Grass Lake's collection of superstars is making it a strong bet to capture another Division 3 state baseball championship.
Ben Hamilton is coaching a Warrior squad that was 34-6 last season and state champs.
“Our key last year was leadership and the experience we had,” Hamilton said.
He lost some key players, including John Lesinski, who is now a catcher and baseball player at Albion (Mich.) College.
“We have five guys back who played on the team last year,” said Hamilton, who is especially high on third baseman Nolan Herendeen, who had 35 RBI last season, and Josh Willis, an outfielder.
Herendeen will be batting No. 4 for Grass Lake.
“He led us in RBIs last season and I wouldn't doubt it if he does the same thing for us again this year,” Hamilton said. “He led us with nine doubles. He's one of those guys who doesn't strike out. He also puts his bat on the ball and puts it in play. Good things tend to happen when you do that.”
Willis came up last year as a sophomore and hit .313.
“When we asked him to hit for us, he did a pretty good job. He's going to be one of our main pitchers this year as well. He pitched one game already where he got the win. He keeps us in games by throwing strikes. Offensively, he'll be in our No. 3 spot. We look for him to bat around .350 and drive more runs in for us this year.”
More Baseball
* Alex Tyzynski got off to a hot start for Royal Oak with four hits and James Englehart had three hits in Royal Oak's 7-2 and 9-1 doubleheader sweep over Ferndale.
* Belleville got a 2-1 win over Southgate Anderson when Sam Cole struck out 15 batters and scored the winning run in the top of the 11th inning.
* Sterling Heights Stevenson defeated L'Anse Creuse North 8-3 last week, led by Jason Francassa, a perfect 4-for-4 at the plate.
* Detroit Communication and Media Arts routed Detroit Denby 22-1, led by Mal Portis' 4-for-4 effort with seven RBI.
* Allen Park Cabrini senior Chris Solodon stole home in the bottom of the ninth inning to give his team a 2-1 win over Royal Oak Shrine in the second game of a doubleheader.
Boys Basketball
State champion no more.
The Melvindale Academy for Business and Technology has vacated its championship in the 2009 Michigan High School Athletic Association Class C Boys Basketball Tournament after it was verified that the school had used an ineligible student-athlete.
Melvindale ABT defeated Schoolcraft in the title game 73-67 in late March. The MHSAA did not say who the ineligible student-athlete was.
“While forfeitures are a tough part of life in high school sports during the regular season, they are especially difficult matters when they involve vacating tournament championships. While we feel disappointment for Melvindale Academy for Business and Technology, the school handled this situation well. Some of life’s toughest lessons come from following the rules, but it is in these situations that you learn integrity and respect for the process are far greater prizes than those recorded on the scoreboard,” said John E. “Jack” Roberts, executive director of the MHSAA, in a prepared statement.
The MHSAA said the Class C title for 2009 will be recorded as “vacant” on its all-time listing of state champions. The MHSAA handbook does not call for team that was defeated by the squad that has forfeited to advance in status in tournament standings.
Girls Basketball
One of the top softball players in the state is Taylor Johnson of Belding. She recently transferred from one Grand Rapids area school to the other, going from Comstock Park, where she was a west Michigan standout in basketball, to Belding. This week, she has declared her intention verbally to play college basketball at Central Michigan University for the 2010-2011 season after she finishes her senior season of eligibility.
“Taylor had many different choices but it came down to a 'comfort' level with the entire staff and the educational opportunities with them,” said her dad, Jim Johnson. “Eastern Michigan, U of Detroit, UW-Milwaukee were just a few of the colleges that had offered her scholarships along with Colorado, Michigan, Western Michigan, Bowling Green, St. Joe's in Philadelphia, IUPUI and New Mexico expressing extreme interest as well.”
Taylor Johnson was named by Grand Rapids media as one of the top area players in west Michigan. She averaged 17.2 points, 12.1 rebounds, 6.1 assists and 5.3 steals a game. She started her high school career at Belding and transferred back at the end of the winter season.
“When I went to visit other schools, I'd compare them to Central,” Johnson said. “It didn't dawn on me until later that I was comparing every school to Central Michigan.
“I didn't want to wait until my senior year to make the decision. I need to make it in my junior year so I can play, have fun with it and I won't worry about the future but just play hard and do my job.”
Johnson, who also plays volleyball, will be playing AAU basketball with Michigan's Finest, a team based out of Lansing that will participate in events in Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky, North Carolina, Ohio and Oregon this summer.
