![Retired Hastings baseball coach Bernie Oom stands with the record board he’s created that is displayed at the school’s diamond.](/sites/default/files/2024-05/240529_Hastings_2H.png)
Record Board Celebrates Hastings Record-Setters Over 7 Decades on Diamond
By
Steve Vedder
Special for MHSAA.com
May 29, 2024
Bernie Oom had no intention of letting the past slide into history.
So the 88-year-old retired longtime Hastings baseball coach embarked on a meticulous two-year labor-of-love project that recognized the Saxons’ record-breaking ballplayers from the last five decades.
The result is an impressive 63-by-52-inch record board attached to the baseball field's press box located directly behind home plate. The board chronicles a myriad of individual pitching, hitting and team marks derived from Oom's 22 years as coach as well as statistics from his six successors.
Included are records from the top players in Hastings history, including a former Saxon who collected the last hit off hall-of-famer Nolan Ryan, a slugging catcher who was drafted by Seattle and Cincinnati and spent time in the Boston organization, and a Hastings pitcher who owns the oldest mark when he fashioned a 0.35 ERA with just two runs allowed in 40 innings in 1969.
Oom, a member of the Michigan High School Baseball Coaches Association (MHSBCA) Hall of Fame, always kept close track of statistics and records as a coach. Two years ago when his son Wayne began a similar project with the Hastings track program, Oom thought it was time for his former diamond stars to be recognized. While a handful of schools may post scattered records in gymnasiums, it's extremely rare for a school to post records at a baseball field.
"I always liked statistics, and I decided I wanted to keep that kind of stuff up. I'm kind of a stickler for remembering things; details are important to me," said Oom, who compiled a 272-188 record with eight West Central and Twin Valley titles as coach from 1966-87.
"I talked to a lot of my old players, and they thought this was a great idea. But part of the real value is having a ninth grader looking at this and saying, 'I see this, and I want to be up there some day.' I think it will spur things in the program."
In collecting info for the board, Oom went through his 22 seasons of statistics and records, then contacted the six coaches who followed him, including one, Jeff Simpson, who now lives in Arizona. Oom and his son visited local schools such as Grandville and Grand Rapids South Christian for ideas and decided to work with a company called School Pride out of Columbus, Ohio, to produce the board. Oom and the company took two years to get it right, Oom said.
The result are 12 team, 10 offensive and nine individual pitching records as well as a list of the program's all-staters noted on the board.
Point to any records and the still razor-sharp Oom will have a story about the player or the team that produced the mark. Among them is the 15 doubles clubbed by star Dann Howitt in 1982. Howitt, who played 115 major league games across six seasons with six clubs, has a unique claim to fame as the last player to collect a hit of Nolan Ryan on Sept. 22, 1993. A 46-year-old Ryan, who finished with 324 wins and 5,734 strikeouts, walked the bases loaded against the Seattle Mariners, bringing up Howitt, who promptly drove a Ryan fastball over the left field fence. Ryan, a right-hander, tore a right elbow ligament pitching to the next hitter and exited the game, never to pitch again.
Oom remembers Howitt more as a line-drive hitter than a power threat. He actually hit more homers as a major leaguer (five) than he did as a Saxon (one in 120 at-bats over two seasons). The doubles record is the only time Howitt appears on the board, despite batting a combined .392 as a junior and senior.
"Teams would pitch around Dann," Oom said of Howitt, whose other claim to fame is backing up stars Mark McGwire, Tino Martinez and Frank Thomas at the major league level.
Among the other records are indicators of arguably the greatest season ever produced by a Hastings hitter. Nick Williams owns program records for batting average (.591), hits (52), homers (8), RBIs (42) and runs (47) all set in 1991. Williams said among his sharpest memories from that spring is struggling through his only hitless game of the season. He went 0-for-3 in the finale to drop below .600 for the only time all spring. At the time, no Michigan high schooler had batted .600 for one season.
"The ball looked big to me all year," said Williams, who was drafted out of high school by the Mariners, out of Central Michigan by the Reds after his junior season and eventually signed with the Red Sox as a free agent. "I had a pretty good high school career, and I was pretty confident as a senior. I had put a lot of work in hitting on a tee in our garage. Then I would play ball all summer. I improved steadily, and I saw the results that summer."
Former Saxons pitcher Steve Pocernik holds the oldest mark on the board after surrendering a meager two runs in 40 innings for a 0.35 ERA in 1969. After 55 years, Pocernik isn't completely sure but thinks the runs came in one game against St. Johns.
"I didn't throw hard, but I had a curve and I could put the ball where I wanted," he said. "(The record) kind of took me by surprise. I think it's super that Bernie had done what he's done. It's a nice thing for the guys who played for him."
Does keeping the record for five and a half decades come as a surprise? Kind of, Pocernik said.
"Yes and no," he said. "Yes in that it's been a lot of years. No because I don't think pitchers today pitch like we did. There are a lot of guys who've come after me."
Another of the Hastings pitching marks is the tiny total of 12 walks in 57 innings by Mike Hause in 1979. That's an average of just 1.4 walks over seven innings. Like Pocernik, Hause said he didn't throw hard. He mixed a curve with a fastball that rode in on righthanded hitters. Speed aside, Hause explains the low number of walks with having a definitive plan as a pitcher. He remembers focusing on throwing first-pitch strikes and then keeping hitters off-balance with an occasional knuckleball.
"I would work on hitting my spot even in the preseason in the gym," he said. "We put up a strike zone mat with holes in it, and I would try to throw the ball through that spot. I didn't throw as hard as some guys, but I threw strikes."
PHOTOS (Top) Retired Hastings baseball coach Bernie Oom stands with the record board he’s created that is displayed at the school’s diamond. (Middle) A Battle Creek Enquirer story from 1991 discusses Nick Williams' accomplishments. (Photo by Steve Vedder.)
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St Francis, Frankfort Setting Title Sights
April 6, 2018
By Dennis Chase
Special for Second Half
TRAVERSE CITY – After an MRI earlier this year revealed a torn labrum in his right shoulder, Traverse City St. Francis all-state pitcher Joey Muzljakovich decided on surgery that would end his senior season before it even started.
Then, Wayne State University coaches intervened.
“I was scheduled to have surgery two weeks after the MRI,” said the 18-year-old, who signed with Wayne State in November. “Wayne State called back and (the coaches) were super nice about it. They said, ‘Play your senior year.’ They said there was the potential that I could (damage it further) if I pitched or played third, where I would throw a lot, but that I could play first and hit. I’ll have to be careful with how intense my throws are (at first), but I’m so thankful for the opportunity.”
Muzljakovich, who said he will meet with the orthopedic surgeon at Wayne State and set a date for surgery after the season concludes, is a key cog for the Gladiators, who went 38-4 and finished runner-up to Madison Heights Bishop Foley in the MHSAA Division 3 Final last spring.
The Gladiators are ranked No. 2 in this spring’s preseason state coaches poll. A school St. Francis has close ties with, Frankfort, is ranked No. 1 in Division 4. Five St. Francis and two Frankfort players were on the A. Green North travel team last summer. The team was coached by Frankfort’s Mike Zimmerman, who was assisted by Gladiators head coach Tom Passinault. The team competed in tournaments across Michigan and the Midwest.
“(The St. Francis players have) become some of my best friends,” said Panthers catcher Brett Zimmerman, who was recently named a Collegiate Baseball preseason All-American. “We play and travel so much together in the summer that I know them about as well as I know my teammates at Frankfort.”
Coincidentally, Zimmerman and Muzljakovich will be teammates and roommates at Wayne State. The two were among six recruits the Warriors announced in November. Zimmerman’s older brother, Kyle, previously played for Wayne State.
Frankfort finished 36-1 a year ago. Its MHSAA title hopes were dashed in the Regional with a 2-1 10-inning loss to Muskegon Catholic Central.
Both the Panthers and Gladiators, who have ramped up their schedules, return talented rosters. And the St. Francis roster still includes Muzljakovich, who was the Traverse City Record-Eagle Player of the Year as a junior. On the mound, the righthander was 10-0 with a 0.58 ERA. He struck out 102 batters in 60 1/3 innings. At the plate, he hit .425 with two home runs and 35 RBI. He scored 38 runs.
“It was a devastating blow when we thought he wasn’t going to play at all,” Passinault said. “He was set to have surgery in February. It was very classy what Wayne State did. He had already signed with them.
“Just his presence on the field makes us better. The kids look up to him. He’s a natural leader.”
Casey Peterson, who teamed with Muzljakovich to give the Gladiators a potent one-two combination on the mound, will be the ace. The University of Dayton signee went 9-2 with a 0.47 ERA last season.
“He’s the man,” Muzljakovich said.
Juniors Josh Bradfield (5-0 with a 1.44 ERA) and Tyler Prichard will battle for rotational spots, too. Juniors Keaton Peck (5-1 with a 1.90 ERA) and Danny Passinault (3-0 with a 3.73 ERA) add experience, but their value in the field gives Tom Passinault pause to pitch them too much.
A year ago, Gladiators pitchers tossed seven consecutive shutouts.
“We were two innings off the state record,” Passinault said.
Pitchers were aided by a lockdown defense.
“That was a key last year,” Passinault said. “We were really good on defense. We made very few errors.”
With Cooper Peterson, a Hillsdale signee, behind the plate, Peck at shortstop and Danny Passinault in centerfield, St. Francis is strong up the middle.
At the plate, Peck hit .388 and drove in 28 runs last season. Peterson, who will probably bat fifth behind Muzljakovich, had a .330 average with three home runs and 28 RBI. Outfielder Artie Dutmers, who can also play the infield, hit .289 while Passinault was at .284.
The 38 wins last season set a school record.
“The road’s a little tougher – we play 11 games against Division 1 schools – but I think we’ll be good,” Passinault said. “Our thought (in scheduling) was that facing better pitching during the year will prepare us for the tournament. We may not have as impressive a record, but that’s not the goal. The goal is to try to get to East Lansing (for the MHSAA Finals).”
One thing is certain: The Gladiators will not sneak up on anybody.
“Last year we went into the season unranked, unproven because we had lost in the Districts the year before,” Muzljakovich said. “Nobody thought we were going to be good. We were the underdogs.
“Now, coming into this season, we have high hopes. We know we’ll have a target on our backs. We’ll have to be on our toes.”
Optimism is high at Frankfort, too. Mike Zimmerman returns three of his top four pitchers in Jack Morrow (11-0 with a 0.97 ERA), Kirk Myers (12-1) and James Eno. Morrow, who struck out 94 in 65 innings, will pitch at Albion College next season.
In the field, the Panthers will have veteran experience with Matt Stefanski (.422) at first, Myers (.404) at short, Adam Witkop at third, Griffin Kelly (.434) in center, Eno (.400) in right, Morrow (.407) in left and, of course, Brett Zimmerman (.506 with five home runs and 39 RBI) behind the plate.
“It’s a well-rounded team,” Mike Zimmerman said. “Our pitchers do a nice job of keeping guys off base and Brett does a nice job stopping guys from running. He threw out 80 percent of runners trying to steal last year.
“And offensively, you can’t pitch around one or two guys. We have any number of guys that can hurt you.”
The first three hitters in the lineup can run. Kelly, Myers and Zimmerman combined for 89 steals last season.
Brett Zimmerman said the players are as tight as any team he’s played on.
“We’re always finding ways to get together and make connections,” he said. “The other night we all went to a restaurant to watch the national championship basketball game. When you can (bond) like that it really helps build trust.”
Although his dad was a coach and his older brother a star player, Brett Zimmerman didn’t pick up baseball until he was 9. He was into motocross until an accident prompted him to turn to baseball.
Meanwhile, Kelly, Stefanski and Myers are all three-sport standouts. Kelly and Stefanski signed to play football at Northern Michigan and Grand Valley, respectively.
A year ago, the Panthers were riding high and ranked No. 1 when they fell to Muskegon Catholic.
“We had our chances,” Mike Zimmerman said. “It was a fun game. We couldn’t get the break when we needed it. They did. That’s baseball.”
“It was a heartbreaker,” Brett Zimmerman added. “We had high expectations.
“And we have expectations this year. We’re fortunate to be ranked No. 1 going into the season, but we know that number on the rankings sheet means nothing if you don’t win the last game of the season. We had one loss last year, and everybody was mad and devastated.”
Like St. Francis, which is scheduled to open at Coldwater on Saturday, Frankfort has beefed up its schedule to include Climax-Scotts, Muskegon Catholic and Traverse City Central in nonleague play. This week’s games with Gaylord and Kalkaska were wiped out by a spring snowstorm.
“It’s northern Michigan,” Mike Zimmerman said. “There’s nothing you can do to change it.”
The delay – St. Francis has been on the diamond once this preseason – doesn’t bother Muzljakovich. He’s just glad to be able to play this season.
He believes he suffered the shoulder injury in football, although he doesn’t remember one particular play that caused it. As a middle linebacker-fullback, Muzljakovich rarely came off the field for the 11-2 Gladiators.
“There were times my shoulder would ache, but I didn’t think it was anything big,” he said.
After Danny Passinault, the quarterback, went down with a broken collarbone during the season, the Gladiators decided to add trickery to the playbook just in case they might need a jolt on offense.
In the playoff game with Maple City Glen Lake, St. Francis went to its bag of tricks with a direct snap to Muzljakovich, who took off as if to run. He pulled up and tossed a touchdown pass.
On the play, however, he again felt pain in his shoulder.
“Oh, it will get better,” he rationalized.
But once football ended, and he started throwing in weekly workouts with his summer travel team, the shoulder continued to bother him.
“I couldn’t get loose,” he said. “It felt tight … and it was aching.”
So he started physical therapy and called Wayne State to let the staff know what was happening. He said the staff told him to continue with physical therapy, but if he didn’t notice any improvement he should go in for an MRI.
Muzljakovich was heartbroken when he learned of the MRI results.
“I was holding back the tears,” he admitted. “I didn’t want my high school career to end like that.”
The decision was made to have surgery almost immediately so Muzljakovich could start the recovery process and improve his odds of pitching at Wayne State as a freshman. He said the subsequent phone call to Wayne State was not easy.
“I was trembling in my boots,” he said. “I didn’t know how they would take it. I felt I let them down. But they are outstanding coaches and even better people. I am so grateful.”
He also called Brett Zimmerman, who has been one of his catchers in travel ball the last two summers.
“It was tough for me to hear that,” Zimmerman recalled. “I know his passion, the work he’s put in. At that time, he didn’t think he would get his senior season in. I felt terrible for him.”
Two years ago, as a sophomore, Muzljakovich tore a knee ligament in football and had to sit out the baseball season. At that time, he thought about giving up football.
“Baseball is my first love,” he said. “I didn’t want to mess it up with another injury.”
But not wanting to let his teammates and coaches down, Muzljakovich decided to give football “another year to see how it goes.”
“My junior year went great,” he said. “I was a little hesitant my senior year because I had just verbally committed to Wayne State. But I figured I’ve had a lot of memories created on the football field, and I wanted to create some more my senior year. It didn’t work out how I wanted (with the injury), but I made bonds with my teammates that are priceless.”
As for Brett Zimmerman, he has another St. Francis connection. He’s dating Gladiators volleyball standout Molly Mirabelli, whose father Doug is a former Major League catcher.
“He offers advice and Brett soaks it up like a sponge,” Mike Zimmerman said.
“He’s a great source to go to with questions,” Brett added.
The most pressing question now is – when will the season start?
When it does, expect St. Francis and Frankfort to be in the state conversation.
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) St. Francis’ Joey Muzljakovich eyes a pitch during last season’s Division 3 Final against Madison Heights Bishop Foley. (Middle) Frankfort’s Brett Zimmerman settles under a pop-up last spring. (Below) Jack Morrow unwinds toward the plate during last season’s all-state campaign. (Frankfort photos courtesy of Frankfort baseball program.)