Freshmen Spark Royals' Regional Return
June 8, 2018
By Doug Donnelly
Special for Second Half
Larry Tuttle has seen just about everything in his 51 seasons of coaching the Blissfield varsity baseball team. So much, in fact, that there’s not a lot of “firsts” anymore on the diamond.
But, when the Royals went out and won the 27th District title in Tuttle’s career last weekend, something new did happen. A 14-year-old pitched the Royals to the championship.
“He’s 60 years younger than me,” Tuttle said about his freshman pitcher, Ty Wyman. “That’s a lot of years.”
It’s also a lot of championships. The Royals are 25-9 this season and in the Regionals for the first time since 2010. The biggest reason they are still alive has been the development of the young players on the team. Eight of the 14 players on the Royals roster are either freshmen or sophomores, including Wyman.
“We started out a little shaky. We couldn’t find our groove,” said Wyman, who doesn’t turn 15 until late October. “It was mostly our defense. Once we started playing better defense, everything started coming together.”
When the Lenawee County Athletic Association coaches picked the all-league team this week, three of the Blissfield freshmen made first team – Wyman at first base, catcher Zach Horky and outfielder Gavin Ganun. That’s a rare feat, even for a coach as experienced as Tuttle.
“They are not just good baseball players, they are smart and outstanding athletes,” Tuttle said. “The success they are having now is a testament to how hard they have worked. They’ve had good coaching all along. They are intelligent baseball players. They know the game. Their parents have done a great job.”
Wyman said his teammates push each other on the field, court or diamond.
“We’ve been playing together since we were 6 years old,” he said. “We always push each other to do better.”
Ganun burst onto the Lenawee County sports scene in the fall when the ninth-grader was named the Blissfield starting varsity quarterback. All he did was guide the Royals to the third round of the MHSAA Playoffs and lead the county in passing yards. He also was a starter on the varsity basketball team in the winter and an immediate starter for the Royals baseball team. During the regular season, he batted .400 and tied for the county lead in hits, doubles and home runs.
“His dad played for our 1992 team that won a state championship,” Tuttle said of Ganun. “Next year, he’ll probably move into the infield and pitch for us.”
Horky started the season as an outfielder but became the starting catcher as the season went on.
“He worked his way into the catcher’s spot,” Tuttle said. “That really solidified our team.”
Growing up, Wyman mainly played second base. With that position already handled, he had to find a different spot to play on the Royals varsity team.
“I just wanted to play,” he said. “I wanted to work hard so that the coaches couldn’t keep me out of the lineup.”
He found a home at first base. As the season wore on, he also became one of Blissfield’s starting pitchers. In the District Final against Dundee, Wyman allowed just three hits and shut out the Vikings.
“I just wanted to throw strikes,” Wyman said. “I knew my defense was going to pick me up.”
Wyman comes from a strong background in sports. His mother, the former Melissa Stahl, is among the top girls basketball scorers in state history. His sister Kelsey was a Class C Associated Press basketball Player of the Year, and he has a brother on the current Royals baseball team.
Tuttle said the three freshmen all earned their spots in the lineup because of their work ethic in practice.
“It’s always been my philosophy that you earn your playing time in practice,” Tuttle said. “I tell the kids it doesn’t matter what grade you are in or what your name is. If you want to play, you have to earn it in practice.”
Wyman could get another shot to pitch Saturday if the Royals make the Regional Final at Clinton. Ann Arbor Greenhills (18-12) plays Jonesville (21-11-2) at 10 a.m. and the Royals take on Michigan Center (24-7) in the second Regional Semifinal.
Tuttle, who turned 74 on Wednesday, has won seven MHSAA championships during his tenure at Blissfield. He has no plans to leave the game that has meant so much to his life. He entered the season ranked second on the all-time Michigan high school baseball coaching victory list with 1,245. The leader is Grand Ledge’s Pat O’Keefe. A District champion as well, Grand Ledge is 32-3 this season, giving O’Keefe 1,286 wins, 16 more than Tuttle.
“These kids keep me young,” Tuttle said. “This was a pivotal year for us, but we have a great group of parents and I have a great coaching staff. I’m not able to do some of the things I used to be able to do, physically, but I still work with the kids. I can still teach the fundamentals, and I love working with them. I’m not going anywhere.”
Doug 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 Lenawee and Monroe counties.
PHOTO: Blissfield pitcher Ty Wyman winds up during one of his turns on the mound this spring. (Photo courtesy of the Blissfield baseball program.)
Senior-Powered Centreville Eager to Build on 2024 Regional Final Run
By
Scott Hassinger
Special for MHSAA.com
April 8, 2025
CENTREVILLE – Optimism is running high on the baseball diamond in Centreville, where eight seniors return who have unfinished business.
Dan Truckenmiller, the Bulldogs' fourth-year varsity head coach, has developed a special connection with his senior class – many of whom he has coached for the past 10 years, since they started playing the sport at the Little League level.
"I've been fortunate to be able to move up in the program, along with my group of seniors. We're looking forward to a solid season. We basically have all nine of our starters back from last year," Truckenmiller said.
The coaching continuity and the Bulldogs' experience were big reasons Centreville, 13-4 in league play and runner-up in the Southwest 10 Conference last spring, was able to put together a strong postseason run.
The Bulldogs avenged a pair of regular-season losses by knocking off No. 8-ranked and undefeated Marcellus 11-1 in their District Final. Centreville went on to post a 2-0 shutout of Byron Center Zion Christian in the Regional Semifinals before losing 6-0 to Kalamazoo Hackett Catholic Prep in the Regional championship game to finish 21-11 overall.
Centreville won't have the opportunity to avenge its season-ending loss to Hackett in the playoffs this season after moving to Division 3 (although the two will meet again during the regular season). But with a tougher nonleague schedule, the Bulldogs are confident they will be able to compete against anyone once the postseason arrives.
Centreville opened this season last Tuesday with a nonleague doubleheader on the road against reigning Division 3 champion Watervliet. The Bulldogs also have tough nonleague games lined up against Bronson, Union City, Constantine, Hackett, Schoolcraft and Kalamazoo Christian.
A formidable foe in baseball, Centreville reached the Division 4 Semifinals twice last decade under past coach Mike Webster. The Bulldogs lost to Muskegon Catholic Central 10-8 in the 2015 Final and fell 5-1 to eventual champion Sterling Heights Parkway Christian during the 2016 Semifinals.
Three of the most notable players Centreville's program has produced are former Major League relief pitcher Matt Thornton, along with along with current Division I players Jared Spencer (Texas) and his twin brother Jacob Spencer (Indiana State University).
Thornton, who enjoyed a 12-year MLB career with the Seattle Mariners, Chicago White Sox, Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees, Washington Nationals and San Diego Padres, still ranks second all-time in American League history with 182 holds. Jared Spencer is in the starting pitching rotation for the Longhorns after transferring following a stellar three-year stint at Indiana State.
Truckenmiller believes his 2025 Bulldogs squad has the potential to leave a special mark of its own.
"Our main goal is to always win the conference, which we haven't been able to do yet. There's always a little hiccup here or there that's kept us from achieving that," he said.
Centreville's senior class includes Evan Blair, Matt Swanwick, Ben Truckenmiller, Kobe Carpenter, Vinny Jines, Tristan Smeltzer, Garrison Bunning and Aiden Kohlhoff.
Swanwick, Carpenter, Ben Truckenmiller and Jines are all four-year varsity players.
"My plan right away when I took over as coach was to bring the guys that had varsity potential up and get them that experience," said Dan Truckenmiller, who played high school baseball with Thornton and Matt Swanwick's father Paul Swanwick as well as his uncle Matthew Swanwick. They are all 1995 Centreville graduates.
The 6-foot-5 Matt Swanwick will be Centreville's ace pitcher after posting a 3-1 mark and 1.67 ERA as a junior with 54 strikeouts against just 16 walks over 46 innings.
"I'm looking forward to this season. Our team is one year older, and that should allow us to handle ourselves better in any situation,” said Matt Swanwick, a first-team all-league selection last season who plans to attend Michigan State University to study to become an electrician. “We are deep in our pitching staff and we can all throw strikes, plus we have guys behind us who can make plays,"
Centreville's coach is confident in Swanwick's ability to handle the No. 1 role on the staff.
"Matt excels at whatever he does. He always throws hard and can place the ball where he needs too. At the plate, he's a clutch hitter with power and is probably the fastest guy on our team," said Dan Truckenmiller, who will be assisted for a third straight season by Chad Meade.
"Chad is a great coach who has been around the game of baseball a long time and is someone who knows the Xs and Os of the game very well."
Ben Truckenmiller, son of the head coach, went 6-0 with 73 strikeouts and 19 walks and a 3.50 ERA last spring. He will be the Bulldogs' regular starting catcher when he's not scheduled to throw.
Smeltzer compiled a 4-0 mark on the mound in 2024, allowing 16 walks with 24 strikeouts and a 4.10 ERA. Evan Blair, Carpenter and Jines could all see time on the mound as well.
"Most of our senior class is extremely versatile and can play multiple positions. Ben excels at catching and has been our starter there for four years. He's also become a better pitcher and has some good pitches that throw opposing hitters off," Dan Truckenmiller said.
"Kobe has been one of the best centerfielders I've ever had. He makes remarkable catches every game and is very vocal and stays positive. Vinny is a bigger kid who can hit the crap out of the ball. He probably hits it the hardest of anyone on our team. When he's up there, he's just looking to get a base hit rather than trying to hit it out of the park."
Swanwick returns as Centreville's top hitter in the No. 3 spot in the batting order where he hit .398 as a junior with 37 hits, including nine doubles, three triples, one home run and 34 RBI.
Carpenter, the Bulldogs' starting centerfielder, returns having batted .311 with 32 hits as the team's lead-off hitter a year ago
"I love the potential of our outfield. We all communicate very well, and there's good chemistry between us. We have lot of faith in each other to make every catch, and we have a strong core of infielders as well," Carpenter said.
Jines, the Bulldogs' starting first baseman, returns to fill the clean-up spot after hitting .395 with 32 hits, including eight doubles, with 32 RBI last season.
"We have a consistent group of guys who have played together from a young age,” Jines said. “I'm looking forward to playing first base again because there is a lot of attention to detail to be good at that position. You have to know the other infielders' style with the throws they make over to you.”
Ben Truckenmiller occupies the No. 2 spot in the batting order. He hit .318 with 28 hits, including three doubles, and had 15 RBI last year.
"I love catching. I have faith in my abilities behind the dish, and I feel like I'm one of the better catchers around our area,” he said. “ We have unfinished business this year and want to win our conference and Districts and go further than last year. It will take being confident and remaining focused to achieve those goals."
Two sophomores will supply a great deal of punch again at the plate for Centreville. Second baseman Cash Dentler returns after hitting .438 with 32 hits and 20 RBI and an on-base percentage of .539, while sophomore starting shortstop Bo Riley batted .281 as a freshman with 25 hits, including seven doubles, and 21 RBI.
Smeltzer batted .293 with 17 hits and 10 RBI. Juniors Jack Bartelt, the starting left fielder, and Matt Blair will play vital roles for the Bulldogs while Bunning is pegged for heavy duty in right field.
"Garrison is a team guy who I can always put into the game to get a clutch hit or make a key play in the field for us," Dan Truckenmiller said. "Jack is a big power hitter and aggressive for his size on the basepaths. Evan is a utility guy and our secret weapon who came out of nowhere last season to pitch valuable innings for us. Aiden has one of the best attitudes of anyone on the team too."
An ability to adjust and play small ball will be critical again to Centreville's success. The Bulldogs are also a big threat on the basepaths.
Centreville stole 124 bases in 2024 as a team. Leading that effort was Matt Swanwick with 22 followed by Ben Truckenmiller (21), Carpenter (18), Dentler (14) and Jines (13).
"Our guys understand that when there are times that we aren't hitting the ball very well, we might have to be able to lay down a bunt,” Dan Truckenmiller said. “I like to be aggressive when we get guys on base. I like to challenge our kids and steal a lot of bases."
Scott Hassinger is a contributing sportswriter for Leader Publications and previously served as the sports editor for the Three Rivers Commercial-News from 1994-2022. He can be reached at hassingermitchell@gmail.com with story ideas for Berrien, Cass, St. Joseph and Branch counties.
PHOTOS (Top) Centreville’s Ben Truckenmiller, left, beats a tag at third base during a 2024 game. (Middle) Matt Swanwick pitches for the Bulldogs last spring. (Below) Centreville’s seniors and coaches, from left: Assistant coach Chad Meade, seniors Vincent Jines, Tristan Smeltzer, Kobe Carpenter, Ben Truckenmiller, Garrison Bunning, Matt Swanwick and Aiden Kohlhoff; and Centreville head coach Dan Truckenmiller. Missing from the photo is Evan Blair. (Action photos by Brandon Watson/Sturgis Journal. Group photo by Scott Hassinger.)