. SS/P (.411, 25 R, 15 2B, 24 RBI, 16 SB, 2-1 pitching, 2.10 ERA); Alec Azar, sr. P (.357, 11-3 pitching, 1.46 ERA, 104 K/91 IP); Logan King, sr. P/OF (.365, 17 2B, 28 RBI, 6-2 pitching, 2.42 ERA, 73 K/63 2/3 IP); Drew Zelenak, jr. P/OF (.325, 19 RBI).
Outlook: After two seasons playing in Division 1, Liggett is back in Division 3 and a contender for its fifth championship this decade after winning Division 3 in 2014 and 2016 and Division 4 in 2011 and 2013. Azar was an all-state first-team selection in Division 1 last season and this spring one of just five seniors – although all five start. Four losses were to teams either ranked in Division 1 at the end of the regular season or playing in the Semifinals on Thursday, and Liggett has wins over Brother Rice, Portage Northern and Grosse Pointe South among other larger programs. Kopicki will continue his career at Miami University at Ohio.
HOMER
Record/rank: 31-3, No. 6
Coach: Scott Salow, 19th season (559-128)
League finish: Second in Big 8 Conference
Championship history: Two MHSAA titles (most recent 2006), two runner-up finishes.
Players to watch: Zach Butters, sr. P/UTY (. 419, 36 R, 10 2B, 41 RBI, 10 SB, 9-1 pitching, 1.16 ERA, 75 K/60 1/3 IP); TJ VanderKuyl, jr. SS/P (.377, 38 R, 21 RBI, 23 SB, 5-1 pitching, 2.00 ERA); Jacob Wilson, jr. P/OF (.393, 36 R, 19 RBI, 10-1 pitching, 0.82 ERA, 103 K/59 2/3 IP); Kyle Compton, sr. 2B (.449, 38 R, 25 RBI, 10 SB).
Outlook: Homer will follow its third Quarterfinal this decade with its first trip back to the Semifinals since 2006. The Trojans have earned their way with their last three wins over No. 5 Ann Arbor Greenhills, No. 12 Michigan Center and No. 16 Blissfield, and they beat Division 2 No. 6 Edwardsburg during the regular season. Butters made the all-state second team as a pitcher last season, and six pitchers total have at least one win for Homer this spring. Nine regulars are hitting .323 or better; seniors Seth Deigert (.364, 40 RBI) and Gabe Farmer (.356, 34 RBI) and sophomore Damaso LeBron (.351, 40 R) also are main run producers.
PEWAMO-WESTPHALIA
Record/rank: 31-2, No. 1
Coach: Mark Rademacher, 35th season (554-325)
League finish: Tied for first in Central Michigan Athletic Conference
Championship history: Class C runner-up 1991.
Players to watch: Anthony Pohl, sr. C (.376, 28 RBI); Brendan Thelen, sr. P/OF (.381, 36 R, 19 SB, 14-0 pitching, 0.73 ERA, 101 K/77 IP); Keegan Smith, jr. P/IF (.410, 29 R, 25 RBI); Tanner Wirth, fr. OF (.441, 35 R, 31 RBI, 18 SB).
Outlook: Pewamo-Westphalia has followed its first Regional title since 1991 with its first trip to the Semifinals since that runner-up season and built its highest win total in Rademacher’s 35 seasons leading the program. The Pirates shared their league title with Portland St. Patrick, top-ranked in Division 4 at the end of the regular season, and their only losses were to the Shamrocks and Division 1-ranked Grand Ledge. Junior shortstop Ethan Thelen is another significant contributor, hitting .351 from the fifth spot, and junior third baseman Ethan Smith is hitting .329 from clean-up and is 11-1 with a 1.55 ERA on the mound.
Division 4
DECATUR
Record/rank: 32-6, No. 5
Coach: Ben Botti, 25th season (543-241-1)
League finish: First in Southwest 10 Conference
Championship history: Four MHSAA titles (most recent 2012), two runner-up finishes.
Players to watch: Jakob Southworth, sr. P/1B (.438, 38 R, 11 2B, 27 RBI, 17 SB, 12-1 pitching, 0.93 ERA, 103 K/67 2/3 IP); Travis Hunsberger, sr. P/OF (.301, 33 R, 25 RBI, 14 SB, 8-3 pitching, 1.47 ERA, 79 K/57 IP); Benjamin Cerven, jr. 2B (.388, 46 R, 11 2B, 24 RBI, 28 SB, 3-0 pitching, 0.00 ERA); Justin Gale, sr. IF/P (.410, 29 R, 13 2B, 43 RBI, 16 SB, 1-0 pitching, 0.68 ERA).
Outlook: Decatur will play in its first Semifinals since finishing Division 3 runner-up in 2014, and this team has made significant strides with the program’s first league title since 2016 while continuing a District streak that now stretches nine seasons. The Raiders have won 17 straight games, with postseason victories over No. 12 Kalamazoo Christian, No. 14 Three Oaks River Valley and No. 18 Colon highlighting the run. The team has only four seniors, but they are high-impact – in addition to Hunsberger, Southworth and Gale mentioned above, shortstop Garrett Smith is hitting .354 from the nine spot in the lineup, another of eight regulars at .300 or higher from the plate.
GAYLORD ST. MARY
Record/rank: 26-5, No. 7
Coach: Matt Nowicki, 15th season (268-171)
League finish: First in Ski Valley Conference
Championship history: Class D runner-up 1988 and 1989.
Players to watch: Drew Koenig, jr. P/C (.400, 10 2B, 37 RBI, 11-4 pitching, 2.56 ERA, 95 K/71 IP); Brady Hunter, jr. CF (.427, 47 R, 10 2B, 33 RBI, 25 SB, 3-0 pitching, 1.88 ERA); Andrew Zielinski, jr. 3B (.356, 39 R, 25 RBI, 14 SB, 2-0 pitching, 1.57 ERA); Alex Pudvan, jr. 1B (.356, 35 RBI).
Outlook: St. Mary is making its fourth straight trip to the Semifinals. This team is led in part by Koenig, an all-state first-team selection as a pitcher last spring, and junior Joseph Moeggenberg (9-0, 1.48 ERA) could take the mound Saturday if the Snowbirds reach their first Final. St. Mary has scored double-digit runs in 13 games this season, including four of five during the playoffs and 14 runs against No. 16 Norway in the Super Regional Final. Moeggenberg (.347) and junior shortstop Steven Koscielniak (.330, 33 R) are two more run producers for a team hitting .335 as a whole.
PETERSBURG SUMMERFIELD
Record/rank: 26-4, No. 3
Coach: Travis Pant, fifth season (87-69)
League finish: First in Tri-County Conference
Championship history: Has never played in an MHSAA Final.
Players to watch: Derek Clark, jr. P/OF (.494, 44 R, 52 SB, 12-0 pitching, 0.22 ERA, 105 K/63 IP); Ethan Eyler, soph. RF (.418, 31 R, 37 RBI, 18 SB), Mark Keller, sr. 1B/P (.415, 34 R, 11 2B, 26 RBI, 10 SB); Brendan Dafoe, jr. SS (.402, 32 R, 18 SB).
Outlook: Summerfield took a step from last season’s Quarterfinal loss to make the Semifinals for the first time this spring, in part on the strength of a pitching staff led by Clark but also including sophomore Brock Olmstead (6-1, 0.76 ERA) and junior Brandon Tyler (4-0, 0.48 ERA). Clark made the all-state first team last season, and Dafoe made the second. They help drive an offense that has outscored its six postseason opponents by a combined 75-2 – including an 11-0 win over No. 15 Marine City Cardinal Mooney in the Super Regional Final. What’s more, Keller is the team’s only senior starter.
SAGINAW NOUVEL
Record/rank: 14-16-1, unranked
Coach: Shawn Larson, second season (33-26-1)
League finish: Sixth in Tri-Valley Conference West
Championship history: Four MHSAA titles (most recent 2005), two runner-up finishes.
Players to watch: Justin Osmond, jr. IF (.418, 25 R, 27 SB); Brady Alverson, soph. IF/P (.378, 24 R, 11 2B, 27 RBI); Harrison Dwan, jr. CF/P (.344, 30 R, 36 SB), Jacob Burr, sr. P/IF (3.16 ERA).
Outlook: Nouvel has been in the mix plenty over the years, most recently making the Semifinals in 2012 in Division 3. However, this has been an incredible run. Nouvel so far this tournament has eliminated No. 8 and reigning champ Beal City, No. 11 Marlette and No. 19 Bay City All Saints, a memorable send-off for five seniors who all play significant roles and important experience for a team that should return its top hitters in 2020.
PHOTO: Portage Northern ace Cam French winds up during his team’s Super Regional win over Brownstown Woodhaven on Saturday. (Photo courtesy of the Portage Northern baseball program.)