Baseball Finals: Here Comes the Hit Parade

June 14, 2012

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
 

More than half of the teams in this weekend's MHSAA Baseball Finals field will play their first Semifinals ever Friday at Battle Creek's Bailey Park – including three teams each in Divisions 1 and 2. 

But will one also win its first championship? That's a tougher question to answer, especially with reigning Division 3 champ Madison Heights Bishop Foley and Division 4 winner Grosse Pointe Woods University Liggett also back and looking like favorites again.

Below is this weekend's schedule, followed by a look at each of the 16 teams that will be playing. Tickets cost $7 per round or $15 for an all-tournament ticket that includes admission to softball games. All Finals also will be streamed live online at MHSAA.tv and FoxSportsDetroit.com.

Semifinals - Friday

Division 1 
Warren DeLaSalle vs. Howell - Morrison Field, Noon
Hudsonville vs. Saline - Nichols Field, 1 p.m.

Division 2 
St. Joseph vs. Bay City John Glenn - C.O. Brown Stadium, 2 p.m.
Dearborn Divine Child vs. Grand Rapids Christian - Morrison Field, 3 p.m.

Division 3 
Saginaw Nouvel vs. Madison Heights Bishop Foley - Nichols Field, 4 p.m.
Mancelona vs. Lansing Catholic - C.O. Brown Stadium, 5 p.m.

Division 4
GPW University Liggett vs. Rudyard - Nichols Field, 10 a.m.
Muskegon Catholic Central vs. Decatur - C.O. Brown Stadium, 11 a.m.

Finals - Saturday
Division 4 - 9:30 a.m.
Division 1 - 12:30 p.m.
Division 2 - 3:30 p.m.
Division 3 - 6:30 p.m.

Statistics below are through teams' Regional tournaments. (Click for links to brackets and scores.)

Division 1

HOWELL
Record/rank: 30-10, unranked
Coaches: Jason Ladd and Mike Weatherly (first seasons)
League finish: Second in Kensington Lakes Activities Association West
Championship history: Has never appeared in an MHSAA Final.
Players to watch: RF sr. Brandon Risacher (.440, 16 2B, 24 SB), P sr. Josh Vyletel (14-2, 1.92 ERA), CF sr. Greg Cauley (.396, 19 RBI).
Outlook: The Highlanders are making their first trip to the MHSAA Semifinals, but have seen plenty of strong competition on the way with wins over No. 1 Bloomfield Hills Brother Rice, No. 3 Northville and formerly ranked Holt. Every starter but one is hitting at least .325.

HUDSONVILLE
Record/rank: 31-5, No. 6
Coach: Dave Van Noord, 18th season (403-177)
League finish: Second in Ottawa-Kent Red
Championship history: Has never appeared in an MHSAA Final.
Players to watch: 2B sr. Brandon Cable (.461, 29 RBI, 10 SB), P sr. Blake Hibbitts (9-0, 1.33 ERA, 63 K in 52.7 IP), 1B sr. Hunter Prince (.387, 13 2B, 28 RBI).
Outlook: Hudsonville also is making its first trip to the Semifinals, and has the luxury of multiple aces to throw at the competition this weekend. The 6-foot-6 Hibbitts has emerged this fall, and pairs with returning all-stater Tyler Baar (8-2, 2.41 ERA) for an outstanding one-two punch.

SALINE
Record/rank: 30-10, No. 9
Coach: Scott Theisen, 20th season (510-213)
League finish: First in Southeastern Conference Red
Championship history: Four Division 1 runner-up finishes (most recently 2010)
Players to watch: 1B/P sr. Justin Goike (.389, 39 RBI, 8-1, 1.21 ERA), SS sr. Austin Hauck (.345, 10 2B, 39 RBI), CF jr. Gage Hammond (.381, 9 3B, 19 SB).
Outlook: Saline is hoping to finish off its first title run after ending as runner-up in 2008, 2009 and 2010. Six more regulars hit at least .300, including freshman designated hitter Trent Theisen (.386). Senior Brent Vaccaro and sophomore Michael Hendrickson both also had won six games on the mound entering this week, both with sub-2.00 ERAs for the season.

WARREN DELASALLE
Record/rank: 19-22-1, unranked
Coach: Matt Cook, second season (38-41-1)
League finish: Fifth in Detroit Catholic High School League Central
Championship history: Three MHSAA championships (most recently 2009)
Players to watch: P/1B/3B sr. Kevin Carroll (.333, 25 RBI, 6-2, 2.00 ERA), 1B jr. Cole Clifton (.389, 12 2B, 39 RBI), CF sr. Reed Carnagie (.300, 31 RBI).
Outlook: DeLaSalle likely will be considered the surprise of this weekend’s field, but consider a few things. The Pilots have a championship history, with two of their three titles coming over the last 12 seasons. And they play in the Detroit Catholic League, which featured top-ranked Brother Rice and annually is one of the most competitive in the state.  

Division 2

BAY CITY JOHN GLENN
Record/rank: 34-7, No. 3
Coach: Jeff Hartt, 28th season (601-316)
League finish: John Glenn does not play in a league.
Championship history: Has never appeared in an MHSAA Final.
Players to watch: IF sr. Chase Krager, P jr. Zach Olszewski. (Statistics not submitted.)
Outlook: Bay City John Glenn got Coach Hartt his 600th win in the Regional final, and now has made it to the Semifinals for the first time. Krager and Olszewski were all-state second-team picks last season and are two of five seniors on the team. All of them start.

DEARBORN DIVINE CHILD
Record/rank:
22-15, unranked
Coach: Tony DeMare, 13th season (357-138)
League finish: Tied for second in Detroit Catholic High School League Central
Championship history: Five MHSAA titles (most recently 2010)
Players to watch: SS sr. Randy Kuzdak (.348, 23 RBI), 2B sr. Justin Williams (.369, 24 RBI), 1B jr. Zack Schmidtke (.342, 21 RBI, 5-5, 2.55 ERA).
Outlook: Divine Child has won four of the last eight Division 2 championships, and like Warren DeLaSalle above plays a tough brand of competition – seven of those losses came against foes that either were ranked or made the Semifinals as well. Senior Justin Chandler (6-3, 2.25 ERA) likely will draw Friday’s start and is one of four pitchers with at least four wins.

GRAND RAPIDS CHRISTIAN
Record/rank: 34-5, No. 2
Coach: Brent Gates, fifth season (133-44)
League finish: First in Ottawa-Kent White
Championship history: Division 2 runner-up in 2011 and 2005.
Players to watch: IF/P sr. Kurt Hoekstra (.492, 6 3B, 41 RBI), P sr. David VanVliet (7-0, 0.95 ERA, .328), IF sr. Taylor Pruis (.369, 9 2B, 33 RBI, 26 SB).
Outlook: All but one starter from last season’s MHSAA Final line-up is back for Grand Rapids Christian, and eight starters are hitting .325 or better. Depth also is on the Eagles' side – nine pitchers have won games this season and combined for a 2.13 ERA, and Hoekstra is 3-0 with four saves.

ST. JOSEPH
Record/rank: 32-9, No. 10
Coach: Eric Danapilis, fourth season (110-46)
League finish: First in Southwestern Michigan Athletic Conference
Championship history: Has never appeared in an MHSAA Final.
Players to watch: OF sr. Jacob Fratzke (.330, 46 R, 31 RBI), P soph. Charles Fleenor (7-0, 0.95 ERA, .326), 3B soph. Anthony Montoya (.458, 17 2B, 51 RBI).
Outlook: This is St. Joseph’s second trip to the Semifinals, and first since 1981. Six seniors start for the Bears, with Fratzke and shortstop Nick Lawrence both earning all-state first-team selections last season. St. Joseph edged No. 1 Richland Gull Lake 6-5 in the Regional semifinal on the way to Battle Creek.

Division 3

LANSING CATHOLIC
Record/rank: 30-6, unranked
Coach: Mike Scott, fourth season (73-58-3)
League finish: First in Capital Area Activities Conference White
Championship history: Class C champion 1996.
Players to watch: C/P sr. Mike DeClarke (.368, 22 RBI, 6-0, 1.70 ERA), CF jr. Adam Babcock (.449, 39 R, 31 SB), P sr. Dillon Rush (10-1, 0.52 ERA, .406, 33 RBI).
Outlook: Scott has built the Cougars back up from a nine-win season in 2009 to its third District title under him and first trip to the Semifinals since 1997. Lansing Catholic opened this season with a sweep over Semifinalist Saginaw Nouvel Catholic and beat No. 7 Parchment in Tuesday’s Quarterfinal. First baseman Jimmy Maher rounds out a small but talented senior class.

MADISON HEIGHTS BISHOP FOLEY
Record/rank: 36-3, No. 1
Coach: Buster Sunde, fourth season (132-23)
League finish: First in Detroit Catholic High School League AA
Championship history: Division 3 champion 2011, Class B runner-up 1990.
Players to watch: C sr. Brett Sunde, 3B jr. Billy Malak. (Statistics not submitted.)
Outlook: Graduating four all-staters after last season hasn’t slowed the Ventures, whose losses were to Division 1 Lake Orion and Detroit Catholic Central, and Allen Park Cabrini. Brett Sunde has signed with Western Michigan University, but also was drafted by the Oakland Athletics in the 35th round of last week’s Major League draft.

MANCELONA
Record/rank: 29-5, No. 10
Coach: Jim VanWagoner, ninth season (177-85)
League finish: First in Ski Valley Conference
Championship history: Has never appeared in an MHSAA Final.
Players to watch: P/IF sr. Craig Conway (.460, 16 2B, 32 RBI, 14-1, 1.79 ERA, 106 K in 85 IP), CF jr. Wyatt Derrer (.414, 28 RBI, 45 SB, 34 R), C fr. Cole VanWagoner (.412, 25 R, 20 RBI).
Outlook: Mancelona is headed to the Semifinals for the second year in a row and the second time ever, but has been building toward this with four straight District and six straight league championships. The Ironmen look especially dangerous if they win Friday, with freshman Brandon Dingman (9-1, 2.22) also strong on the hill this season.

SAGINAW NOUVEL CATHOLIC
Record/rank: 29-9, unranked
Coach: Dave Horny, sixth season
League finish: Nouvel does not play in a league.
Championship history: Four MHSAA championships (most recently 2005), two runner-up finishes.
Players to watch: P sr. Joe Buchalski (.385, 12 2B, 26 RBI, 8-2, 0.54 ERA, 104 K in 52 IP), 1B sr. Josh Buchalski (.367, 10 SB, 6-0, 1.04 ERA, 76 K in 54 IP), LF sr. Mike Albosta (.367, 11 SB, 27 R).
Outlook: Nouvel might be unranked, but owns wins against Division 1 No. 4 Bay City Western and Division 2 No. 3 Bay City John Glenn among other larger opponents it faced this spring. The Panthers won their first Regional title since 2007 and have the pitching to finish this weekend with one more championship – junior Drew King also is 6-0 this season, with a 2.05 ERA.

Division 4

DECATUR
Record/rank:
34-6, No. 2
Coach: Ben Botti, 18th season (376-180)
League finish: First in Southwestern Athletic Conference
Championship history: Three MHSAA titles (most recently 2003), one runner-up finish.
Players to watch: 3B sr. Stephen Botti (.322, 23 SB, 26 RBI, 8-2, 1.39 ERA), SS sr. Theodore Rufo (.514, 13 2B, 7 3B, 31 RBI, 38 SB), P sr. J.T. Kawaski (.328, 28 RBI, 9-1, 1.01 ERA, 81 K in 62.3 IP), 1B/P jr. Tim Cerven (9-0, 1.31 ERA, 94 K in 64 IP, .363, 34 R).
Outlook: This is Decatur’s first Semifinal appearance since 2003, which it finished with a second-straight MHSAA title. Botti, Rufo and Kawaski all were all-state first-teamers after last season’s run to the Quarterfinals, and they are only three of eight starters batting .320 or better.

GROSSE POINTE WOODS UNIVERSITY LIGGETT
Record/rank: 24-3, No. 1
Coach: Dan Cimini, ninth season (240-50)
League finish: First in Michigan Independent Athletic Conference
Championship history: Two MHSAA championships (most recently 2011), one runner-up finish.
Players to watch: Alexander Daar (15-0, 0.10 ERA, 153 K in 85 IP, .551, 38 RBI), 3B soph. Anthony Simon (.515, 26 RBI, 25 R), CF jr. Mark Evan Auk (.500, 33 R, 18 RBI, 4-2).
Outlook: University Liggett is three respectable losses from a perfect record – the Knights fell to Division 2 No. 5 Mount Pleasant, Semifinalist Dearborn Divine Child, and Division 1 Grosse Pointe North. Daar was an all-stater last season and has been nearly unhittable. Junior Connor Fannon also is a returning all-state first-teamer and is hitting .636 in limited at bats.

MUSKEGON CATHOLIC CENTRAL
Record/rank: 26-8, unranked
Coach: Steve Schuitema, fourth season (77-37)
League finish: Second in River Valley Conference
Championship history: Has never played in an MHSAA Final.
Players to watch: SS sr. Connor Seymour (.443, 36 R, 8-2, 1.95 ERA, 70 K in 52.7 IP), 1B/P fr. Nick Holt (9-2, 1.63), CF sr. Jason Ribecky (.400, 11 SB, 31 RBI).
Outlook: Despite an 8-1 start, MCC lost two of four games at the end of the regular season. But the Crusaders rebounded quickly and beat No. 5 Beal City on the way to the Semifinals. Four seniors start, but so do four underclassmen. Ribecky also was the star of the boys basketball team that made that Finals weekend in March.

RUDYARD
Record/rank: 20-16, unranked
Coach: Ron VanSloten, 19th season (375-159-3)
League finish: Fifth in the Straits Area Conference
Championship history: Has never played in an MHSAA Final.
Players to watch: C sr. Tyler Wilson (.495, 14 2B, 5 HR, 38 RBI, 20 SB), SS/P Brady VanSloten (.379, 38 R, 15 SB, 7-4, 1.75 ERA), 1B jr. Justin Kruger (.360, 20 RBI).
Outlook: Despite a fifth-place league finish and the graduation of two all-staters after last season, Rudyard is back at Bailey Park for the first time since 2007 and has won at least 20 games for the seventh straight season. After dropping four of their last eight regular-season games, the Bulldogs have won their postseason games by an average of 8.4 runs per.

PHOTO: Madison Heights Bishop Foley's Brett Kunde takes a swing during last season's Division 3 Final. Kunde will return to Bailey Park on Friday, and last week was drafted by the Oakland Athletics.

Thankful for Lifesavers Who Rushed to His Aid, Sanders Aims to Officiate Again

By Doug Donnelly
Special for MHSAA.com

January 14, 2025

Doug Sanders sat quietly thinking about how to best describe what he went through the day after Thanksgiving at Monroe Jefferson High School. 

Southeast & BorderFinally, he just said it. 

“Basically, I died twice,” he said, almost apologetically. 

Sanders, 56, was officiating a boys varsity basketball game between Petersburg-Summerfield and Jefferson when he collapsed. First responders who were in attendance quickly got to Sanders and began performing life-saving procedures. 

Responders performed chest compressions. Twice they used a defibrillator to shock him.  He regained consciousness once only to inform the responders they were hurting his chest, then his heart stopped again. 

When he left Jefferson that night on a stretcher, he was alert. 

“I’ve never seen anything like that in my 24 years coaching,” Summerfield coach Phil Schiffler said. “I’ve seen gruesome things, compound fractures and things, but never someone pass like that, especially someone who was an official, in charge of the game. 

“Thank God for the first responders there that night.”

Petersburg residents Matt LaRocca and Aaron Myshock were the first to assist Sanders on the court. Others helped as well, including Summerfield athletic director Kelly Kalb, former Summerfield athlete Brendan Dafoe, a nurse; and Angela Prush, who works at Monroe County Community College as a clinical educator in the respiratory therapy program. Jefferson athletic director Alyssa Eppler helped on the scene as well.

“There was no hesitation,” Kalb said. “As soon as Doug went down, Matt and Aaron took off to the court and got to Doug. Everyone played a role. It was a great collaboration."

Bradley is in uniform for a baseball game. Kalb said the MHSAA this year implemented a new policy requiring schools to have an Emergency Action Plan in the event of this very type of emergency. That plan, she said, definitely helped both schools as they responded.

“We lost him a couple of times,” she said. “It was scary.”

Sanders knew something was wrong during the game. Moments before falling to the floor he called over one of his officiating partners, Steve Rechsteiner, and said something was wrong. He asked him to get him some water and said he felt light-headed.

“I said, ‘Help me,’” Sanders said. Moments later, he went to the floor.

As responders attended to Sanders, officials from both schools cleared the gymnasium of spectators and players, and the game was called. Players and fans left the gymnasium that night unsure of the events that had just unfolded in front of them.

“It’s amazing how it all happened,” said Sanders, who has been a registered MHSAA official for more than 30 years. “If I would have been driving or anywhere else when it happened, I may not be here today to talk about it.”

Sanders has had a history of heart problems, and those run in his family. About four years ago, he had open-heart surgery.  Officiating another game a few nights before the incident at Jefferson, he had collapsed during a timeout. He was under doctor’s care but felt well enough to return to the court after enjoying Thanksgiving with his family. 

The game between Summerfield and Jefferson went into the fourth quarter. That’s when Sanders began to feel something was wrong.

“I am so blessed and grateful to be where the right people were with me,” Sanders said. “I had the right people there at the right time.”

After being transported to a nearby hospital in Monroe, he was sent to another in Toledo. He spent several days in the hospital undergoing heart tests and procedures. He went home for recovery and recently started attending basketball games in the area again.

“People have been so nice through all of this,” he said. “I’ve gotten messages and cards and calls and texts from people all over the place, people I don’t even know. A lot of the officials that I’ve worked with have reached out to me. It’s really a close-knit group.”

Thankfully, his heart is improving.

Sanders is a 1987 graduate of Ottawa Lake Whiteford.  He got his start as a referee for youth basketball at Whiteford Elementary School. Then-athletic director John Flynn encouraged him to get his MHSAA registration, and helped him get it. Soon after, Flynn was assigning him middle school games.

Bradley makes a call behind the plate during a Monroe County Fair youth softball tournament game at least a decade ago.Over the years, Sanders began umpiring baseball and added refereeing football a few years ago. 

He loves sports and being close to the game. 

“That’s why I do it,” he said. “I wanted to be a basketball official because I enjoy working with the student-athletes. I like the exercise, especially during the wintertime. Outside it’s snowy and wet, and this was a way to get out and do something.”

He’s busiest during basketball season where he is assigned as many as four or five games a week. In 2022, he officiated a boys Semifinal game at the Breslin Center. He rarely slows down or takes nights off.

Since the incident, Sanders has been going through a series of tests on his heart and has had an ICD – or implantable cardioverter defibrillator – installed in his chest. An elementary school teacher in Toledo, he expects to return to work soon. 

He’s met some of the first responders who helped save him that night at Jefferson but still isn’t sure just how many people played a role. He’s grateful the district had a defibrillator nearby – and especially that people were there who knew how to use it.

Schiffler said people just sprang into action, like they were trained to do.

“I was shook. I’m not going to lie,” he said. “The people who were trained in that knew just what to do.”

LaRocca and Myshock were there watching their sons play on the Summerfield team. Dafoe, who played sports at Summerfield and with Sanders as his referee and umpire on a number of occasions, has a brother on the varsity team.

Sanders is tentatively scheduled to referee a game at Adrian Lenawee Christian on Monday, Jan. 20. He can’t wait to shake the rust off, put on the striped shirt and blow his whistle. He knows there will be eyes on him throughout the game.

“I’ve had so many people tell me, ‘Take the rest of the winter off, don’t come back too early,’” Sanders said. “I want to get back out there. Something tells me in my heart and soul that I’m ready. I had my stress test, and I did well. Am I ready? I want to say yes. I think so. Only time will tell.”

Doug DonnellyDoug Donnelly has served as a sports and news reporter and city editor over 25 years, writing for the Daily Chief-Union in Upper Sandusky, Ohio from 1992-1995, the Monroe Evening News from 1995-2012 and the Adrian Daily Telegram since 2013. He's also written a book on high school basketball in Monroe County and compiles record books for various schools in southeast Michigan. E-mail him at DougDonnelly@hotmail.com with story ideas for Jackson, Washtenaw, Hillsdale, Lenawee and Monroe counties.

PHOTOS (Top) MHSAA official Doug Sanders monitors the action during a 2022 Division 4 Semifinal between Wyoming Tri-unity Christian and Genesee Christian. (Middle) Bradley is in uniform for a baseball game. (Below) Bradley makes a call behind the plate during a Monroe County Fair youth softball tournament game at least a decade ago. (Middle photo courtesy of Doug Sanders. Below photo by Kim Brent, courtesy of the Monroe News.)