Flashback 100: Michigan High School Baseball Trio Provide World Series Voices

November 1, 2024

The 2024 Major League Baseball World Series showcased a distinct Michigan flair during its television broadcasts these last few weeks.

The Los Angeles Dodgers triumphed over the New York Yankees in five games, with viewers treated to the commentary of Joe Davis and John Smoltz, while Derek Jeter made appearances on the pre- and postgame shows. Notably, all three athletes hail from Michigan and have left their mark on the sports field.

Davis graduated from Potterville High School in 2006, where he earned honorable mention all-state honors as a quarterback while playing football for his father, Paul. He played four years of baseball at Potterville, too. After high school, he continued his football career at Beloit College in Wisconsin before transitioning to broadcasting. Today, he serves as the television voice of the Dodgers and covers both MLB and NFL national games for Fox.

John Smoltz, a graduate of Lansing Waverly in 1985, made his mark as an all-state basketball player but gained fame on the baseball diamond. During his senior year, he hit a game-winning home run in the championship game of the Greater Lansing Diamond Classic after pitching in the semifinal. Drafted by the Detroit Tigers out of high school, Smoltz enjoyed a remarkable 21-year career in Major League Baseball, spending 20 seasons with the Atlanta Braves. He holds the unique distinction of being the only pitcher in history to record 200 wins and 150 saves.

Derek Jeter graduated from Kalamazoo Central in 1992, where he was named the Gatorade High School Player of the Year after an impressive third consecutive season with a batting average exceeding .500. In addition to baseball, he also excelled in cross country and basketball. Jeter was selected in the first round of the 1992 MLB Draft by the New York Yankees, where he went on to win five World Series championships during his illustrious 20-year career.

Both Jeter and Smoltz are members of the MLB Hall of Fame, representing two of only six inductees who played high school baseball in Michigan.

Previous "Flashback 100" Features

Oct. 25: Flashback 100: Before Leading Free World, Ford Starred for Champion GR South - Read
Oct. 18: Mercy Links Legend Becomes World Golf Hall of Famer - Read
Oct. 11: Fisher Races to Finals Stardom on Way to U.S. Olympic First - Read
Oct. 4: Lalas Leaves High School Legacies on Ice & Pitch - Read
Sept. 27: Tamer's History-Making Run Starts in Dexter, Continues to Paris - Read
Sept. 20: 
Todd Martin’s Road to Greatness Starts at East Lansing - Read
Sept. 13: 
James Earl Jones, Dickson High Hoops to Hollywood Legend - Read
Sept. 6:
Pioneers' Unstoppable Streak Stretches 9 Seasons - Read
Aug. 30: Detroit dePorres Rushes to 1995 Class CC Football Championship - Read 

PHOTOS Top row, from left: Fox Sports broadcasters Joe Davis, John Smoltz and Derek Jeter. Bottom row from left, Davis as a student at Potterville, Smoltz pitching for Lansing Waverly and Jeter playing infield for Kalamazoo Central. (Current photos courtesy of Fox Sports. Past photos courtesy of Potterville High School, the Lansing State Journal and the Detroit Free Press, respectively.)

Pitchers Provide Offensive Sparks Too as Algonac, Bridgman Advance

By Keith Dunlap
Special for MHSAA.com

June 15, 2023

EAST LANSING – For Algonac junior pitcher Josh Kasner, his bat proved to be the perfect medicine for what was ailing him on the mound during a Division 3 Semifinal against Lansing Catholic on Thursday.

Kasner labored through the first three innings of his start, but then new adrenaline on the mound came after what he did at the plate in the bottom of the third inning at Michigan State’s McLane Stadium.

With two outs, two strikes and two men on base, Kasner launched a 3-run home run just to the right of the foul pole.

Kasner settled down on the mound after that, with the home run and his pitching being the difference for Algonac in a 4-1 win over the Cougars that earned the Muskrats their first appearance in a Final at 11:30 a.m. Saturday.

“It was a fastball inside,” Kasner said. “To be honest, I was sitting on fastball and adjusting to off-speed. It was my pitch, and I got it inside the foul pole. I knew that once I got that home run, we were up 3-1, I settled in and I was going to be fine.”

Indeed, as Kasner didn’t allow Lansing Catholic much of a threat after he threw 55 pitches, walked three and hit two batters through the first three innings. 

Kasner makes his move toward the plate. Over the last four innings, Kasner didn’t walk anybody and allowed only one Lansing Catholic batter to reach second base. 

“I think he was stressed a little bit,” Algonac head coach Scott Thaler said. “You get to this point, I think the zone is where it should be as opposed to sometimes where it is during the season. He got the idea of what a college zone is like, which should help him out in a couple of years.”

After Kasner’s blast, Algonac added another in the fifth inning when junior Matt Rix reached on a bunt single, stole second, took third on a sacrifice bunt and then scored on a passed ball to give the Muskrats a 4-1 lead.

Lansing Catholic scored first in the top of the third inning, grabbing a 1-0 lead on an RBI single to right with two outs by senior Drew Burlingame. The Cougars later loaded the bases with two outs in the third, but Kasner got out of the jam with a strikeout. 

Sophomore Drew Tolfre allowed just four hits in a complete-game effort for Lansing Catholic (23-6.) 

“He had two strikes on (Kasner), but he kind of missed his spot a little bit,” Lansing Catholic head coach Randy Farlin said. “But you can’t fault him. He pitched a helluva game. We just didn’t have the bats. One run is not going to do it for us. We just didn’t put it all together today.” 

Click for the box score.

Bridgman 3, Standish-Sterling 2

Bridgman didn’t get a hit until the seventh inning of its Semifinal against Standish-Sterling.

But all Bees (32-9) needed were two hits during that set of at-bats to move on to their first Final since 2011. 

With the score tied 2-2 and a runner on second base, freshman Cooper Allwood delivered the game-winning single to left with one out, scoring junior Alec MacMartin to give Bridgman the victory. 

MacMartin started the inning with the first hit of the day off of Standish-Sterling sophomore starter Sam Briggs, and then was sacrificed over to second. 

“We were just having fun and getting comfortable in the situation,” Allwood said. “Just never giving up. We’ve been in games like this before. Nothing new.”

Bridgman’s Alec MacMartin delivers a pitch during the day’s last Semifinal.After neither team collected a hit through the first three innings, Standish-Sterling got something going in the top of the fourth.

Junior Cooper Prout led off with a double, and then sophomore pinch runner Brecken Stokoszynski scored on an RBI single by senior Brayden Schabel. 

In the bottom of the fourth, Bridgman put runners on second and third with two outs after an error and a hit batter, but a flyout ended the threat. 

In the fifth, Standish-Sterling took a 2-0 lead when a fly ball by Briggs just eluded the Bridgman left fielder down the line, scoring sophomore Brock Bartlett. 

The Bees answered in the bottom half of the fifth, tying the game at 2-2 without registering a hit thanks in large part to three infield errors by Standish-Sterling. 

An RBI groundout by Allwood made it 2-1, and then Bridgman tied the game at 2-2 following another error with a runner on third and two outs. 

The score remained that way until Allwood’s single in the seventh.

“We were just missing that timely hit,” Bridgman head coach Justin Hahaj said. “We finally got it.”

MacMartin got the win on the mound for Bridgman, allowing four hits, walking one and striking out six in a complete-game effort. 

Briggs lost for the first time this year, striking out eight for Standish-Sterling (29-15), which fell in the Semifinals for the second-straight season.

Standish-Sterling head coach Ryan Raymond said it was more than just four errors that cost his team. 

“We didn’t hit in the right spots either,” Raymond said. “We had some opportunities to get some hits and knock some more runs. It’s a team effort.”

Click for the box score.

PHOTOS (Top) Algonac’s Josh Kasner rounds third base during his home run in Thursday’s Semifinal win over Lansing Catholic. (Middle) Kasner makes his move toward the plate. (Below) Bridgman’s Alec MacMartin delivers a pitch during the day’s last Semifinal. (Photos by John Castine/Hockey Weekly Action Photos.)