Preview: Hopefuls Head to McLane
June 11, 2014
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
Michigan State University’s McLane Baseball Stadium will host its first MHSAA Baseball Finals this weekend, and in doing so welcome two reigning champions and two more teams that finished runners-up a year ago.
Bay City Western is back in the Division 1 Semifinals after claiming its first championship in 2013, while Grosse Pointe Woods University Liggett is the reigning Division 4 champ but playing this time in Division 3.
But don’t assume Division 4 belongs now to last season runner-up Beal City; semifinalists Maple City Glen Lake and New Lothrop also are back for the second straight season. Reigning Division 2 runner-up Richmond also is back after making its first championship game a year ago.
For the first time as well, Semifinal play will begin Thursday and continue Friday with all four Finals on Saturday. Below is this weekend's schedule, followed by a look at each contender.
Semifinals – Thursday
Division 1
Battle Creek Lakeview (32-5) vs. Grosse Pointe South (26-17) - 11:30 a.m.
Clarkston (20-12) vs. Bay City Western (36-7) - 5 p.m.
Division 2
DeWitt (23-10) vs. Richmond (34-3) - 9 a.m.
Mount Pleasant (30-8-1) vs. Richland Gull Lake (30-9) - 2:30 p.m.
Semifinals – Friday
Division 3
Gladstone (29-4) vs. Decatur (23-6) - 2:30 p.m.
Reese (28-7-1) vs. Grosse Pointe Woods University Liggett (23-8) - 5 p.m.
Division 4
Beal City (35-3) vs. Kalamazoo Christian (18-17) - 9 a.m.
New Lothrop (32-6) vs. Maple City Glen Lake (31-2-1) - 11:30 a.m.
Finals – Saturday
Division 1 - 11:30 am
Division 2 - 9 am
Division 3 - 5 pm
Division 4 - 2:30 pm
Tickets cost $7 per round or $15 for an all-tournament ticket that includes admission to baseball games. Radio broadcasts of all games can be heard online at MHSAAnetwork.com. All games will be streamed live online at MHSAA.TV and viewable on subscription basis.
All statistics below are through at least the regular season, with most through teams' Regionals or Quarterfinals. (Click for links to brackets and scores.)
Division 1
BAY CITY WESTERN
Record/rank: 36-7, No. 4
Coach: Tim McDonald, 22nd season (600-205-7)
League finish: First in Saginaw Valley Association North
Championship history: Division 1 champion 2013.
Players to watch: Justin Gorr, sr. P/1B (.427, 12 2B, 42 RBI); Carson Eby, jr. C/IF (.395, 10 2B, 41 RBI); Jason Clark, soph. P/2B (9-2, 1.22 ERA, .318, 42 R); Scott Badour, sr. P/OF (9-2, 0.71 ERA).
Outlook: A senior-heavy team won Western’s first MHSAA title a year ago, but the Warriors are back in the Semifinals despite graduating four who earned all-state recognition. The pitching has been stellar (19 shutouts), especially during the tournament – Western has given up only one run in five playoff games, to Midland in the District opener. Juniors Tony Robbins and Aaron Rodriguez and sophomore Brandon Wise join Clark and Badour with at least four wins each and ERAs of 2.12 or lower.
BATTLE CREEK LAKEVIEW
Record/rank: 32-5, unranked
Coach: Jeff Sovern, 10th season (245-94)
League finish: First in Southwest Michigan Athletic Conference East
Championship history: Three MHSAA titles (most recent 2006), two runner-up finishes.
Players to watch: Travis Snyder, soph. C (.420, 32 RBI); Nick Jones, soph. 3B/C (.405, 34 R, 29 RBI); Jacob Herbers, jr. P/1B (.411, 40 R, 11 2B, 8-0, 1.02 ERA); Jake Bivens, sr. SS (.409, 42 R, 10 2B, 29 RBI).
Outlook: Lakeview will add to a solid baseball tradition with its first Semifinal appearance since the last championship run in 2006. And only three starters are seniors – although Bivens is a big-time contributor and made the all-state first team in 2013. The young Spartans have shown plenty of poise during a tournament run that has included one and two-run wins over traditional powers Grand Ledge and Howell, respectively, and a 9-5 Quarterfinal victory over No. 5 Saline.
CLARKSTON
Record/rank: 20-12, unranked
Co-coaches: Phil Price, 16th season (325-175)
League finish: Third in Oakland Activities Association Red
Championship history: Class A champion 1976.
Players to watch: David Steward, sr. P; Ryan Rea, sr. P; Nathan Witt, sr. P (Stats not submitted.). Outlook: Clarkston is making its third Semifinals appearance and first since 2002 and is giving up an average of only two runs per game during the tournament. Witt has signed with Michigan State University and could get the chance to throw in his future home park.
GROSSE POINTE SOUTH
Record/rank: 26-17, unranked
Coach: Dan Griesbaum, 31st season (707-359-1)
League finish: First in Macomb Area Conference Red
Championship history: Division 1 champion 2001.
Players to watch: Andrew Eaton, sr. 1B/P; Richard Kish, sr. P/IF; James Menchl, sr. P/IF (Stats not submitted.).
Outlook: Grosse Pointe South has won seven straight District championships but is back in the Semifinals for the first time since 2005. The Blue Devils upset top-ranked Sterling Heights Stevenson 2-0 in the Quarterfinal to advance, and have allowed only two runs during the MHSAA tournament – both to Detroit U-D Jesuit in the Regional Final.
Division 2
DEWITT
Record/rank: 23-10, unranked
Coach: Alan Shankel, fifth season (108-58)
League finish: Third in Capital Area Activities Conference Red
Championship history: Two MHSAA titles (most recent 1993), two runner-up finishes.
Players to watch: Sam Smith, sr. 1B/P (.441, 27 RBI, 5-2); John-Michael Moody, sr. C (.386, 32 RBI); Keaton Sackett, jr. SS (.394, 36 R, 13 SB); Justin Stygles, sr. RF (.352, 33 R, 35 RBI, 12 2B).
Outlook: DeWitt started this season hot, cooled off for a bit, but warmed back up in time to make the Semifinals for the first time since 2003 and eliminate No. 3 Portland along the way. Moody was an all-state second-teamer last season and is one of 10 seniors who helped the Panthers to their first Regional title since 2009. DeWitt can rely on a number of contributors including seven pitchers with at least one win this spring.
MOUNT PLEASANT
Record/rank: 30-8-1, unranked
Coach: Luke Epple, 21st season (613-166)
League finish: Second in Saginaw Valley Association North
Championship history: Two MHSAA titles (most recent 2007), two runner-up finishes.
Players to watch: Zach Heeke, soph. 3B (.410, 34 R, 32 RBI, 12 2B, 22 SB); Hunter Buczkowski, soph. P (7-2, 1.23 ERA, 92 K); Dean Marais, sr. LF (.362, 34 RBI); Aaron Leasher, sr. CF/P (8-3, 1.27 ERA, 114 K, .329).
Outlook: Mount Pleasant’s run over the last decade is incredible – eight District titles, seven Regional championships, now six trips to the Semifinals and an MHSAA title in 2007 and runner-up finish in 2008. Unranked this time around, the Oilers eliminated No. 5 Bay City John Glenn along the way and has given up only four runs total in six tournament games.
RICHLAND GULL LAKE
Record/rank: 30-9, No. 4
Coach: Bill Blakely, 22nd season (489-246)
League finish: Second in Southwest Michigan Athletic Conference East
Championship history: Has never played in an MHSAA Final.
Players to watch: Nick Miller, sr. CF/P (43 R, 12 SB, 11 2B, 4-1, 1.75 ERA); Drew Blakely, soph. C/P (.478, 35 RBI); Walter Graf, sr. P/2B (8-2, 1.95 ERA, .396, 48 R, 24 RBI, 12 2B, 17 SB); Jarod Burton, jr. 1B (.356, 29 R, 16 2B, 49 RBI).
Outlook: Gull Lake has been on the verge of playing in its first championship game, with this its third Semifinal in 11 seasons after also making it this far just three seasons ago. The Blue Devils have won nine District and nine league titles as well over the last 11 seasons. Sophomore Caleb Scoles (6-0, 1.66 ERA) will provide another key arm if Gull Lake is in need this weekend.
RICHMOND
Record/rank: 34-3, No. 10
Coach: Scott Evans, third season (91-19)
League finish: First in Blue Water Area Conference
Championship history: Division 2 runner-up 2013.
Players to watch: Evan Kratt, jr. C (.449, 29 R, 29 RBI); Austin Harvey, sr. 3B (.475, 51 R, 11 2B, 33 RBI, 45 SB); Ryan Boyd, sr. SS (.367, 39 R, 35 RBI, 35 SB); Zach Leach, sr. P/RF (10-1, 1.22 ERA, .538, 52 R, 45 RBI, 28 SB); Dillon McInerney, jr. P/1B (12-0, 1.00, .348, 10 2B, 37 RBI); Dustin Leach, sr. CF (.441, 44 R, 42 SB).
Outlook: Richmond has won 31 straight since opening 2-3 and after last season’s longest-ever tournament run. Six starters are back from last season’s championship game lineup, and Zach Leach and Boyd were all-state second-teamers. The Blue Devils are a catcher’s nightmare – their 204 stolen bases entering the week rank third in MHSAA history for one season, and Richmond has been caught only 11 times.
Division 3
DECATUR
Record/rank: 23-6, No. 7
Coach: Ben Botti, 20th season (427-191-1)
League finish: Second in Southwestern Athletic Conference South
Championship history: Four MHSAA titles (most recent 2012), one runner-up finish.
Players to watch: Cody Huston, jr. 3B/P (7-0, 1.20 ERA, .333); Cole Southworth, jr. C (.387); Joby Kawaski, jr. P/1B (.418, 44 R, 22 RBI, 15 SB, 7-0, 2.16, 92 K); Matthew Botti, jr. P/SS (.403, 24 R, 29 RBI, 10 2B, 3-1, 1.62 ERA), Carter Smith, soph. 2B (.372, 31 R, 16 SB).
Outlook: Decatur will look to add a Division 3 title to the four it’s earned in Division 4 over the last 15 seasons under Ben Botti. The Raiders made the Quarterfinals for the third straight season and haven’t missed a beat since moving into their new division this spring, eliminating No. 9 Watervliet during this tournament run. The experience will no doubt prove valuable, as the team has only five seniors – and starts only one.
GLADSTONE
Record/rank: 29-4, No. 3
Coach: Don Lauscher, second season (47-14)
League finish: Does not play in a league.
Championship history: Has never played in an MHSAA Final.
Players to watch: Justin Jurek, jr. DH (.381, 42 R, 37 RBI); Jake Peterson, jr. RF/P (.351, 30 R, 7-0, 2.87 ERA); Sam Pouliot, sr. IF/P/C (7-1, 1.17 ERA); Hunter Garling, soph. C (.486, 35 R, 12 2B, 27 RBI, 3-2, 1.18 ERA).
Outlook: There are only about 20 baseball programs in the Upper Peninsula during a given season, and Gladstone brought its back last season after not having a team since 1959. The Braves caught up quickly and have only one in-state loss this season, to much larger Marquette. The program was able to take off in part because the community has a strong summer American Legion tradition, but this team is still young with only four seniors and the rest picking up valuable experience.
GROSSE POINTE WOODS UNIVERSITY LIGGETT
Record/rank: 23-8, unranked
Coach: Dan Cimini, 11th season (300-63)
League finish: Second in Michigan Independent Athletic Conference Blue
Championship history: Three MHSAA titles (most recent 2013 in Division 4), two runner-up finishes.
Players to watch: Nicholas Azar, jr. SS (.400, 30 RBI, 15 2B, 10 SB); Anthony Simon, sr. P/IF (.400, 11 SB); Gehrig Anglin, fr. P/IF (11-2, 1.16 ERA, .386); Adam Fiema, sr. P/CF (6-3, 2.14 ERA, .457, 27 R, 13 2B, 23 SB).
Outlook: University Liggett graduated three all-staters and moved to Division 3 this season after winning two of the last three Division 4 championships, but have been similarly impressive. Azar also was a Division 4 all-stater in 2013 and with Fiema is one of five senior starters. Despite entering unranked, University Liggett knocked out No. 1 Madison Heights Bishop Foley in the Regional Final and No. 10 Clinton on Tuesday.
REESE
Record/rank: 28-7-1, unranked
Coach: Dave Elliott, 19th season (418-197-4)
League finish: First in Greater Thumb Conference West
Championship history: Has never played in an MHSAA Final.
Players to watch: Frank McKenzie, sr. 2B (.329, 25 R, 24 RBI, 12 SB); Cody Peyok, sr. CF (.410, 33 R, 30 RBI, 10 2B, 19 SB, 8-2, 1.92); Matt Sahr, sr. P (.337, 26 R, 26 RBI, 15 SB, 9-1, 0.32, 79 K); Tony Bentley, sr. LF (.351, 32 R, 276 RBI, 11 2B, 15 SB).
Outlook: This is Reese’s second Semifinal appearance; the Rockets also advance this far in 1997 and reached the Quarterfinals in 2001. They’ve given up only two runs total in five tournament games and are riding a 16-game winning streak. Reese was swept by Pinconning 7-6 and 20-1 early this season before avenging those with a 5-1 Quarterfinal win Tuesday. The team has eight seniors, including the top six hitters in the starting lineup and two winningest pitchers.
Division 4
BEAL CITY
Record/rank: 35-3, No. 2
Coaches: Brad Antcliff, eighth season (259-42-3)
League finish: First in Highland Conference
Championship history: Three MHSAA championships (most recent 2010), one runner-up finish.
Players to watch: Ty Rollin, sr. SS/P; Chase Rollin, soph. RF (Stats not submitted.).
Outlook: Beal City finished runner-up in 2013 and is in the Semifinals for the fifth time in six seasons. Top pitcher Ty Rollin was an all-stater last season and is one of seven starters back from last season’s championship game lineup; he gave up only six hits as Beal City lost to University Liggett 3-2. The Aggies knocked out top-ranked Muskegon Catholic Central in the Regional Final to highlight this run.
KALAMAZOO CHRISTIAN
Record/rank: 18-17, unranked
Coach: Steve Bennecke, second season (34-30)
League finish: Sixth in Kalamazoo Valley Association
Championship history: Has never played in an MHSAA Final.
Players to watch: Stephen Niewoonder, jr. P/1B/LF (.351, 22 R, 14 SB, 5-3); Alex Visser, fr. 2B (.385); Justin Richardson, sr. P/OF (7-3, 2.10 ERA); Greg Harris, jr. RF (.352, 10 SB).
Outlook: Kalamazoo Christian has won District titles in both seasons under Bennecke and made the Semifinals as recently as 2009, but has to be the surprise of this tournament after opening this season 5-10. The team has only four seniors and only two who start, but also two standout freshman starters among those gaining valuable experience for potential runs to come.
MAPLE CITY GLEN LAKE
Record/rank: 31-2-1, No. 3
Coach: Kris Herman, 11th season (223-166-5)
League finish: First in Northwest Conference
Championship history: Class D runner-up 1984.
Players to watch: Austin Odziana, jr. 1B (.422, 36 RBI, 10 2B); Thomas Waning, sr. P (12-1, 0.72 ERA,165 K, .360, 47 R, 10 2B); Travis Moore, soph. 3B (.494, 43 RBI, 12 2B); Trevor Apsey, sr. C (.518, 37 R, 38 RBI, 13 2B, 18 SB), Tristan Williams, sr. SS (.442, 48 R, 24 SB. 12 2B); Zach Cooper, soph. LF/P (13-0, 0.97 ERA, 79 K).
Outlook: Glen Lake has returned to the Semifinals for the second straight year while keyed by many of the same players as last season, including all-state first-teamer Odziana and second-teamer Apsey. Its only losses were to rivals Suttons Bay and Bellaire, and Glen Lake then beat both during the tournament while outscoring its postseason opponents by a total of 40-14.
NEW LOTHROP
Record/rank: 32-6, No. 5
Coach: Keith Villano, fourth season (112-25-2)
League finish: First in Genesee Area Conference Blue
Championship history: Has never played in an MHSAA Final.
Players to watch: Quentin Taylor, soph. OF/P; Grant Steinborn, jr. 1B/P; Kyle Chappelle, sr. 3B (Stats not submitted.).
Outlook: New Lothrop has risen from Quarterfinalist in 2012 to Semifinalist in 2013 and hopes to take the next step this weekend into its first championship game. Steinborn was an all-state second-teamer last season and leads a staff that should give the Hornets a solid chance. New Lothrop eliminated No. 8 Potterville and No. 6 Sterling Heights Parkway Christian during this tournament run.
PHOTO: Maple City Glen Lake catcher Trevor Apsey waits for the throw home as Beal City’s Ryan Tilmann slides under just in time to score in a 2013 Division 4 Semifinal.
Hope Rained Eternal During 1978 Finals
May 31, 2018
By Ron Pesch
Special for Second Half
“If the weatherman is in a co-operative mood, Michigan’s high school athletes, both boys and girls, will wind up another competitive school year Saturday,” wrote Detroit’s premier high school sports scribe, Hal Schram, 40 years ago just prior to the staging of the 1978 MHSAA softball and baseball state finals weekend.
“Let’s hope we get them in on schedule”, said Bob James, director of athletics for the Warren Consolidated Schools and a member of the MHSAA Representative Council. “I’ve been in high school sports for 35 years, and can’t remember a spring with more postponements and cancellations.”
Despite highest hopes, weather would, again, be a factor on the final weekend of the prep season. Games were scheduled for eight locations around the Lower Peninsula, with rain postponing Class B and Class C contests in softball and Class B and Class D in baseball.
SOFTBALL
In the 1979 yearbook, Impressions, published by East Detroit High School, staff celebrated school’s past half-decade of accomplishment and history:
“Girls have been playing softball at East Detroit now for almost 50 years, although it was called the girls baseball team until the mid-sixties. The teams have always done very well, many of them went undefeated, but none of them ever did as well as the 1978 squad.”
Roxanne “Rocky” Szczesniak, who would later earn All-American honors at Wayne State University, tossed a four-hitter and smashed a three-run homer as the Shamrocks eliminated defending Class A champion Portage Central, 6-3, in the day’s opening Semifinal, played at East Detroit’s Memorial Park. It was only the second defeat in 52 games for Portage Central, coached by Tom Monroe.
Waterford Township slipped past Flint Carman, 1-0, in 10 innings in the day’s second Semifinal, then capitalized on six errors by East Detroit in the title game to grab the Class A softball championship, 4-0. In the first inning, Mari Latozas doubled home a run to open the scoring for the Skippers. Waterford then added unearned runs in the third and fifth to seal the win. Coached by Joe Alsup, the Skippers finished the year at 25-3. He would post a 197-39 record in nine seasons at the school before it closed following the 1982-83 school year. Twenty years later, Alsup’s Waterford Kettering team earned the 1998 Class A softball crown. Today, he ranks fourth in all-time softball coaching victories in Michigan.
In Class B, Fenton cruised to their first of three straight titles with an 8-5 win over South Haven at Belknap Park in Grand Rapids on Monday, June 19, the game rescheduled because of the weather. Pitcher Barb Barclay posted her 24th win without a loss and boosted Fenton’s season mark to 28-1. Barclay was instrumental in the win at the plate as well with a triple and a single, while scoring three runs for the Tigers. With two outs in the third inning, Fenton rallied with four straight hits to open up a 2-1 lead. South Haven again jumped in front, 4-2, in the fifth, but Fenton bounced right back, again rallying with two down to open up a 7-4 lead.
“This was our biggest challenge of the season,” said Fenton coach Dave Lazar. “For a young team, South Haven is pretty good. They’re scrappers.”
It was South Haven’s second consecutive trip to the Finals. In 1977, the Rams lost to Grosse Ile, 5-3. South Haven would return to the Finals for a third straight time in 1979, again falling to Fenton.
Earlene Seeley, who would later play college ball at Ferris State, reached first base on a bunt, stole second, then scored on an error to give Shepherd a 1-0 lead over New Lothrop before rain forced delay at Brookwood Park in Clare on Saturday. Pitcher Deb McAvoy, who had hurled three and a third innings of no-hit ball, completed the first no-hitter in MHSAA title game history as Shepherd grabbed a 2-0 victory in the Class C championship on Monday. It would be six more years before a second no-hitter was tossed in the Softball Finals. Since McAvoy’s gem, 14 additional no-nos have been thrown in the MHSAA softball title game.
At Robinson Park in Ionia, Laingsburg swept to a 6-1 win over Central Lake for the Class D softball title. Junior Robbin Sawyer, who upped her record to 17-0 on the season, tossed a two-hitter in the Wolfpack’s 15-2 Semifinal win over Owendale-Gagetown and then held Central Lake to a single hit in the title game. Sue Hurst went 3 for 3 at the plate in the championship game, including singling home a run before scoring on the front end of a double steal, all in the first inning. Carrie Kooster tripled twice in the Semifinal, driving in six runs to lead the Wolves.
BASEBALL
Boasting an outstanding pitching staff, coach Marv Rettenmund’s Flint Southwestern squad rolled through the regular season, then battled its way through the tournament before downing East Kentwood, 7-1, to win the first, and only, Class A baseball title in Flint-area history.
"Sometimes, you have pretty good players, and when you have them, you'd better cash in," Rettenmund told the Flint Journal 30 years later.
Blessed with a “1-2 punch of senior left-hander Ruben Luna (14-0 with a 0.82 earned-run average) and senior right-hander Risto Nicevski (9-1, 0.72),” Southwestern dropped only three of 35 games, (all by a single run) before rolling to 16 straight victories. Tournament play was “capped by five close games,” including a scare in the Semifinal, before the championship matchup.
Luna and Nicevski combined for a one-hitter in the title contest, played at Memorial Field in Wyandotte. Earlier in the day, Luna fanned 12 batters in a three-hit, 1-0 shutout of Plymouth Canton. Third baseman Bob Cardenas singled home designated hitter Al Weatherford in the fifth inning for the game’s only run.
"That was one of the toughest teams we played," said Rettenmund. Plymouth Canton’s Russ Mandle led off the seventh inning with a booming double between the gap in left and centerfield, but was gunned down when trying to stretch it to a triple. “We made a perfect relay — (left fielder Dale) Bennis to (shortstop Matt) Diment to Cardenas.
"That was a once-in-a-lifetime ballclub."
Tom O’Dowd allowed a single hit in Jackson Lumen Christi’s 10-6 victory over Spring Lake in Class B, played at Aquinas College’s Kimble Field in Wyoming. The game, rescheduled to Monday after Saturday’s rain, saw six errors mar Spring Lake’s dreams of a title. Three of Lumen Christi’s first four batters reached base or advanced on errors, and all scored as the Titans jumped out to a quick 3-0 lead. Dave Schonhard notched the game’s only RBI, doubling in a pair of runs in the second inning to increase the lead to five. O’Dowd, selected in the 12th round of Major League Baseball’s amateur draft by the Toronto Blue Jays earlier in the spring, claimed 14 strikeouts, but dealt with control problems, walking 13. Trailing 10-2 entering the bottom of the seventh, the Lakers took advantage, gaining four walks and notching their only hit to pull within four before O’Dowd was relieved and the side was retired.
“We ran into a heckuva pitcher,” said Spring Lake coach Don Rohn following the game. “He throws the ball well. He’s probably the fastest right-hander we’ve seen all season.”
The win capped a stellar school year for the Titans, who won the Class B football crown in the fall and the Tier II hockey title in the winter.
Delayed by heavy rain, Bay City All Saints pounded out 13 hits including three singles by Ed Pawlaczyk, to down Addison, 8-0, in Class C championship play at Marshall High School. Dave Shooltz allowed seven hits in five innings for the win. Randy Morse, who went the distance in the team’s 2-0 Semifinal triumph over Allen Park Cabrini, earned the save. It was the first of seven final game appearances by All Saints and their first of four state baseball titles. The seven visits to the championship game has been equaled by Grosse Pointe Woods University Liggett and exceeded by Harper Woods Bishop Gallagher, with eight. Blissfield leads the list with nine trips to championship games, and tops all schools for baseball state titles with seven.
With two outs in the top of the 10th inning, Saranac’s Steve Metternick doubled in two runs to break a 1-1 deadlock as the Redskins topped Frankfort 4-1 in the Class D title showdown. The game, played at Alumni Field on the campus of Central Michigan University, had been interrupted on Saturday at the top of the third, with Saranac leading 1-0. Southpaw Craig Coulson earned the win for the Cinderella squad, going all the way. The sophomore hurler allowed four hits, struck out eight and walked four on the afternoon. Saranac ended the season with 16 victories against 11 defeats.
Ron Pesch has taken an active role in researching the history of MHSAA events since 1985 and began writing for MHSAA Finals programs in 1986, adding additional features and "flashbacks" in 1992. He inherited the title of MHSAA historian from the late Dick Kishpaugh following the 1993-94 school year, and resides in Muskegon. Contact him at [email protected] with ideas for historical articles.
PHOTOS: (Top) Shepherd’s softball team poses with its 1978 Class C championship trophy. (Middle top) East Detroit’s Rocky Szczesniak unloads a pitch for the eventual Class A champ. (Middle below) Ruben Luna prepares to deliver for Flint Southwestern. (Below) Saranac’s “Cinderella” Class D champion celebrates.