SMALL SCHOOL PREP BASEBALL: Bethany Christian looking to defend MACS state title
BY DAN STICKRADT
SENIOR EDITOR
dan.stickradt@northoaklandsports.com
Twitter: @LocalSportsFans
TROY — Field renovations at Troy Bethany Christian have forced the Bruins to play all of its baseball games on the road this season. That hasn’t deterred the Bruins from enjoying another fine season.
Now, Bethany Christian is turning to another path of road games in the postseason with hopes of finding even more success. The Bruins are looking to defend their Michigan Association of Christian Schools state title.
Troy Bethany will carry its 20-6 record into the postseason and will open Thursday as the No. 2 seed. The Bruins play third-ranked Temperance Stateline Christian at 1 p.m. at Rochester Hills Christian. The game is being played in the afternoon due to both schools having end-of-the-year school functions in the evening.
“We’ve had a good season, playing a lot of bigger schools and we’re hoping that will help us in the tournament,” said Bethany Christian coach Mark Nowak. “We won our league again.”
For most of the past decade, Troy Bethany got accustomed to the bridesmaid role in the Fundamental Baptist Athletic Conference, often trailing Lake Orion Baptist. The Bruins have since won back-to-back league titles and this year finished 8-0 in the conference.
“There’s not a lot of schools in our league that have baseball anymore,” said Nowak, who noted that there used to be seven schools in the FBAC with baseball and now are only three. “We’ve gone out and played a bunch of MIAC schools and some even bigger schools in tournaments the past couple of years.”
ALL THINGS LOOKING UP: Troy Bethany Christian third baseman Noah Francis and the Bruins recently defended their league championship and now turn their attention towards defending their MACS state title. File Photo | Dan Stickradt
Yes, with only around 95 students in its high school, Troy Bethany has gone out and even played some Class A and Class B schools this spring.
“We’ve played (Detroit) Cass Tech, we played Dearborn Fordson, and we’ve played Clawson, which is just down the road,” noted Nowak. “It’s not that those are powerhouse baseball teams, but Cass Tech and Fordson are really big schools. We’re trying to build a solid baseball program here at Bethany and playing schools from other leagues and playing schools much bigger than us is only going to help us in the long run.
“In the past, we’ve played teams from the MIAC. We’ve played Plymouth Christian and (Sterling Heights) Parkway Christian and we would love a chance to play more of those schools,” continued Nowak. “A lot of those schools (have Class D enrollment) like us, so it’s good competition. We’ve also played (Burton) Genesee Christian and they have been competitive. With only (three) schools in our league with baseball teams, we have to go out and schedule as many games against different schools as we can.”
Despite having just under 100 high school students, the Bruins have been blessed with some talented athletes in recent years, most of whom play three sports. Troy Bethany only lost four players from last year’s team, three-sport all-conference honoree Travis Woodham, who played shortstop and was the No. 2 pitcher last year, pitcher-infielder Luke Combs and catcher Tyler Parsons were the three starters that departed.
Parsons, a senior this year, suffered a season-ending basketball injury in January and that injury has kept him on the bench for the baseball season as well.
The Bruins have gained some talent since last season. Senior Daniel Sprankle and junior Ryan Woodham both sat out most of last season with injuries. Woodham is back playing in the infield, while Sprankle, an all-league pick in soccer and basketball, has helped solidify the outfield and also can play first base.
The pitching staff has benefitted from a pair of freshmen, Jacob Kroeher and Mark Walraven, both who have plenty of club baseball experience. Kroeher plays travel ball for the Michigan Red Sox and has that team has enjoyed plenty of success the past couple of summers, while Walraven is experienced and also has spent time behind the plate this season to compensate the unexpected loss of Parsons.
Junior Noah Francis, also an all-league pick in soccer, is back at third base and has joined the pitching rotation. Junior Landon Cathers plays the infield, while junior Bret Hayhurst and freshman Brennan Cathers have spent plenty of time in the outfield.
“We have a lot of players that are doing a good job,” said Nowak. “The younger players have really come into their own. It’s hard to ask young players to step into big roles, but we have been fortunate enough that these younger players have been able to do so.”
With only a couple of seniors on the entire roster and the fact that there were only three seniors on last year’s team and one was a role player, the Bruins are still built for the future.
“We’re trying to build a respectable baseball program here, so it’s nice to have a lot of boys that will be back for a few more years,” said Nowak. “(The coaching staff) has put a lot into the baseball program. A few years ago we weren’t very competitive. Now we feel we’re going in the right direction.”
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