Preview: Opportunities to Celebrate
June 13, 2018
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
Two reigning champions will return this weekend to the MHSAA Baseball Finals at Michigan State University.
They’ll be joined at McLane Stadium in part by seven teams seeking their first title in this sport – and with Division 3 guaranteed to offer one of those teams a chance at celebrating the ultimate prize.
See below for a schedule of this weekend’s games, plus glances at all 16 teams that will take the field beginning Thursday.
Semifinals – Thursday
Division 1
Grosse Pointe South vs. Midland, 2:30 p.m.
Brownstown Woodhaven vs. Birmingham Brother Rice, 5 p.m.
Division 2
Orchard Lake St. Mary’s vs. Stevensville Lakeshore, 9 a.m.
Saginaw Swan Valley vs. DeWitt, 11:30 a.m.
Semifinals – Friday
Division 3
Gladstone vs. Madison Heights Bishop Foley, 2:30 p.m.
Riverview Gabriel Richard vs. Schoolcraft, 5 p.m.
Division 4
Gaylord St. Mary vs. Beal City, 9 a.m.
Unionville-Sebewaing vs. St. Joseph Lake Michigan Catholic, 11:30 a.m.
Finals – Saturday
Division 1: 11:30 a.m.
Division 2: 9 a.m.
Division 3: 5 p.m.
Division 4: 2:30 p.m.
Tickets cost $8 per round and include admission to softball games those days also at MSU’s Old College Field. 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. Click to order tickets in advance and for a parking map.
All statistics below are through Regionals, except Gabriel Richard and Woodhaven’s include their Quarterfinals. (Click for links to brackets and scores.)
Division 1
BIRMINGHAM BROTHER RICE
Record/rank: 31-8, unranked
Coach: Bob Riker, 21st season (578-202)
League finish: First in Detroit Catholic League Central
Championship history: Three MHSAA titles (most recent 2008), three runner-up finishes.
Players to watch: Reese Trahey, sr. CF (.380, 38 RBI, 14 SB); Jack Orlowski, jr. 3B (.407, 14 2B, 31 RBI, 14 SB); Tito Flores, jr. RF (.395, 45 R, 15 2B, 40 RBI, 16 SB); Jack Brockhaus, sr. P (7-1, 1.54 ERA, 4 SV).
Outlook: Brother Rice emerged from the frequently powerful Catholic League Central to earn this first Semifinal trip since finishing runner-up in 2013. The Warriors downed No. 11 Northville in the Quarterfinal and own a recent one-run win over possible championship game opponent Grosse Pointe South. Brockhaus has dominated, and Rice also has junior Tyler Sarkisian (5-0, 2.42 ERA) among others capable on the mound. Senior catcher Gabe Sotres (.345, 9 HR) and senior first baseman Mac Menard (.330) are two more key bats.
BROWNSTOWN WOODHAVEN
Record/rank: 33-5. No. 9
Coach: Corey Farner, fourth season (121-24)
League finish: First in Downriver League
Championship history: Has never played in an MHSAA Final.
Players to watch: Drew Szczepaniak, sr. P/1B (.368, 29 RBI, 9-1 pitching, 1.09 ERA, 113 K); Colin Czajkowski, jr. P/OF (.388, 32 R, 16 2B, 32 RBI, 6-0 pitching, 1.03 ERA, 85 K); Justin Charron, sr. C/P (.450, 10 2B, 21 RBI, 5-1 pitching, 1.00 ERA); Kyle Ray, jr. C/OF/P (.380, 34 R, 10 2B, 25 RBI, 4-1 pitching, 0.00 ERA).
Outlook: This historic run has included Woodhaven’s first Regional title and now first trip to the Semifinals, and the Warriors are loaded for a final push. Szczepaniak will continue his career after this spring at Western Michigan, and Czajkowski will sign with University of Michigan, and they provide an obviously daunting 1-2 pitching punch. Woodhaven has reached this weekend with wins over No. 10 Saline in the Regional Final and then No. 6 Grand Ledge in Tuesday’s Quarterfinal.
GROSSE POINTE SOUTH
Record/rank: 31-12, unranked
Coach: Dan Griesbaum, 35th season (808-436-2)
League finish: Second in Macomb Area Conference Red
Championship history: Division 1 champion 2001, runner-up 2014.
Players to watch: Joe Naporano, sr. C/IF (.389, 13 2B, 29 R, 4-1 pitching, 2.31 ERA); Davis Graham, sr. C/OF (.386, 10 2B, 9 HR, 45 RBI); Drew Maccagnone, jr. IF (.353, 22 RBI); Jacob Hinkle, sr. OF/IF (.355, 11 2B, 44 R, 14 SB).
Outlook: After two seasons away, South will play in its third Semifinal in five seasons. The Blue Devils clearly earned it with wins against No. 2 University Liggett and No. 12 Macomb Dakota along the way. This season’s District title was the 24th over 35 seasons under Griesbaum, who entered this season eighth in MHSAA history for career baseball wins. He has 17 seniors, including seven starting hitters and expected Semifinal pitcher Nathan Budziak (5-1, 2.31 ERA). Senior Cam Shook (6-2, 1.82 ERA) is another reliable thrower.
MIDLAND
Record/rank: 30-11, unranked
Coach: Eric Albright, 16th season (416-159)
League finish: Third in Saginaw Valley League.
Championship history: Three MHSAA titles (most recent 1998).
Players to watch: Jeff Landis, jr. P/1B (.429, 11 2B, 30 RBI, 6-2 pitching, 3.16 ERA); Martin Money, sr. IF (.375, 11 2B, 29 RBI, 30 SB); James Harris, jr. C (.370, 36 RBI); Garrett Willis, sr. P/OF (.351, 15 2B, 33 RBI, 10-2 pitching, 0.90 ERA, 74 K).
Outlook: Midland will play its first Semifinal since the Division 1 championship season in 1998, having beaten top-ranked Bay City Western and No. 19 Saginaw Heritage along the way. The Chemics previously were swept by Western and split with Heritage, both in league play, but haven’t given up more than two runs in a postseason game these last three weeks. Money, who made the all-state second team in 2017, is one of six regulars who was hitting at least .337 entering the week, and he, Harris, Landis and Willis all had crossed the plate at least 39 times this season while holding down the first four spots in the lineup.
Division 2
DEWITT
Record/rank: 27-6, No. 7
Coach: Alan Shankel, ninth season (225-92-3)
League finish: Second in Capital Area Activities Conference Red
Championship history: Two MHSAA titles (most recent 1993), two runner-up finishes.
Players to watch: Nolan Knauf, sr. IF/P (.404, 10 2B, 33 RBI, 4-0 pitching, 0.21 ERA); Mark Connelly, sr. IF (.418, 26 R, 22 RBI); Kade Preston, sr. C/1B (.396, 30 RBI); Logan Simon, jr. OF/P (6-1, 2.39 ERA).
Outlook: The Panthers are back at the Semifinals for the third time in five seasons with a veteran group that also has added to a streak of five straight District titles. DeWitt defeated No. 16 Tecumseh in the Quarterfinal to earn this trip and has won eight of its last 10 games. Three more starters are hitting at least .338, and seniors Josh Robinson (4-1, 2.45 ERA) and Garrett Larner (5-1, 1.98) are two more reliable arms; Robinson made the all-state second team last season.
ORCHARD LAKE ST. MARY’S
Record/rank: 28-12, No. 4
Coach: Matt Petry, eighth season (177-131)
League finish: Second in Detroit Catholic League Central
Championship history: Three MHSAA titles (most recent 2015), three runner-up finishes.
Players to watch: Carter Macias, sr. 3B (.385, 10 2B, 49 R, 16 SB); Blake Bean, sr. CF (.358, 42 RBI); Dillon Kark, jr. IF (.372, 5 HR, 32 RBI); Logan Wood, soph. P (9-2, 2.45 ERA, 110 K).
Outlook: The Eaglets will join Brother Rice at the Semifinals from the Catholic League Central, coming off a fourth straight District title and sixth in seven seasons. St. Mary’s eliminated No. 2 Detroit Country Day during this run and has outscored five playoff opponents by a combined 50-8. Sophomore Anthony Fett (5-1, 2.79 ERA) combines with Wood to give the team a pair of impressive sophomore lefties on the mound, and seven regulars total were hitting at least .308 entering the week.
SAGINAW SWAN VALLEY
Record/rank: 32-8-3, No. 17
Coach: Craig Leddy, first season (32-8-3)
League finish: First in Tri-Valley Conference Central
Championship history: Division 2 champion 2001.
Players to watch: Mitchell Jebb, soph. IF (.438, 46 R, 31 RBI, 23 SB); Victor Mancini, soph. IF (.331, 46 RBI, 11 SB); Avery Goldensoph, fr. P/IF (5-0, 1.51 ERA); Hunter Goldensoph, sr. P/OF (6-1, 1.70 ERA).
Outlook: This will be Swan Valley’s second trip to the Semifinals, joining the 2001 title run. But although the Vikings will graduate five players, the future is bright with two juniors and 10 underclassmen on the roster and many in prominent roles. Senior infielder Cameron Schroeder (.344, 18 SB) and sophomore catcher Easton Goldensoph (.324) are two more key hitters, and Brian Ross (.311, 3-1 pitching) is another strong sophomore. Swan Valley has shut out three of five postseason opponents.
STEVENSVILLE LAKESHORE
Record/rank: 25-14, No. 12
Coach: Mark Nate, 13th season (334-148-1)
League finish: Second in Southwestern Michigan Athletic Conference West
Championship history: Two MHSAA titles (most recent 2017).
Players to watch: Trey Thibeault, sr. IF (.460, 42 R, 32 SB); Jared Evans, jr. OF/C (.398, 34 R, 35 RBI); Cam Dalrymple, jr. IF (.440, 12 SB); Connor Brawley, sr. OF/P (.402, 37 R, 26 SB, 9-4 pitching, 1.43 ERA).
Outlook: Seven starters are back from the lineup that won last season’s Division 2 championship, and Brawley earned the pitching win in the 2017 Semifinal. He made the all-state second team last season and leads a staff that also includes seniors Joel Brawley (6-1, 2.37 ERA) and Logan Morrow (4-2, 2.41 ERA). Sophomore Oli Carmody (.344) is another returning starter who helps fill out a strong lineup. Lakeshore opened this run by eliminating top-ranked Edwardsburg and also has beaten No. 13 Sturgis during the postseason.
Division 3
GLADSTONE
Record/rank: 32-4, No. 6
Coach: Don Lauscher, sixth season (158-49-1)
League finish: Does not play in a conference.
Championship history: Has not played in an MHSAA Final.
Players to watch: Clay Cole, sr. OF/P (.467, 31 R, 4-1 pitching, 2.07 ERA); Braeden Lamberg, sr. IF/C (.351, 37 R, 26 RBI); Cody Frappier, jr. OF (.432, 36 R, 31 RBI); Carson Shea, jr. IF/P (7-1, 1.02 ERA).
Outlook: Gladstone is back for its third Semifinal in five seasons after getting past No. 15 Standish-Sterling and top-ranked Traverse City St. Francis, among others during this postseason. The Braves also return this weekend with their highest win total since the program was restarted six seasons ago. Junior Jared Crow (6-0, 0.82 ERA) is another successful thrower from a strong pitching staff, and he’s also one of seven regulars hitting at least .303.
MADISON HEIGHTS BISHOP FOLEY
Record/rank: 18-17-1, unranked
Coach: Tim McEvoy, 18-17-1
League finish: Third in Detroit Catholic League AA
Championship history: Four MHSAA titles (most recent 2017), one runner-up finish.
Players to watch: Mason Minzey, sr. C; Benjamin Alderson, jr. P/1B; Ethan Hoffman, sr. P/OF. (Statistics not submitted.)
Outlook: Reigning champion Bishop Foley got over .500 by downing No. 4 New Lothrop in Tuesday’s Quarterfinal, and has outscored its five postseason opponents by a combined score of 43-4. Minzey and senior third baseman Evan Ludwick started in last season’s championship game and are among seven seniors. The Ventures have won eight straight games.
RIVERVIEW GABRIEL RICHARD
Record/rank: 26-3, No. 5
Coach: Mike Magier, fifth season (record N/A)
League finish: First in Detroit Catholic League CD
Championship history: Class C runner-up 1994.
Players to watch: Kevin Tuttle, jr. C/IF (.438, 32 R, 32 RBI, 10 SB); Matthew Silka, jr. P/IF (6-0, 0.91 ERA, .311 hitting); David Zubor, soph. OF (.421, 30 R, 27 RBI); Jacob Gosen, jr. OF/P (.489, 44 R, 25 RBI, 4-1 pitching, 1.08 ERA).
Outlook: Gabriel Richard won its second straight Regional title and will play in its first Semifinal since the 1994 run, after also winning its fourth straight league and District titles. The Pioneers defeated No. 14 Michigan Center in the Quarterfinal to advance, and the future is bright as well as the roster is filled by all juniors and sophomores. The team boasts an impressive 1.37 ERA, with juniors Niko Maloney (4-1, 1.57) and Frank Klamerus (4-0, 0.00) and sophomore Cole Atkinson (4-0, 1.52) among others who have had success.
SCHOOLCRAFT
Record/rank: 22-11, unranked
Coach: Larry Phelps, sixth season (151-46)
League finish: Fourth in Southwestern Athletic Conference Valley
Championship history: Has never played in an MHSAA Final.
Players to watch: Jett Gott, fr. P/OF/IF (.413, 31 R, 19 SB); Alex Thole, fr. P/OF/IF (.375, 5-0 pitching, 1.70 ERA); Connor Nutt, jr. P/1B/OF (.362, 11 2B, 4-2 pitching); Marc Shaink, sr. P/3B (.346, 3-3 pitching, 2.56 ERA).
Outlook: Schoolcraft won its third straight Regional title and will play in the Semifinals for the second straight season, but with a much different cast – Shaink is the only returning starter. The Quarterfinal win over No. 20 Buchanan was the team’s 12th straight. Six starters are hitting at least .309, including senior Wyatt Adams (.309, 31 R, 16 SB), and he and Shaink are two of four seniors in the lineup.
Division 4
BEAL CITY
Record/rank: 21-8, No. 14
Coach: Steve Pickens, second season (50-18)
League finish: First in Highland Conference
Championship history: Three MHSAA titles (most recent 2010), two runner-up finishes.
Players to watch: Kollin Sharrar, sr. IF (.470, 10 2B, 20 RBI); Brett Upton, sr. P/IF (.415, 37 R, 22 RBI, 8-2 pitching, 0.81 ERA, 107 K); Keegan Haynes, jr. P/IF (.394, 5-2 pitching); Ryan Schafer, sr. P/OF (.368, 34 R, 3-2 pitching, 2.26 ERA).
Outlook: Beal City was Division 4 runner-up in both 2013 and 2014, and this Semifinals will be its first since the latter run. The Aggies didn’t give up a run in the postseason until beating No. 15 Muskegon Catholic Central 9-2 in the Quarterfinal and have outscored their five playoff opponents by a combined 44-2. Juniors Colby Berryhill and Nate Wilson are also among regulars hitting at least .333, Berryhill (.366, 32 R) from the lead-off spot.
GAYLORD ST. MARY
Record/rank: 26-5, No. 4
Coach: Matt Nowicki, 14th season (241-170)
League finish: First in Ski Valley Conference
Championship history: Class D runner-up 1988-89.
Players to watch: Drew Long, sr. P/C (.494, 29 R, 30 RBI); Drew Koenig, soph. P/C (.368, 10 2B, 34 RBI, 11-1 pitching, 1.90 ERA); Brady Hunter, soph. CF (.364, 31 R, 24 SB); Quinn Schultz, fr. 1B/P (.356, 23 RBI, 2-1 pitching, 2.93 ERA).
Outlook: Gaylord St. Mary will play in its third straight Semifinal – and keep an eye out moving forward as well. There are two seniors; the rest of the Snowbirds are freshmen and sophomores. Even then, four starters are back from that 2017 Semifinal, with Long a returning all-state first-team selection. St. Mary eliminated No. 10 Onaway and No. 18 Indian River Inland Lakes on the way back to MSU.
ST. JOSEPH LAKE MICHIGAN CATHOLIC
Record/rank: 27-3, No. 2
Coach: Dale Beeney, third season (82-14)
League finish: First in Berrien-Cass-St. Joseph Conference White
Championship history: Division 4 runner-up 2010.
Players to watch: Matthew Defay, soph. P/IF; Kyle Juza, sr. P/IF; Jacob Kissane, sr. C. (Statistics not submitted.)
Outlook: Lake Michigan Catholic just missed making the Semifinals last season with a one-run Quarterfinal loss, but is back for the first time since the 2010 championship game run. Six seniors anchor the starting lineup, and the team carries a .386 average. The Lakers defeated No. 11 Decatur to win their Regional championship and have given up only five runs over five playoff games – and 1.45 earned runs per game this entire season.
UNIONVILLE-SEBEWAING
Record/rank: 21-15, unranked
Coach: Tyler Bader, sixth season (115-65-3)
League finish: Fifth in Greater Thumb Conference West.
Championship history: Has never played in an MHSAA Final.
Players to watch: Cooper Kauffold, sr. C (.400, 11 2B, 20 RBI); Jalen Gangler, jr. DH/OF (.356, 19 RBI); Hunter Bohn, sr. SS/P (.330, 23 R, 4-3 pitching, 3.23 ERA); Brendan Prime, sr. P/CF (7-4, 1.56 ERA, 117 K).
Outlook: USA has won three straight Regional titles and will play in a Semifinal for the second straight season, but this one has to be a bit of a surprise as the team was just a game above .500 heading into the tournament. The Patriots eliminated No. 20 Ubly among others over the last three weeks and have navigated the postseason with six starters back from last season – including another top pitcher in senior Devin Riskey (7-6, 3.20 ERA, 80 K), an all-state first-team selection last spring.
PHOTO: Midland's Liam Grady unloads a pitch during Tuesday's Quarterfinal win over Holland West Ottawa. (Click to see more from HighSchoolSportsScene.com.)
West Rides Hot Start after Record Finish
April 21, 2017
By Dennis Chase
Special for Second Half
TRAVERSE CITY – Traverse City West has the blueprint.
Now the Titans are hoping to build off their success from last spring when they won a school-record 41 games and reached the MHSAA Division 1 Baseball Semifinals.
So far, so good. The Titans are off to a 6-1 start.
“We always keep the same goals, the same expectations,” coach Matt Bocian said. “Winning the conference, winning the District, those are the expectations. And then you set your goals a little higher (after that). Once you get a little taste of something (like a Semifinal appearance), maybe you want a little more. We try to keep them hungry.”
West returns just two everyday starters from a year ago – centerfielder Gavin Garmhausen and pitcher-third baseman Ryan Hayes – but several other underclassmen saw significant action.
“We feel good with the team we have – and where we’re at,” senior catcher-first baseman Carson Rosa said. “We have good talent. We just have to come to practice every day wanting to get better. Without that attitude, we’re going to flat line and we’re not going to be as good as we want to be.”
Rosa provided the biggest hit in the first couple weeks when he singled in Garmhausen in the bottom of the seventh inning to beat Flushing 4-3 in the opener of a doubleheader Monday at Central Michigan University. West won the nightcap 14-1.
Earlier, the Titans beat Coldwater 4-2, Hamilton 7-1, White Cloud 12-2 and Morley-Stanwood 12-1. The lone loss came in the Coldwater tournament to Fremont, Ind., 9-6.
“We’re not where we need to be, but we’re going to get better and better,” Hayes said.
Hayes was one of the standouts last season. He was 10-1 with a 0.90 ERA on the mound. At the plate, Hayes hit .418, one of four players to bat over .400.
As a team, the Titans scored 427 runs in 44 games, which is 10th on the MHSAA’s all-time runs list. West also pounded out 431 hits, also 10th all-time. The 41 wins rank sixth in MHSAA history.
“It was crazy,” Garmhausen said of last season’s offensive fireworks.
The centerfielder did his part, hitting .368 with 41 RBI, 44 hits and 47 runs.
The run to the Semifinals, where the Titans lost to eventual champion Warren DeLaSalle 3-1, was the longest in school history.
“We came from behind in every (tournament) game,” Garmhausen said. “It proved to us that we could do big things up here.”
Garmhausen has picked up where he left off. He’s currently hitting near .500.
Hayes, meanwhile, has pitched in two games. He went five innings, allowing no earned runs, three hits and striking out 10 in the win over Hamilton. He also went the first six innings in Monday’s triumph over Flushing, surrendering two earned runs and striking out nine.
Sophomore Brendan Pierce earned the win in the nightcap to improve to 2-0. Mike Laracey, Dan Ayling and Colin Campbell are all 1-0.
“I always tell my teams pitching and defense will win you games,” Bocian said. “Then you see if you can scrape across a few runs. That was our motto last year. It just so happened we had some kids (explode at the plate), and others followed.”
Garmhausen, Hayes, Laracey, Rosa, Ayling, A.J. Ruskowski, Sam DeKuiper and Tristan Reeves have wielded the hots bats this season.
Three of those players – Garmhausen, Hayes and Rosa – have particularly interesting backstories.
Garmhausen’s father, Brad, was a three-sport star at Frankfort in the early 1980s, earning all-state recognition in football, basketball and baseball. He coached Gavin in Little League.
His advice to his son?
“Keep working, keep a positive attitude and things will go your way,” Gavin said.
Gavin, 18, plays two sports. He was on the West varsity hockey team four years and was named to the Traverse City Record-Eagle Dream Team for his play this past winter.
Garmhausen is in his third year on the varsity baseball team. He bats leadoff and plays centerfield.
He describes himself as “a hard worker, a leader, a guy that wants to win, a guy that wants to set an example for his teammates.”
His coach agrees with that assessment.
“He loves the sport,” Bocian said. “He wants to succeed as much as anybody. He has a lot of tools. He’s put a lot of time into getting where he’s at – and it shows.”
Garmhausen plans to play baseball at Bradenton Inspiration Academy in Florida next school year before enrolling in college.
Hayes, a 6-foot-7 junior, is a bona fide three-sport star. He’s one of the state’s top football recruits in the 2018 class. Hayes holds 11 scholarship offers, including from University of Michigan, Michigan State and Notre Dame. A tight end-defensive end for the Titans, Hayes is being recruited as an offensive tackle.
The junior was the most valuable player in the Big North Conference in basketball. He led the Titans to the Class A Regional Finals – the best boys basketball tournament run in school history.
He also comes from an athletic family. His older brother Connor, also a lineman, signed with University of Pittsburgh out of high school. His father, Mike, was an offensive lineman at Central Michigan University. His mother Sue (Nissen) Arthur starred in basketball at CMU. She’s the school’s second all-time leading scorer and was a freshman All-American and a three-time first-team Mid-American Conference honoree. Arthur was inducted into CMU’s Hall of Fame in 2001.
(Incidentally, at CMU, Arthur played with Traverse City’s Suzy Merchant, Molly (Piche’) Russell and Wendy (Merriman) Sherwin and Gaylord St. Mary’s Lori (McCluskey) Phillips. While Merchant is now the women’s basketball coach at MSU, Arthur, Sherwin and Phillips all reside in Traverse City and their children have gone on to success at three different schools.
Sherwin’s three sons – Ben, Sam and Jack – were linemen on Traverse City Central’s 9-2 football team last fall that won a second consecutive Big North Conference title. Their offensive line position coach? Their father, Greg, a former lineman at CMU. Ben, a senior, signed with Ferris State.
Phillips’ son, Noah, plays basketball at Grand Valley State. The 6-8 Phillips averaged 19.8 points and 7.2 rebounds his senior season at St. Francis. Juliana, a current senior at St. Francis, just earned all-state laurels in basketball, to go with similar honors in volleyball. She’ll attend St. Louis University on a volleyball scholarship in the fall.)
In another year, Ryan Hayes will be gearing up for college. He planned to make a decision where – and notify college football coaches – late this summer, but that timetable has been moved up.
For now, he’s enjoying baseball. And when asked if there’s a sport he doesn’t like, he laughs.
“Not really,” he said. “I like them all.”
Hayes has a fastball that’s been clocked at 89 miles per hour, he said, although he hasn’t thrown that hard in this cold, spring weather. Still, he has 19 strikeouts in 11 innings.,
“Ryan came in last year as a sophomore, not projected to be our No. 2 starter, and he ended up 10-1,” Bocian said. “When you look at his athleticism, and the opportunities he has as a player in all three of his sports, it’s mindboggling.”
Like Ben Sherwin, Carson Rosa signed to play football at Ferris State.
It’s where Rosa’s father, Mark, played baseball after a standout career at Clare High School. Mark Rosa was inducted into the Clare Hall of Fame in 2013.
Carson Rosa’s senior football season was interrupted by injury. The 6-5, 220-pound senior quarterback had led the Titans to impressive wins over Midland and Grand Haven to start what looked like a promising season. Then, in a week three showdown with Traverse City Central, he dislocated his right ankle and broke his fibula when he was hit attempting a pass and his cleat caught in the artificial turf.
Incredibly, he returned after six weeks to start West’s playoff game, also against Central.
“My doctor, Dr. (Tom) O’Hagan, planted the seed in my mind that it was going to be at least a six-week recovery,” Rosa said. “That meant I was going to strive for that six weeks. All I was focused on was school and rehab.”
Rosa wondered if college coaches would back off. Not all did.
“I got a couple texts,” he said. “They were like, ‘Sorry to hear about your injury. We’d still like to have you as part of our team in the future.’ That was nice to know because I wasn’t going to get a senior year to prove (myself).”
Ferris was one of the schools that kept in touch.
“They see me as an athlete who has the potential to play multiple positions, not just quarterback,” Rosa said. “I could be an H-back.”
Rosa also played three sports until this season. He gave up basketball since his ankle was still sore.
“I wanted to be 100 percent ready for baseball,” he said. “I love baseball. It was my sport until I started playing football in eighth grade. But I still love it and I did not want to sacrifice the season that we’re going to have because I knew we were returning some good talent – and I was going to get to play with my best friends.”
Rosa is off to a hot start. He belted a two-run homer in the Morley Stanwood tournament.
“He’s got all the tools to be successful,” Bocian said. “He’s a gamer. When it’s game time, that’s when Carson is at his best.”
Now, if the weather would just improve. West might still be a couple weeks away from hosting its first twinbill. In the meantime, the Titans are hitting the road. Their travels will take them to Grand Rapids Forest Hills Northern on Saturday.
Dennis Chase worked 32 years as a sportswriter at the Traverse City Record-Eagle, including as sports editor from 2000-14. He can be reached at [email protected] with story ideas for Manistee, Wexford, Missaukee, Roscommon, Ogemaw, Iosco, Alcona, Oscoda, Crawford, Kalkaska, Grand Traverse, Benzie, Leelanau, Antrim, Otsego, Montmorency, Alpena, Presque Isle, Cheboygan, Charlevoix and Emmet counties.
PHOTOS: (Top) Traverse City West pitcher Ryan Hayes works on a hitter during last season’s Division 1 Semifinal loss to Warren DeLaSalle. (Middle) Gavin Garmhausen, also here against DeLaSalle, joins Hayes among returning starters this spring.