Early Bumps, Smooth Landing for DeLaSalle
June 18, 2016
By Andy Sneddon
Special for Second Half
EAST LANSING – A bunch of young Warren DeLaSalle Pilots earned their wings Saturday.
And from the looks of it, DeLaSalle baseball could be flying high for a while.
Sophomore Bryce Bush put the Pilots ahead to stay with a sixth-inning two-run single, and another sophomore, Nino Puckett, pitched out of a bases-loaded jam to notch the save as DeLaSalle defeated Saline, 7-6, in the MHSAA Division 1 baseball championship game at Michigan State University’s McLane Baseball Stadium.
It was the fourth MHSAA crown for DeLaSalle (28-13), which entered the tournament unranked. Second-ranked Saline (35-7) lost in the Final for the fifth time in school history.
Two other sophomores, starting pitcher Easton Sikorski and catcher Mac Graybill, played key roles in the Pilots’ victory.
“At the beginning of the year, we knew we might take our lumps a little bit and we did early on, but we grew from it,” DeLaSalle coach Matt Cook said. “We lost a lot of close games, a lot of one-run games. You learn from it and you chalk it up as experience and you move on and you try to get better every day.
“Our seniors, they kept this team together. You need leadership when you have a young team and five seniors – you couldn’t ask for better leaders. I didn’t name captains this year because all five of them were captains in my mind. They were the guys.”
The Pilots led 4-0 after two innings, but Saline chipped away and used a three-run sixth – highlighted by Sean O’Keefe’s two-run homer – to seize a 6-5 lead.
DeLaSalle responded in the bottom of the sixth as Matt Kostuch was hit by a pitch leading off. Brett Sandora pinch ran and was sacrificed to second. Graybill was then hit by a pitch, prompting Saline to go to its bullpen for O’Keefe.
An O’Keefe pitch was in the dirt and Sandora stole third, sliding in under the tag, while Graybill moved up to second. Bush then delivered a hard single back through the box, scoring Sandora to tie the score and Graybill with the go-ahead run.
“They read ball-in-dirt,” Cook said of his base runners. “We’re not a big stealing team, especially with Bryce Bush and (cleanup hitter) Rob Zurawski, we know they can drive guys in, so I don’t want to run into outs.
“We tell our guys read ball-in-dirt, and as soon as (Sandora) saw the ball go in the dirt he instinctually took off like he should. Thank goodness he was safe because that put Bryce in a great position. Bryce comes through time and time again.”
Puckett relieved Sikorski to start the top of the seventh inning. Three walks – one intentional to O’Keefe – and a sacrifice bunt loaded the bases with one out. Puckett induced a 4-6-3 double play to end the game.
Sikorski allowed six hits, walked two and struck out two in earning the victory.
Josh Nelson, Saline’s second pitcher, took the loss. He allowed three runs on two hits, walked three and struck out three over 4 1/3 innings. He had also entered Thursday’s Semifinal in relief, earning the win over reigning champion Hartland.
The Pilots entered the tournament with 21 wins against 13 losses – hardly an attention-grabbing win percentage. But few teams across the state can lay claim to having played the type of schedule that De La Salle did.
“Every Wednesday and Saturday, when we have our league doubleheaders, we’re facing some of the best teams in the state,” said Cook, who rattled off some of the Pilots’ opponents, a list that reads like a who’s who of the state best programs, including the likes of Orchard Lake St. Mary’s, Birmingham Brother Rice, Dearborn Divine Child, Detroit U-D Jesuit and Detroit Catholic Central.
In addition, the Pilots’ schedule this season included Sterling Heights Parkway Christian and Grosse Pointe Woods University Liggett, both of which played for MHSAA championships Saturday.
“It’s state-championship caliber baseball every game you play,” Cook said. “It puts you in position where you’re ready.
“We never played bad baseball this year; we always played good baseball. We were just learning to finish a day. We’d split doubleheaders, we’d win by a couple runs, we’d lose by one (run). We just learned to finish, play a complete day of baseball, and we started to do that and things started to roll and the kids were confident.”
PHOTOS: (Top) A Warren DeLaSalle hitter gets around on a pitch during Saturday’s Division 1 Final. (Middle) Saline shortstop Thomas Miller turns to throw to first base for a potential double play as DeLaSalle’s Ben Hyndman slides into second.
Healthy Tomlinson Gives Portage Northern Major Reason to Dream Big
By
Pam Shebest
Special for MHSAA.com
May 14, 2024
PORTAGE – Ty Tomlinson ended last season as a member of the Michigan High School Baseball Coaches Association all-state Dream Team.
This season began as more of a nightmare for the Portage Northern senior.
The lanky shortstop stepped up to the plate for his second at-bat of the Huskies’ opening game and started legging out a double.
“On my way to first base, my first step out of the box, I heard a nice little pop,” Tomlinson said. “Coach (Ben) Neal was screaming at me because he thought I wasn’t hustling. Turns out I was just barely making it to the base.”
That’s because the “pop” was a hamstring injury that sidelined him for nearly half the team's games so far.
“It was rough,” the senior said. “Definitely not how I wanted to start my year. I played three years without getting hurt, and to start the year off like that, especially after all the work we put in this off-season, I was really excited to see it pan out.”
His dad, Ryan Tomlinson, said he knew right away what happened.
“I saw it,” he said. “I knew what happened without talking to him. He’s a very competitive kid.”
Ryan Tomlinson is no stranger to seeing injuries. After 20 years, he recently retired as Western Michigan University’s women’s tennis coach. The first thing he did after Ty’s injury was set his son up with a trainer.
“Ty would get up at 6 a.m. to work with my trainer, then go to school, then come home to work in the training room,” Ryan said.
The injury kept the shortstop out of the game, but not out of the action.
“It was hard on a personal level because I’ve grown up as a competitor, but we have so much depth,” Tomlinson said. “I did a lot of the pitch charting, so I was in the game every pitch. As much as I hated being away, we still played great.”
While Tomlinson was sidelined, senior second baseman Ryan Juodawlkis lost his infield partner.
“Me and Ty, we’ve been a duo for years,” Juodawlkis said. “We have great chemistry.
“We’ve played together a long time. We grew up together playing ball since 11-U. We’ve always been on the field together, talking to each other and communicating.”
With Tomlinson out, Brice Welke, one of two sophomores on the team, stepped in at shortstop.
“It’s always harder to adjust to someone else, especially a younger guy,” Juodawlkis said. “It’s the communicating, who’s got the bag for a steal, who’s gonna hold a runner on.”
Prepping to contend
When the schedule comes out at the beginning of the season, the first two dates the Huskies circle are against Mattawan and Portage Central, Tomlinson said.
Central is the crosstown rival with players who are friends outside of school, and Mattawan is the team that ended Northern’s last two seasons in Division I District Finals.
Northern, ranked No. 15 in Division 1 this spring, was to take a 16-5 record against eighth-ranked Mattawan into a contest scheduled for last Thursday. But the devastation from the EF2 category tornado two days earlier resulted in school being canceled for three days, postponing the game.
“They know they still get to play, so they’re not too heartbroken about (postponing the game),” second-year head coach Adam Cardona said. “A few have been without power a few days, no one lost their homes, but some of their families have been affected, which I know is weighing on them a bit. Praise the Lord, everybody is safe.
“With everything that’s going on, I think they understand it puts baseball in perspective; there’s bigger things than baseball. I think they’re ready to get back into it and get some of that normalcy back.”
Games against Mattawan and Portage Central, especially, are a good indication of the Huskies' playoff potential.
“Our pitchers need to throw strikes and provide weak contact,” Juodawlkis noted as keys to making it past Districts. “Don’t try to do too much and put the ball in play.”
Senior catcher Braden Welke added, “It’s going to take better situational hitting and a lot better moving runners over (to advance).”
Baseball is in the Welkes’ DNA.
Their father Ben played college ball, and their grandfather Tim Welke, as well as a great uncle, Bill, are former MLB umpires.
While their grandfather is at most games, he doesn’t try to “umpire” them.
“He more just talks and chats with the umpires. Both give me plenty of stories and pointers,” Braden Welke laughed.
Cardona said Welke is one of the best catchers in Southwest Michigan.
“That dude just loves the game of baseball,” Cardona said. “He’s happy to be out here every single day.
“Behind the dish, he calls everything. He sees the game and knows the game well.”
Welke said he likes being in control.
“I like being able to touch the ball every single play,” he said. “You’re always in the play, always talking. You’re kind of the leader on the field.”
Other seniors on the team are Maxwell Pidgeon, Jack Mick, Antonio Parsayar, Keegan McIntyre and Danny Tafoya. Juniors are Nolan Ratliff, Seth Bartlam, Drew Clyne, Thomas Horein, Mateo Icaza, Izaak Bobbio, Finn Malek, Nolan Wilson, Andrew Wagster, Braden Hembree, Mason Wesaw, David Li and Evan Elkins. Evan McIntyre is the other sophomore.
Diehard fans
While his dad played and coached tennis, Ty Tomlinson knew at an early age it was not for him.
“I grew up playing tennis along with baseball and other sports, trying other sports out,” he said. “Tennis was just not for me.
“I was not the fleetest of foot back in my day, so I couldn’t move around the court all too well,” he laughed. “Dad and I would kind of butt heads a little bit, so I was ‘I’ve got to move on.’”
Ryan Tomlinson is a huge Detroit Tigers fan.
So huge, that his three sons’ names are all derived from former Tigers greats including two Hall of Famers.
Ty is named for Ty Cobb, while his 11-year-old brother is Graydon Gibson (from Kirk Gibson) and his 7-year-old bother is Myles Kaline (Al Kaline).
However, the two younger Tomlinsons are finding their niche in hockey right now.
Ty Tomlinson originally committed to play baseball at University of Michigan next season. But after feeling he found a better fit at George Mason University in Fairfax, Va., the shortstop de-committed and opted to head south to play for the Division I Atlantic 10 Patriots.
“Plus it’s warmer,” he laughed. “I’m not a fan of the cold, and apparently neither is my hamstring.”
Pam Shebest served as a sportswriter at the Kalamazoo Gazette from 1985-2009 after 11 years part-time with the Gazette while teaching French and English at White Pigeon High School. She can be reached at [email protected] with story ideas for Calhoun, Kalamazoo and Van Buren counties.
PHOTOS (Top) Portage Northern’s Ty Tomlinson smiles during an at bat. (2) Ryan Juodawlkis stands in for a pitch. (3) Huskies coach Adam Cardona. (4) Catcher Braden Welke puts on his equipment. (Action photos courtesy of the Portage Northern baseball program; head shot by Pam Shebest.)