2011 BASEBALL PREVIEW: Lamphere, Bishop Foley make Madison Heights the epicenter

Orchard Lake St. Mary's ranked #16

By KEITH DUNLAP
Of The Oakland Press

Let's pretend just a minute that it actually happened, because there wouldn't have been a better piece of symbolism for the upcoming baseball season if it did.

Back on March 30, Madison Heights Lamphere and Madison Heights Bishop Foley were supposed to play a scrimmage against one another, but the two friendly rivals from the same city had to call it off at the last minute.

But if they did end up holding that scrimmage (there likely will more opportunities between the two buddies this season), it might have proven a sign of things to come in that Lamphere and Bishop Foley were together on the same field in March, and that they could be together in Battle Creek's Bailey Park complex come June raising state championship trophies.

Indeed, the epicenter of high school baseball within Oakland County going into the 2011 season is not Lake Orion, Bloomfield Hills, Birmingham, Clarkston, Walled Lake or Rochester Hills.

It's Madison Heights.

Lamphere and Bishop Foley enter this year as the top two teams in the county, teams that can fully compete with any power in the area and the state despite their smaller school sizes.

It's a tribute to the South Oakland A's summer program started and run by Bishop Foley head coach Buster Sunde, as the Rams and Ventures are littered with players who have shined for that summer ball organization.

Entering as the No. 1-ranked team, Lamphere will have its fair share of critics who say the Rams play in a joke of a league and that's why their record is so gaudy.

Those skeptics are somewhat right, but also Lamphere showed it can beat anybody last year at a spring break tournament when it clobbered Lake Orion, and later in the season when it beat Auburn Hills Avondale.

Granted, Lake Orion returned the favor later in the spring break tournament, but the Dragons left wowed by the abilities of Lamphere catcher Greg Fettes, who now enters his senior season as a candidate to win the the Mr. Baseball Award.

Fettes has signed with Kentucky, but he'll have plenty of help. Senior SS/P Mitchell Kozlowski will play in college at Grand Valley State, and senior 2B/P Ryan Horvath (Owen Community College in Ohio) and senior OF/P Jake Baldwin (Ashland) are two more college players.

Those four have played together since they were kids in the city's little league program, and it's their time now as seniors to deliver the school its first ever state title.

Also in the fold is senior 1B/P Matt Peterson and some talented underclassmen fed to Lamphere by the South Oakland A's program.

There's also plenty of reason for optimism down the road at Bishop Foley, which returns its core group of players from a team that advanced to the Division 3 state semifinals in Battle Creek last season.

The Ventures return their top two pitchers in seniors Daniel Zuchowski and Jeff Schalk, who also will be among the team's best offensive players.

Senior Brad Schalk is another contributor both on the mound and at the plate, and catcher Brett Sunde is one of the state's best juniors.

Senior Elliott Hall, junior Luke Ortel, sophomore Billy Malak and a pair of talented freshman, Garrett Schilling and Brad Baldwin, also will be factors.

While Lamphere and Bishop Foley make Madison Heights the baseball hotbed in the county at the start of the season, other schools are talented enough to make sure they get their fair share of attention by season's end.

Here's the rest of the top 10, which is dominated by teams from what should be a loaded Oakland Activities Association Red Division.

3. Birmingham Brother Rice — It's difficult to tell which scenario is more frightful for the opposition. On one hand, the Warriors will be a hard to team to knock off again this year. But even worse for those who have to deal with Brother Rice is that the Warriors will be even harder to take down in the future. Such is the luxury when you have a roster brimming with both upperclassmen and underclassmen who'll play Division I college baseball one day. The seniors who will be playing in college next year are returning Dream Team catcher Jimmy Pickens (Michigan State) and senior SS/P Andrew Sohn (Western Michigan). Junior OF Will Schwartz is another Division I prospect, as is junior P Matt Constance, a transfer from Salem who will give Brother Rice something it didn't have last year, which is a legitimate ace.

Sophomore CF Dalton Graybiel, junior P Mike Ruppenthal, junior 2B Travis Ferguson and senior P Nick Linnen will also contribute.

If all that weren't enough, Brother Rice will feature maybe the best freshman class Bob Riker and his staff have ever welcomed in. There are eight freshman in total, six of whom will play regularly.

Opposing programs everywhere are gulping as we speak.

4. Lake Orion — It's hard to classify a 19-win season as a disappointment, but that's how the Dragons felt after walking off the field following a 5-4 loss to Oxford in the opening round of district play last year.

There were no titles of any sort, league or district.

Armageddon had indeed arrived.

OK, that's a slight exaggeration, but Lake Orion is usually a league and state-title contender every year, and not winning any type of title in a given year is odd.

Not that last year means doom for this season, however, because the Dragons could have their customary place atop the state and county rankings.

The strength is the pitching staff, where coach Andy Schramek could have as many as nine live arms to trot out.

Senior Zach Zott and sophomore Nick Deeg should be two top-of-the-rotation lefties, senior Cole Schaenzer and sophomore Cody Campbell are two hard throwers from the right side, and junior Dalton Oveson should see significant innings as well.

Offensively, Lake Orion always seems to hit the ball hard and far, and that shouldn't change this year. Zott, Schaenzer, Campbell, Oveson and senior Brett Wyss should lead a deep lineup that's a good blend of upperclassmen and underclassmen.

The forecast looks promising, but any talk of a contending state title for the Dragons can't begin until they get out of districts, something they haven't done since their state championship year of 2007.

5. Clarkston — Welcome back to the rank of being one of the top teams in the county and state to start a season, Wolves.

It's been too long.

Following some uncharacteristic down years, Clarkston with its play announced it was back last year, going 22-9 and advancing to a regional final. With seven starters back, Clarkston rightfully feels better things are in store this spring.

Clarkston has a legitimate ace back in senior Matt Rodgers, an all-state pitcher last year who'll be a horse on the mound. Senior P Vince Siwicki is a No. 2 pitcher many would like to have as their ace, and senior OF Chase Toth will play at Michigan State and could be in for a huge year. Senior INF Jake Sims, senior INF Jassiel Gonzalez, senior P Andrew Fairse, senior OF Justin Baetz and junior C Dylan Peck are also back.

6. Rochester Adams — The Highlanders might have seen the resignation of the coach that built them back up to an area powerhouse the past six seasons, Chuck Van Robays, but it'd be a surprise if Adams still didn't sustain its recent success.

First of all, Van Robays' top assistant, Jeff Hall, takes over and is fully capable of keeping Adams among the area's best every year.

Second, there's simply plenty of talent in the program.

Senior LHP Matt Nestor is coming off a terrific junior season and should be as reliable of an ace as they come. He's signed with Western Michigan.

Senior Ian Mercer is one of the scrappier lead-off hitters around who'll be on base plenty of times, and one player who'll likely be driving him in frequently is junior Alex Borglin, the team's No. 2 hitter last year who hit over .400.

Junior P Sean Beyer got valuable experience last season and will be the team's No. 2 starter, and Adams will also benefit from two players who weren't on the team last year.

Senior INF Matt Williams was injured last year after batting .356 as a sophomore, and junior transfer Tony Annese will be an important part of the pitching staff.

7. Birmingham Groves — There aren't many sounds in the spring better than the “Hey, Hey!” head coach Jim Crosby and his team shout after the lineup cards have been issued and the home team gets ready to take the field, and it's possible Crosby will be shouting his catch phrase deep into June. This might be the strongest trio of pitchers at the top of the rotation Crosby has ever had, with Michigan State-bound senior Mike Mestdagh, emerging junior Jake Balicki and steady senior Chris Pochas ready to roll. Hitting-wise, Mestdagh and Pochas will be the key parts of the lineup, as will junior C Ryan Williams and senior 3B/OF Chris Weberly.

8. Troy Athens — For those asking why a program that's not a traditional area powerhouse is ranked so high to start the season, here's a three-word answer: Pitching, pitching and pitching.

Athens already was going to have a nice 1-2 punch at the top of the rotation with senior Alex Harrison and senior Ira Land, both three-year starters, returning to shut down opposing lineups. But add a foreign-exchange student from Japan, Hayato Ando, and a talented transfer from California, Anthony Carrillo, and you can understand why Athens should be in a lot of games this year no matter who it plays.

Run production might be a concern, which is why Athens did its best to convince Jake Duzey, who will play college football at Iowa but also was a standout varsity baseball player as a sophomore, to play baseball this spring after he sat out last season.

But Duzey, who would've provided a menacing bat in the middle of the Athens lineup, understandably decided to just spend the spring conditioning for Iowa, and so Athens will move on.

Land, senior OF David Mandziara and senior C Jacob Barger will be key offensive players.

9. Auburn Hills Avondale — It's not a matter of if Avondale will make a deep run in the state tournament one of these years, but when. The Yellow Jackets have proven they can defeat the big boys, and now all that's left is to make a run at Battle Creek. The big thing that'll hinder Avondale's quest this year though is that it doesn't appear to have the top-end pitchers other teams in the OAA Red have, but there is time for the pitching staff to prove that theory wrong.

Offensively though, Avondale is as good as anybody.

Senior OF Brian Portelli terrorized opposing pitchers last year (school-record .562 BA, 41 RBI) and will be one of the hardest outs around, junior INF Matt Andrus hit .431 a year ago as a sophomore and junior C Mitch Robinson and senior INF Tyler Drabek both hit over .300 last season.

10. Rochester — So if you haven't figured it out by now, the OAA Red is going to be pretty good this year. The Falcons probably don't have the offensive firepower some other teams in the league do, but they should be able to pitch and play defense. Adding to the committee of ace pitchers in the OAA Red, Rochester has the luxury of sending to the mound senior Nick Bradley, a four-year varsity player who has signed with Western Michigan. He hasn't quite been able to put it together consistently the last two seasons, but he has loads of ability and if he is consistent, an all-state season could be his reward. Senior Chris Saber and Trevor Elliott are two more experienced pitchers who return. Bradley, Saber and senior C Nick Reed will be key figures offensively.

11. Royal Oak — It'll be strange to not see longtime head coach Brian Gordon at the helm this year since he's now the school's athletic director. But the program he built into annually being one of the county's best teams should still keep on trucking. Assistant coach Chris Lau takes over, and he'll have the benefit of seeing a group of young players that were thrown into the fire last year back a year older and wiser. Leading the way is the coach's son, Sean Lau, a sophomore who led the team in hitting last season. Junior SS/P Dominic Valente, junior INF/P Alex Tuszynski and senior P Dan Palmateer are other noteworthy returnees.

12. Novi — Replacing 11 seniors from a roster that went 32-6 last season is never desirable, but it's a task facing the Wildcats this season. But Novi is a model of consistency each season, so don't feel too sorry for the Wildcats. Junior SS Jimmy Eloff will be a defensive catalyst and a sparkplug at the top of the lineup, senior P Tyler Root went 10-0 last season, while junior CF/P Logan Regnier and senior LF Mike Kruse will provide some punch in the middle lineup. Also back is senior C Marshall Howard, senior 3B Nick Bageris, senior 2B Chris Valade and senior P Zach Riley.

13. Walled Lake Central — The pinging sound people around Oakley Park Rd. will hear will be courtesy of the Central bats, because the Vikings figure to score early and often. Eight starters are back for a team that had a .430 team batting average last year, although some of that is skewed by playing in the weaker KLAA North. Still, Central should be a team to be reckoned with again, particularly on offense. Senior C Joe Harris (13 HR), senior OF Shane Daykin (40 RBI), senior Blake Burns, junior K.J. Schultz and junior Zac Leimbach all were among the big mashers last year who are back.

Of course, if the Vikings want to do anything in the state tournament, getting outs will have to be a priority.

Junior Brandon Chichocki and Daykin will be the players counted on most to shut down the opposition.

14. Lakeland — It should be a nice battle all season long between Walled Lake Central and Lakeland in the KLAA North. The Eagles are going to have to manufacture runs with situational hitting and speed, because they don't look like they'll be a team that will hit balls to the fence or beyond as much as they'd like. Senior OF Graham Shearer, senior 2B Zach Szajner and senior INF/P Tim Wilson headline the offensive returnees, while Wilson and junior Cole McGinn will lead the pitching staff.

15. Stoney Creek — The Cougars shouldn't be a pushover by any means in the loaded OAA Red, although the thing that'll hurt them is that inexperienced pitchers are going to have to mature fast. Even if that doesn't happen, Stoney Creek can at least take solace in the fact it can partake in slugfests. Senior IF/P Mike McKinley, senior OF/IF/P Trent Drumheller, senior IF/P Ben Yax, junior OF/IF Jake Miller and junior C Niko Gonzalez all return to the lineup. Gonzalez has been on varsity since his freshman year and adds to the deep stable of quality catchers in the area.

16. Orchard Lake St. Mary's — Yet another team breaking in a first-year coach (the entire county is full of them this year), former Brother Rice standout Matt Petry, son of ex-Tigers pitcher Dan, takes over the Eaglets. There's a ton to replace from last year, but Petry will have a monster bat to pencil in the lineup every day with 6-foot-5 senior catcher Blaise Salter back to pulverize opposing pitchers. Salter has signed with Michigan State and will be the centerpiece of a St. Mary's lineup that'll also feature a pair of outstanding freshman, CF Devin Rose and Julian Jones. The pitching staff will be spearheaded by senior P/SS Steven Morse, a transfer from Arizona and junior P Jon Roberts.

17. Pontiac Notre Dame Prep — The Fighting Irish shouldn't be overlooked in the Catholic League AA, although it'll be tough sledding having to go up against two of the best teams in the state regardless of school size, Madison Heights Bishop Foley and Ann Arbor Gabriel Richard. But the big reason Notre Dame Prep can compete is the presence of one of the county's top pitchers, senior left-hander Tom Constand. Also back is senior SS Brandon Katta, who'll play in college at Spring Arbor, senior C Tom Wyza, who will play at Northwwood, senior 2B and returning all-league player Danny Dulapa, and junior 1B Matt Abromov. Haiden Cullen is a promising freshman who will play in center.

18. Bloomfield Hills Andover — Congrats to the Barons, this year's recipient of the annual “Sleeper Team to Watch” award. Those in the OAA White certainly need to be leery of a much-improved Andover squad, which has one of the area's top all-around juniors back in P/C/INF Gabe Berman. He is both the team's ace and an offensive leader. Even scarier for opponents this year and for the future is that Andover has more players who aren't seniors that'll contribute. Junior LHP/1B Emerson Misch, junior C Tim Zobl, sophomore P/INF Mike McGovern and sophomore LHP/OF Marlon Pruitt are among those key players.

19. Bloomfield Hills Lahser — On second thought, Andover might have to share its award as area sleeper team, because a Lahser program that's usually downtrodden looks to be on the rise. The Knights return one of the top players in the state in the multi-talented Luke Dauch, who has signed with Northwestern. Senior SS/P Evan Wahl, senior IF Lee Padilla, senior OF/P Glen Gruber, junior INF/P Neal Krentz and junior P/1B Patrick Monahan should also have good years.

20. Farmington Hills Harrison — Coming off a nine-win season last year, look for the Hawks to become a much-improved outfit that'll contend for a title in the OAA Blue. Senior SS Dallas Sutton is a candidate for an all-state season after hitting .485 with 28 RBI and 24 SB last season, and the pitching staff will have two solid starters in senior Ryan Murray and sophomore Mitchell Kramer. Senior LF/3B Pete Kusek (.390 BA) will be another potent bat in the lineup.

Others (in alphabetical order)

Berkley is a good bet to repeat as OAA Blue champions with senior 1B/P Adam McDowell, senior OF Brendan Tomaszewski, sophomore OF/P Ian Kobernick, senior INF Mark Meisner, senior P Conor Reid and junior 3B Taylor Morrissey returning.

In its first season in the Catholic League, Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood hopes to compete behind junior SS/P Elliot Rosenfeld, senior 3B/P Kyle Homovec, senior C Stefan Czarnecki, junior CF/P Jacob Chapman and junior 2B/P Jake Rosen.

There will be much that is new at Birmingham Seaholm, which has a new coach in Dan Drapal and just one returning starter. That one returnee is senior 2B Derreck Amboyan, who hit .433 last season. Juniors Scott Anderson and John Glazier should be solid pitchers for the Maples.

There probably isn't a team in the county that's more decimated by graduation losses than Farmington, which will somewhat be starting over with three seniors on the team. Farmington's best all-around player might be cophomore CF/LHP Connor Mohr, who hit .340 as a freshman last season. Senior LF/P Alex Schmidt and senior 1B Nick Sinning will provide veteran leadership to what'll be a healthy amount of kids on Farmington's roster.

Ortonville Brandon is coming off a 22-win season last year and hopes to contend in the Flint Metro behind junior P/OF Ben Crawford, junior INF/OF Drew Darling, junior C/OF Zach Fernandez, junior INF/OF Ryan Barnes and senior 1B Brian Baker.

Novi Detroit Catholic Central under first-year head coach Bill Lis has gotten off to a surprising start, sweeping Dearborn Divine Child last week in a doubleheader. The Shamrocks have excellent leadership in the infield with senior SS P.J. Nowak, senior 2B Bob Dulzo and senior 3B Ryan Keller back.

Rochester Hills Lutheran Northwest should be one of the better teams in the MIAC behind senior OF/P Eric Mischley (.443 BA), senior P/INF Luke McCatty and junior INF/P Chad Cook.

Southfield Christian has a new coach in Charles McBay, who'll have a young roster on his hands. The top players for the Eagles should be senior SS/P Brook Vosler, senior INF/P Matt Bauer and junior 1B/C/P Alex Globeke.

Troy has a new coach in former Berkley head man Jim Ellis, who will have nine seniors to help him out with leadership in his first year. Senior P Nick Krajewski is a three-year varsity player who will anchor the pitching staff, while senior 1B Peter Gebara should provide power in the middle of the lineup.

Walled Lake Northern head coach Tim Baglow said his team will be a good blend of youth and experience. Senior P Evan Kohler and junior OF/P Cole Lubin headline the returning players for the Knights.

Walled Lake Western has a new coach in Mike Larges, who has the benefit of having the team's top five pitchers back from last season. Junior P/1B Jason Gamble has verbally committed to Central Michigan, junior P/CF Cam Vieaux like Gamble is also entering his third season on varsity and junior C Blake Amhowitz, senior OF Rylan Probst and senior OF/INF/P R.J. Padrock also are back.

Over at Waterford Kettering, the Captains will take the field with seven returning position players, most notably senior P/SS Ethan Chizek, senior P/3B Keith Lingenfelter, senior 1B Ian Nolan, senior C Chris Crane and junior P/INF Pat Hubbell.

Waterford Our Lady of the Lakes will have a good amount of experienced players back, most notably senior C/OF Austin Karbowski, a three-sport athlete who hit over .500 last season. Senior P/OF Tyler Roger, senior P/IF/OF Jared Ritch and sophomore INF/OF Mitch Lasceski should also be key figures.

West Bloomfield also has a first-year coach in Eric Pierce, who'll have a young team to preside over. The best players for the Lakers will likely be senior INF/P Dillon Dexter (over .400 BA last year), junior C Timo Deyoung, senior INF/P Ryan Bilkovic, junior OF/P Marcus Armstrong, senior P/OF Eric Steele and junior P/OF Joey Hartfelder.

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