By John Raffel
Correspondent
CLARE – Junior infielder Ryan Louch from Clare earned all-state honors from the Michigan High School Coaches Baseball Association and for good reason.
Louch played a huge role in the Pioneers drive to district and regional baseball championships this season.
It was his third varsity this year.
Clare had a final record of 28-6.
“The key was going to practice and working, having a bond together and trusting each other on the field,” Louch said.
He’s been a shortstop for about as long as he can remember.
“I’ve been on the field since I was little and I’ve been at shortstop,” Louch said.
His fundamentals were excellent as Louch’s fielding and throwing abilities were usually excellent for Clare.
He batted around the .400 mark for the Clare championship team.
“I hit pretty good my last two years and was hoping I could do better this year,” Louch said. “The key is practicing every day and getting good experience.”
Prior to the start of the tournament, Louch was confident the Pioneers could do well.
“We should make a run at state,” he said. “We just have to stick to what we’ve been doing all year and put our bat on the ball and play defense.”
Clare advanced all the way to the quarterfinals before the season finally ended.
Louch also pays football and basketball.
Baseball is his favorite sport.
“I’ve been playing it a long time,” he said.
