By Jason Wesseldyk
Sports Editor
ALLEGAN
The 2025 season will be the final prep campaign for Allegan seniors Nate Kuebler (pitcher/corner infield) and Elliot Leece (utility), both of whom have been in the program all four years of high school.
Allegan coach Mike Geddes had high praise for both of them.
“Nate and Elliot have been a huge factor in helping the young crop of Tiger baseball players. Their dedication and commitment to the program has been honorable, and I want to recognize them for all their contributions.”
Geddes hopes Kuebler and Leece are able to finish their careers on a high note.
“Our goal is always conference championship,” Geddes said. “We have a young team with lots of baseball talent. Getting our young players up to speed quickly will be very important for our success.”
Kuebler will lead the pitching staff after earning First Team All-Conference accolades last year. Junior Silas Neldon (middle infield) and sophomores Landen Geddes (shortstop/catcher) and LJ Dial (third base) are also expected to be big parts of the pitching staff.
Newcomers who could see time on the mound include junior Tyler Thomas along with freshmen Logan Osborne (infield) and Brayden Sternberg (catcher).
“Our strength will be a deep pitching staff lead by Nate,” Mike Geddes said. “We have returning pitchers Silas Neldon, LJ Dial and Landen Geddes who will be able to give us quality innings as well.”
Sophomore center fielder Brayden Kosiorowski is the Tigers’ other returning player from last year’s 13-20 squad.
“It should be a fun year for us,” Mike Geddes said. “We have a fresh new crop of young baseball players who are ready to go.”
The Tigers are sure to be tested in conference play.
“I’m not sure on how other programs sit from year to year, but I do know we have defending state champions Watervliet and Bridgman to get through,” Mike Geddes said. “We should be somewhere in the pack, hopefully with a chance to finish at the top.”
FENNVILLE
Young.
If first-year Fennville coach Michael Cochran had to choose one word to describe his team, that would probably be it.
Just how young are the Blackhawks?
Consider this: There are no seniors on the roster and nearly half of the team members (six of 13) are freshmen.
Young, indeed.
“We are very young, but as I get to know these guys, I am excited for our season,” Cochran said. “Our learning curve is steep at the varsity level for most of our players, but our juniors are leaders, and everyone has embraced the challenge.”
Not that the players are the only ones who will be learning as the season progresses.
“This is my first season at Fennville, so I am coming in with fresh eyes and a large learning curve of my own,” Cochran said. “I know we have the defending state champs in our conference and district. So, we will need to be ready to go game one of our season to set the tone.”
Juniors who will be asked to set an example for the younger players include Dereck Arenado (center field/pitcher/catcher), Zach Onken (corner infield/pitcher), Isaish Peoples (pitcher/catcher/shortstop) and Ely Schut (pitcher/catcher/center field).
Sophomores are Khordell Bernard (pitcher/first base), Riley Campbell (second base/outfield) and Emanuel Medrano (second base/outfield).
Rounding out the roster is the freshmen group of Ian Ciokiewicz (second base/outfield), Hayden Harris (catcher/third base), Seamus Lynch (corner infield/pitcher), Mason Sabala (middle infield/pitcher), Noah Stevens (third base/shortstop) and Brayden Wagner (pitcher/first base).
“Fennville’s baseball participation numbers are low this year, but with what I believe these kids can do, we will be competitive every day,” Cochran said. “Each player brings something to the team, and we will play to those strengths.”
Cochran said he plans to stress the importance of fundamentals and playing the game fast.
“As the season progresses, I feel that these players will be growing their confidence every game and set a great tone for Blackhawks baseball to grow as a program,” he said.
HAMILTON
What a difference a year can make.
After entering the 2024 campaign without a single senior on the roster, Hamilton enters the 2025 season with 10 seniors.
That should help, Hamilton coach Brian Grabinski believes, as the Hawkeyes strive to improve on last year’s 11-20 mark.
“We have a lot of depth this year, which is something we lacked last year,” Grabinski said. “Last year when injuries struck, we struggled to fill those positions because we didn’t have any seniors on the team. This year, we come in with a lot of varsity experience and a good amount of depth at most every position.”
The returning seniors are: Carter Basinski (pitcher/outfield), Clay Blauwkamp (pitcher/outfield/first base), Dakota Breuker (pitcher/outfield/third base), James Hoffman (pitcher/third base), Ben Nykamp (outfield), Breslin Nykamp (first base), Justin Stark (outfield), Carson Turcott (first base/catcher), Brett VanderKooi (first base/outfield/pitcher) and Landon VanderZwaag (pitcher/outfield).
Juniors Owen Brown (first base/pitcher), Caleb Oosterink (pitcher/infield/outfield) and Ryan Welscott (catcher) also return, as does sophomore infielder/outfielder/pitcher Marc Brower.
“I like the makeup of this team,” Grabinski said. “We might not have one main superstar, but we have a lot of different people that can carry us on any given day.”
Junior newcomers Keegan Springer, Jakin Cozzello, Jack Sabala, Keegan Cook, Dylan Loew and Connor Schrotenboer add to Hamilton’s depth.
Grabinski expects state runner-up Spring Lake to be the team to beat in the OK Black.
“Spring Lake only graduated two seniors, so they should be tough again,” he said.
HOPKINS
If experience translates into success, then this should be a very successful season for Hopkins.
The Vikings have 10 returning players—including eight seniors—on the roster, much to the delight of longtime coach Pat O’Dell.
“There is a lot of experience at varsity-level competition, which should serve us well,” O’Dell said.
In addition to experience, pitching and team speed should be strengths for Hopkins, according to O’Dell.
“We have a lot of pitchers and good speed on the bases,” he said. “Team goals are to win the conference and see how far this team can go in the state tournament.
“I feel we can be near the top, with a lot of pitching to get us through the season.”
The eight retuning seniors for Hopkins are Christian Smigiel (pitcher/outfield), Luke VanSlyke (catcher/pitcher/first base/DH), Cody Benting (pitcher/second base/outfield), Aaron Arnsman (pitcher/third base/second base), Wyatt Stedman (pitcher/outfield/third base), Landen Dandrow (outfield), Owen Reed (pitcher/outfield) and Leyton Davis (pitcher/first base).
Junior pitcher/shortstop/outfielder Kellen Ford also returns along with sophomore pitcher/shortstop/third baseman/second baseman Trent Smith.
Newcomers are: juniors Jaxon Koperski (pitcher/first base), Cooper Anderson (pitcher/first base), Adam Halsted (pitcher/utility) and Cruz Hitzler (pitcher/middle infield/outfield); and sophomores Merek Zapolink (pitcher/corner infield) and Michael Woollam (utility).
“This team is excited to get rolling,” O’Dell said.
MARTIN
After posting a 4-19 record in his first season as Martin coach two years ago, Brad Blauvelt improved to 6-16 last year.
And with a solid nucleus of returning players—led by six juniors—Blauvelt hopes to improve even more this season.
“We feel like we are starting to turn a corner as a program,” Blauvelt said. “The kids are getting excited to play baseball again. A handful of the juniors are leading the way. They have worked hard in the offseason, and it should show this spring.”
Haylen Buell (shortstop/pitcher/catcher) spearheads that junior contingent after earning First Team All-Conference and All-District last year. At the plate, Buell hit .492, while he struck out 72 batters in 32 innings on the mound.
Fellow junior Anderson Keeler (third base/outfield/pitcher) also garnered All-Conference honors after hitting .383 and leading the team with 25 RBI.
The other returning juniors are Bryer Watson (second base/pitcher), Chase DeGlopper (outfield), Jackson Kennedy (pitcher/outfield) and Isaac Suk (catcher).
Senior outfielder Jayce Ritchie also returns, as does sophomore first baseman/pitcher Blake Sweeting.
“I like our experience level for an area of strength,” Blauvelt said. “Eight of our nine starters have at least two years of experience, and they have shown that early on in practice. We’ve picked up where we left off last year.
“Haylen Buell will lead the way on both offense and defense. With that promising group of juniors around him and if Jayce Ritchie is healthy enough to play (shoulder injury from wrestling), then we will be a competitive team.”
Blauvelt believes the Clippers will be in the middle of the pack in the divisional standings, with Galesburg-Augusta and Gobles the teams to beat.
“We are optimistic that our offseason work and prior experience will push us to higher levels this year,” Blauvelt said. “We want to compete with the good teams, win close ball games and peak at the end of the season.
“Some team goals are to cut down on mistakes defensively and to be aggressive on the base paths. We want to get better each day and peak at the end of the season. We believe we can compete for a district title. That is our big goal of the season.”
OTSEGO
Graduation took a toll on the Otsego roster, with seven players—five of them who started regularly—now gone.
And no where will that loss be felt more than on the mound.
“We will need to replace a lot of innings lost to graduation last year,” longtime Otsego coach Matt Eldred said.
Seniors Karl Hildebrand (31.2 innings) and Jaydon Watson (28.1 innings) return with the most pitching experience at the varsity level.
Returning senior Peyton Koenig and junior newcomer Jaxon Ray are among the others who could log significant innings on the mound.
“Several others will be needed to step up and provide pitching depth as well,” Eldred said. “With pitch counts, it’s always all hands on deck and we could see some other pitchers emerge as we get going this season.”
Returning senior Scottie Durr will be tasked with handling the pitching staff as the team’s primary catcher after serving as the backup behind the plate last year. Durr hit .345 last year, second among returners only to senior outfielder Kyle Holladay.
Koenig will join Holladay in the outfield when not pitching, while Watson will catch and play some infield.
Other returning players are seniors Ryan Cockerel (infield/pitcher) and Drew Kortokrax (outfield) and junior Brennan Perry (infielder/pitcher).
“We have to fill several holes in the infield,” Eldred said. “In the middle, we’ll be looking to the likes of Perry, Cockerel and Hildebrand. Watson will also add depth to the infield. Others will have to step up as most of our infielders also pitch.”
When it comes to the Wolverine Conference, Eldred said it will be tough competition again this year.
“There are several teams that could make a run at the conference title,” he said. “The WC baseball coaches all do a great job of having their teams ready to compete, and we often see very competitive games from top to bottom.
“If we can stay healthy, throw strikes and get the bats going, I think we have a group of kids who could find themselves right in the mix for the conference title at the end of the season and who could make a run in the MHSAA tournament.”
SAUGATUCK
Case O’Neil has taken over as head coach in Saugatuck.
He inherits a team with a considerable amount of varsity experience.
Just how much experience is on the Saugatuck roster, you ask?
Well, 15 players have played games at the varsity level, led by six seniors and a pair of juniors.
Given that level of experience, it should come as no surprise that O’Neil ranks leadership as one of the biggest strengths of his team.
“We have a lot of great senior leadership, and I really hope we can give them a final season to be proud of,” O’Neil said. “I expect a lot of production from the older guys and the younger players to fill in the blanks. My goal is to be a hard out all season.”
But it’s not just the seniors who have shown good leadership qualities.
“Our strength that jumps off the page is our leadership,” O’Neil said. “And that goes for everybody, old guys and young guys alike. They’re doing a great job of keeping each other accountable every day at practice.”
The group of returning seniors includes Noah Morgan (first base/pitcher), Cass Stanbery (second base/pitcher/centerfield), Norm Bos (catcher/third base), Noah Deboer (centerfield/pitcher) Jaxson Green (outfield) and Anders Peterson (outfield).
Sam Bos (second base/pitcher) and Morgan Davis (left field/pitcher) are the returning juniors.
Sophomores Holden Burd (pitcher/shortstop), Gradon Gross (first base/pitcher), Oliver Hosie (infield/pitcher), Braison Jones middle infield/pitcher), Evan Kothman (infield/pitcher), Kevin VanDam (right field) and Soren Peterson (second base/pitcher) also return.
“Team goals this year are as follows: get better every day as new coach who is new to the area and to install a winning and lasting culture that develops young men to be students, contributing community members and quality teammates.”
That part about being good teammates will be critical for the team’s success, according to O’Neil.
“Good teams have good teammates,” he said. “We hope to be coming together as a group and have our roles clearly defined right about the time the postseason comes around.”
Freshman third baseman/catcher Nolan LaLonde is among the team’s newcomers.
“Nolan will be a difference maker for us right away,” O’Neil said. “He can play defense, he has pop in his bat and he’s a natural-born leader.”
WAYLAND
Wayland coach Drew Lakatos lost six players to graduation off last year’s district-winning team.
Those losses were expected. A couple of others weren’t.
Tommy Corneillie, the starter at shortstop as a junior a year ago, is in Fairbanks, Alaska, finishing his high school career after signing to play hockey at Western Michigan University.
And senior Trent Sikkema, a three-year starter behind the plate, is unable to throw due to a shoulder injury.
“You cannot replace experience like that right away,” Lakatos said of Sikkema.
Sikkema, a threat at the plate, is able to swing a bat and will be the team’s DH.
Returning senior Carter Decker—who was recently cleared after having ACL surgery last season, is penciled in behind the plate.
Senior outfielder Jackson Battenfield also returns, as do juniors Brenden Byrne (outfield) and Zaphan Shafer (infield).
Five sophomores also return: Easton Williams (shortstop/third base/pitcher), Hoyt Borgic (outfield/pitcher), Gerrit Van Lonkhyzen (middle infield/pitcher), Ty Ford (first base/pitcher) and Jackson Ritsema (outfield).
“They all will have some time on the mound and are expected to be mainstays,” Lakatos said of the returning sophomores.
“We will be a work in progress and will have a steep learning curve as we have a schedule versus some talented and ranked teams,” Lakatos said.
The Wildcats will face a pair of those ranked teams at the Don Klass Invitational in suburban Detroit.
“We were asked to be the Western Michigan representative at the Don Klass and we’ll be playing three games that day, with two of those games against top-five preseason teams,” Lakatos said. “It was an honor to be asked and we will be thrown in the first right away.”
Freshmen newcomers Logan Atwell (catcher/utility), Gavin Mulder (catcher/first base), Will Lodenstein (pitcher/third base) and Logan Byrne (outfield) will had depth for the Wildcats.
“We’re excited about the new season,” Lakatos said. “For us to be successful, our young players will need to grow up in a hurry and I believe we should be better as the season unfolds.”
NOTE: No preview information was received from Plainwell prior to deadline.
