New Coach, New Home, New Success for Irish
By
Tom Markowski
Special for Second Half
May 16, 2018
PONTIAC – Ryan Knutson is shocked by how well he and his teammates at Pontiac Notre Dame Prep played at the start of this season.
And the hope is that it will carry over to next month’s MHSAA Tournament.
The Irish were 8-22 a year ago and started this spring 16-0. Notre Dame Prep is 21-4 with less than two weeks remaining in the regular season, and the optimism is high that the run won’t end in District play as it has for the past 21 seasons. The Irish have won one District title in the 24 years that the school has been open, in 1996.
Over the past seven seasons, Notre Dame Prep has won a combined six District games.
“The team morale is up, and we bonded as a team,” Knutson said. “I credit the new coaching staff. Going to Florida over spring break helped us bond. It was during that streak – we had some close games – that the team-bonding paid off.”
Jason Gendreau spent 10 seasons as head coach at Utica Eisenhower, with some success. The Eagles won District titles in 2009, 2011 and 2015. The 2015 season also included a 2-1 victory over Birmingham Brother Rice in a Division 1 Regional Semifinal.
Although he’s not looking back, Gendreau, who continues to teach in the Utica school system, said it was not an easy decision to make when he accepted the position at Notre Dame Prep last June.
“(Eisenhower) is loaded with depth,” he said. “Then there’s all the relationships you build over the years. You know what they say. When a coach leaves, 50 percent are pleased, 50 percent are unhappy.”
Pardon Gendreau if he chuckles now and then about the idea of being a coach at Notre Dame Prep. As a child his favorite team was Notre Dame, the one in South Bend. Nothing was better than watching the Irish playing football on a Saturday afternoon.
Add to this another tale of coincidence, or magic, if you will. One of his mentors is Bob Lantzy, the longtime football coach at Eisenhower who recently completed his second season as head football coach at Rochester Hills Stoney Creek. Lantzy was an all-state running back at Harper Woods Notre Dame in the early 1960s and, when Gendreau was hired at the other Notre Dame, Lantzy dusted off his green and gold jersey and hung it on a wall in his house.
For two seasons in the early 2000s Gendreau was an assistant football coach under Lantzy. Something clicked during that brief period and the two have remained good friends over the years.
“Bob and I talk just about every night,” Gendreau said. “He was my mentor (as a coach), but more importantly he’s been my mentor in life.
“You see, I played football at Belding and grew up answering to (then coach) Irv Sigler. There are no more polar opposites than Irv and Bob. Plus, you throw in the west side and how they approach football. The approach is very different. Irv was the ultimate motivator and got in your face. I tried to coach like that when I got to Ike. It didn’t work. Bob molded me.”
Gendreau was well aware he was taking over a program that had experienced limited success, when it was a member of the Detroit Catholic League and now as an independent. That didn’t matter to him. He knew the athletes he was about to coach were well-disciplined. Teach them the fundamentals, let them have some fun (the Florida trip was a first for this group) and maybe they could win a few more games.
“Lantzy told me opportunity is not time-related,” Gendreau said. “A big thing was, I was able to bring my entire staff over. As far as scheduling, having a lot of relationships with Oakland and Macomb County coaches I was able to schedule competitive schools that were bigger. We played Sterling Heights Stevenson. We played Troy and Troy Athens. We went to Birch Run to play in a tournament with just nine guys because of prom. We made it to the final and lost to Ann Arbor (Gabriel) Richard.
“Plan? I don’t know if we had one, but our goal was to finish .500. We felt comfortable with that. We didn’t want to get beat up. Usually it takes 2-3 years to build a winner. It happened a lot sooner. Part of it is our staff understands our role. We have athletes who are hungry. They’re loyal to one another.”
Notre Dame Prep lost just two seniors last spring to graduation but even so, Knutson said he was surprised by the tremendous start.
He pointed to two factors that keyed the impressive start, and they’re related. One is the defense.
“It’s a main focus,” he said. “Defense is one of the most consistent things of our team. When your defense works, you don’t need as many runs to win. Then on offense you will look to move runners along, trying to get that extra base.”
The second is fundamentals. Knutson said Gendreau and his staff emphasize the finer points of the game: when to bunt, what pitch to look for in certain counts and just an overall awareness of the game.
Even when the offense isn’t producing, defense is a part of the game the Irish can count on. In a weekend series at Lake Orion in late April, Knutson said the team crushed the ball in victories over the host team and Ann Arbor Skyline. The next weekend Notre Dame Prep struggled at the plate and resorted to playing small ball.
The pitching has been consistent as well. River Shea, Jack Kraussman and Jacob Genord have combined for a 17-2 record, and each has an ERA of 2.10 or lower.
There are no superstars on this team. Just two of the eight seniors will go on to play in college. Infielder Brian Blakeslee will attend John Carroll University in Cleveland and play soccer and baseball. Outfielder Tommy Cavanaugh will attend Capital University in Columbus, Ohio, to play baseball.
Knutson, who leads the team in hitting (.448), said he doesn’t plan on playing at the next level and, instead, will attend Michigan State with the intent on majoring in engineering.
“It was hard last year,” he said. “I am so thankful the (new) staff has come in and we’ve been able to make some noise.
“It was that way in football, too. We surprised people by reaching a District Final. It’s kind of similar in baseball. We’re the underdogs. It kind of fueled us.”
***
Gendreau said coaching at a large school like Eisenhower has its drawbacks. One is the fact a coach must make cuts. Another is it’s the coach’s responsibility to take care of the field. That takes time.
A bonus for Gendreau was the facilities at Notre Dame Prep. In what is nearly a mirror of what previously was added at Grosse Pointe Woods University Liggett, the field at Notre Dame Prep is all turf. No dirt. Not even in the infield. Gendreau said even the bullpen area is turf.
When one considers the often brutal weather conditions in Michigan, having a turf field at your disposal removes a lot of headaches as far as field preparation, postponements and rescheduling.
“They finished that this past winter,” he said. “When I took the job, I was expecting a grass field.”
Tom Markowski is a columnist and directs website coverage for the State Champs! Sports Network. He previously covered primarily high school sports for the The Detroit News from 1984-2014, focusing on the Detroit area and contributing to statewide coverage of football and basketball. Contact him at [email protected] with story ideas for Oakland, Macomb and Wayne counties.
PHOTOS: (Top) Pontiac Notre Dame Prep players huddle on their new field this season. (Middle) Notre Dame Prep catcher Ryan Knutson looks to his dugout. (Below) The current Irish and 1972-73 alums stand together during the field dedication this spring. (Photos courtesy of the Pontiac Notre Dame Prep baseball program.)
Marcellus Baseball Making History with 1st League Title, Perfect Regular-Season Record
By
Scott Hassinger
Special for MHSAA.com
May 28, 2024
MARCELLUS – Crowds have grown so big at Marcellus baseball games this spring that Don Price, the school's athletic director, had to hire extra gate help and make sure the athletic boosters had the concession stand well-stocked.
The Wildcats have put together a memorable baseball season for this community of just more than 1,000 residents located in Cass County.
Marcellus, ranked No. 8 in Division 4, ended its regular season last week at 27-0, which included capturing first place in the Southwest 10 Conference title with a 19-0 mark.
It was the first unbeaten regular season and conference title in the history of Marcellus' baseball program.
With all of that behind the team now, coach Christian Hutson is busily preparing his ballclub for Saturday's noon District Semifinal clash against Burr Oak. Marcellus, just 13-19 a year ago, features a roster that includes four seniors, a pair of juniors, one sophomore and seven freshmen.
"We're hoping to make a run, but first we have to get through a tough District at Centreville. We have to approach it one game at a time. Any team can beat you on any given day," Hutson said.
"Our seniors have gone through lots of growing pains. They've all been asked to play a huge role for us from a young age,” Hutson added. “Now it's all come to life and they are playing real baseball, making plays and picking one another up. Everything has finally come together for these kids.”
A strong pitching staff has been one of the biggest keys to the Wildcats' success. Senior Dawsen Lehew is 5-0 with one save, a 1.04 ERA and 33 strikeouts. Nathan Mihills, another senior, is also 5-0 with one save, a 2.66 ERA and 32 strikeouts and he starts at first base when freshman Cale Hackenberg takes the mound.
"Dawsen won't be outworked. He comes in day in and day out and gives his best performance," Hutson said. "Nathan is Mr. Reliable. He's the guy who stays after practice and makes sure everything is cleaned up and that the field is raked and there's no trash left in the dugout."
Mihills also fills the role of lead-off hitter and threw a no-hitter against Bangor.
"The juniors and seniors have been through the hardship of it all, but it's helped shape us to where we are now. Our freshmen are a great addition. We're all great friends. I'm not a bit scared of who the ball is hit to because I know they'll come up with a good play,” Mihills said. “I'm a lefty and I feel pretty consistent when my curveball is on. Our coaches do a great job preparing us for game situations."
Lehew agrees with his senior teammate: "Our confidence allows us to play with high energy. We've been hitting the rock very well and our pitching has been real solid. We have a new pitching coach (Ryan Coffey) who has helped me with my velocity and control. I feel like everything is flowing really well at this point."
Two freshmen have also filled big roles on the hill for Marcellus. Hackenberg has been one of the Wildcats' top aces so far with a 6-0 record, including two saves, a 1.83 ERA and 76 strikeouts. Abram Coffey is 9-0 with two saves, a 2.21 ERA and 67 strikeouts.
"On any given night, any of one of our four pitchers could be our No. 1 starter. That's what makes us so special," Hutson said.
Hackenberg has played baseball since age 9. "It took us a couple games up on varsity to settle in as freshmen, but we've done okay. I have a couple pitches that have worked well for me this season" he said.
Hackenberg is the grandson of Ron Welburn, after whom Marcellus' home field is named. Welburn, a former village president, was instrumental in the construction of the field.
"When I was on the village council our old field was on the other side of town, and that was inconvenient for the school. We got a recreational grant from the State of Michigan to build a new field. I went and spoke to the school, and they thought that would be a fantastic idea. After running into some issues with the contractor, I resigned from the council and with the help of Rock Powell and Roy Mann we worked together and finished the field," Welburn said. "It's fantastic to see these boys having some success now. It's quite an honor to be able to come out and watch them."
Marcellus' team batting average is .348, and the Wildcats have scored 326 runs – an average of 12.1 per game.
Coffey, the squad's No. 2 batter and starting shortstop when he's not pitching, is Marcellus' top hitter with a .587 average, 15 doubles, four triples, four home runs, 49 RBI, 43 stolen bases and a .712 on-base percentage. Hackenberg, the No. 3 hitter, is batting .438 with 13 doubles, 37 RBI and 25 stolen bases with an on-base percentage of .566.
Batting in the clean-up spot is senior catcher Brock Buck. Buck is hitting .339 with five doubles, one home run, 17 RBI, and he has 20 stolen bases with .565 on-base percentage.
"Brock's been our glue behind the plate the last four years," Hutson said.
Senior centerfielder Cole Thornburgh is the Wildcats' No. 5 hitter with a .390 average, including eight doubles, 28 RBI, 23 stolen bases and a .465 on-base percentage.
"Cole keeps us on our toes and always has something funny to say. We asked him to step up this year, and he's answered the bell," Hutson said.
Other starters playing critical roles for Marcellus are juniors Parker Adams at second base and right fielder Brock McWilliams, along with freshmen designated hitter Zade Tyszka and left fielder Matthew Lehew, Dawsen's younger brother.
"At the plate, it's not just one or two guys – it's our entire lineup. Everyone on this team has contributed whether it's with a hit, stolen base or scoring the go-ahead run," Hutson said.
Trust is another huge factor. "Defensively, we have a lot of versatile kids who we can shift around to different positions. I trust every kid we have out on the field," Hutson said.
Hutson points to the Wildcats' team speed as another key element. Marcellus has 229 stolen bases this season.
"We have great team speed, and we pick and choose our spots. Our kids are fast, and that translates to good things happening on the basepaths," Hutson said.
Good team chemistry has also played a vital role.
"This group is just a bunch of good ol’ country boys. They'll go out together fishing or spearing after a night of practice," Hutson said. “Our community has rallied around us, been very supportive and bring so much energy for us. That makes it a lot easier to play at such a high level. Every night feels like a homecoming.”
Marcellus' head coach also pointed out the contributions of assistant coaches Chauncey Hackenberg, Kyle Kahler and Tyler Coffey.
"My three coaches are absolutely amazing. Chauncey is our accountability guy who gets things done. Tyler has been great developing our pitchers. Kyle, my cousin, works with our infielders and is the level-headed one. I'm more of an outfield guy and work a lot with our hitters," Hutson said.
Hutson lists former Decatur head coach Ben Botti and Keith Schreiber as his biggest mentors. Botti is a member of the Michigan High School Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame. Schreiber, previously the head coach at Glen Oaks Community College and now heading Dowagiac’s program, coached Hutson on the 2010 GOCC squad that won a Western Conference championship.
"I've had two really good mentors in Ben and Keith. They are amazing coaches with so much baseball knowledge. They both check in with me and are good resources," Hutson said.
For Hutson and his ballclub, the feeling of being undefeated so far hasn't quite sunk in.
"Baseball is a funny game,” Hutson said. “We've had a lot of tight and one-run games, but our kids continue to battle and scrap and get the job done."
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 [email protected] with story ideas for Berrien, Cass, St. Joseph and Branch counties.
PHOTOS (Top) Marcellus senior pitcher Dawsen Lehew makes his move toward the plate during a recent game. (Middle) Marcellus freshman pitcher/third baseman Cale Hackenberg, left, stands with grandfather Ron Welburn, for whom the team’s field is named. (Below) The Marcellus varsity baseball team and coaching staff hold up the Southwest 10 Conference championship banner last week after a doubleheader sweep of Cassopolis. (Photos by Scott Hassinger.)