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.)
Inspired Norway Earns 1st Finals Trip, Set to Face Reigning Champ Beal City
By
Scott DeCamp
Special for MHSAA.com
June 14, 2024
EAST LANSING – Cameron Varda’s go-ahead single scoring Ian Popp with two out in the sixth inning Friday may have been the greatest moment in Norway’s brief 15-year history as a high school baseball program.
It lifted the Knights to a 3-2 victory over Marine City Cardinal Mooney in an MHSAA Division 4 Semifinal at Michigan State University’s McLane Stadium.
That may not have been the best moment of the day, however. Coach Tony Adams had a surprise for his team, which hails from the western edge of the Upper Peninsula near the Wisconsin border.
U.P. legend Jason Whitens, a 2017 Powers North Central alumnus who led the Jets to three Division 4 basketball titles and two 8-player football championships, was on hand for the game and spoke to the Norway team after the program’s first Semifinal appearance.
Whitens played basketball for Michigan State after beginning his career at Western Michigan. He’s now an assistant strength coach for the MSU men’s basketball team.
“That’s Jason. I worked at North Central for a couple of years and I became really good friends with his mom and dad, Gerald and Faye, and that’s the kind of kid they raised. Back home, he’s larger than life,” Adams said. “I knew he was going to be here and I said, ‘Hey, will you say a few words?’ because I knew he would. I thought it was a phenomenal moment for our kids.”
Norway (28-3-1) is looking to make the weekend even more memorable as it faces perennial power and reigning champion Beal City (33-6) in Saturday’s 2:30 p.m. Final. Beal City defeated Vermontville Maple Valley, 5-1, in Friday’s first Semifinal.
With Norway and Cardinal Mooney (23-11) tied at 2 in the sixth inning and two out, Knights No. 9 hitter Popp singled up the middle. He attempted to steal second base, and as the ball skidded to the backstop on a wild pitch, he never stopped running and made it safely to third base. Leadoff batter Varda delivered a line single to center field to give Norway the lead.
Starter Cole Baij worked the sixth inning for the Knights, and Owen Baij closed it out in the seventh.
“I started off with a single with two outs. I wasn’t really thinking of it, but (my coach) gave me the steal sign and I was going and I looked at him and he said to keep going, so I thought Cameron put the ball in play and had a nice hit,” Popp said. “He told me to slide and I slid and turns out, the ball just went behind the catcher. All in all, it worked out very well.”
Said Varda: “I was just thinking, ‘Put the ball in play, score the runner on third.’ I just did a short swing, put the ball in play, and scored him.”
Norway got bats on the ball throughout its lineup, finishing with nine hits total. Owen Baij and Alex Ortman had two hits apiece.
Cole Baij earned the pitching win for Norway. The right-hander allowed two runs (one earned) on four hits with three strikeouts and four walks over six innings. Owen Baij allowed one hit and struck out one with no walks in his one inning to pick up the save.
Mason Martin took the loss for Cardinal Mooney in relief of George Szep. Martin allowed one earned run on four hits with one strikeout and no walks in two innings.
Cameron Spezia went 2-for-4 to lead the Cardinals.
“It’s hard, but it comes down to they executed more plays than we did and that’s how they won the baseball game,” Cardinal Mooney coach David Bowen said. “It just comes down to execution; that’s why you play a baseball game. They understand. They don’t like it, but they understand.”
Whitens delivered an inspirational message to Norway’s team, proving that “U.P. Power” still runs strong.
He said that Yooper pride definitely is a real thing.
“We’re such a strong community when you look at it. We’re such a small community when you look at it,” Whitens said.
“I grew up 15 minutes from Norway. There’s a lot of ties, a lot of my good friends are from Norway, a lot of my dad’s friends are from Norway, so there’s a lot of close ties. Whenever you see a U.P. school competing for a championship down here, you’re always pulling for them. Those ‘U.P. Power’ chants never get old in my head.”
The Norway players and coaches, who used to cheer for Whitens, now find him pulling for them – and it couldn’t be cooler for the Knights.
“It was really cool (with Whitens’ speech) because when we were younger and we were growing up and we were watching him play and everybody in the U.P. knew who he was, and to see what he did in his journey, it was awesome,” Popp said. “And now that he can speak to us and give us some wisdom, it’s very cool.”
Beal City 5, Vermontville Maple Valley 1
The Beal City baseball machine operated in top form Friday morning at McLane Stadium.
Seven players had hits, the defense made a couple of highlight-worthy plays to prevent a big inning, and Josh Wilson was effective on the mound.
Beal City (33-6) is seeking a second straight Division 4 title and sixth overall. Maple Valley, which made its first Semifinal appearance in 49 years, closed the season 29-8.
“It’s these guys. It’s a testament to these guys – these guys just play good ball and they’re good kids with great families and a great program. They bought into my style of baseball, and they’ve done a great job with it,” said Beal City coach Brad Antcliff, who returned to the team last season after stepping away from 2017-2022 to focus on his daughters and their softball teams.
Beal City wasted no time taking the upper hand against Maple Valley. After Wilson retired the Lions in order in the top of the first inning, the Aggies went to work in the bottom half scoring three runs without making an out.
Cayden Smith led off with a double to right field. He took third on a passed ball and scored on the same play with a head-first slide at home after the ball got away from the Lions’ catcher.
Jack Fussman’s triple into the right-field corner scored Owen McKenney, who had walked. Wilson followed with a double to center field to score Fussman.
Beal City hit throughout its lineup and continued to keep the heat on Maple Valley pitcher Jakeb McDonald. Jake Gauthier also doubled for the Aggies.
“The bottom half of the order has come up huge in the playoffs so far, and it puts a lot of pressure on the pitcher to take every batter seriously,” said Wilson, who led the Aggies with two RBIs.
Wilson, a 6-foot-2, 200-pound right-handed senior, took care of business on the mound, too. He allowed one unearned run on three hits with eight strikeouts and two walks in a complete-game effort. Wilson (8-3) also retired the Lions in order in the sixth and seventh innings.
“I felt good. First couple innings, I was struggling a little bit, couldn’t really get in the zone,” said Wilson, a four-year varsity player. “Found it and the defense played good behind me.”
Teegan McDonald led Maple Valley, going 2-for-3 with an RBI double in the fourth inning that pulled the Lions within 3-1. In the fifth, Beal City right fielder Bennett Gilde made a nice, sliding catch near the line to start the top half of the inning, and second baseman Cuyler Smith made a leaping snag of a line drive to end it.
The Lions had grown accustomed to winning close games and comebacks during the tournament, taking them by 3-2, 5-4, and 4-2 counts in two Regional contests and a Quarterfinal. They kept battling against the Aggies but could not come back this time.
“We know it takes 21 outs to finish a game, and we’re going to fight through every one of them,” Maple Valley coach Bryan Carpenter said. “I hope (the Semifinal experience) makes them hungry. I hope they now have a belief that this is possible and that we can do this on the regular. This doesn’t have to be once-in-every-49-years kind of thing for Maple Valley.”
Antcliff is seeking his fourth Finals championship as Beal City’s baseball coach. He also guided the Aggies to titles in 2009 and 2010. This is his eighth 30-win season in 12 years at the helm.
Beal City has been a model of consistency over the years. Friday’s game showed some reasons why that is the case.
“Our 1 through 9 are solid. We may not swing it every time and great at-bats, but at any time I feel like we can have nine base hits in a row. We do the little things right, getting bunts down and stuff, and that’s a testament to these guys and buying into (the culture),” said Antcliff, who expects his team will need more of the same to add another championship Saturday.
“Win the first pitch … We’re going to have to bring our ‘A’ game and see what happens.”
PHOTOS (Top) Norway’s Cole Baij delivers a pitch during his team’s Division 4 Semifinal win Friday at McLane Stadium. (Middle) Beal City’s Cayden Smith scores under the tag of Maple Valley’s Jakeb McDonald (18).