All-Area Baseball: Big bats, live arms headline postseason squad

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BY Dan Stickradt
Jul 18 2010

BY DAN STICKRADT

SENIOR EDITOR

dan.stickradt@northoaklandsports.com

 

For the second straight year, area prep baseball teams were shut out of a trip of Battle Creek for the Final Four.

 

There was one local squad, Rochester Adams, that did reach the state quarterfinals, but the OAA Red Division champions were upset one round short of its goal of reaching the semifinals for the first time since 1996.

 

Still there was plenty of team an individual success in the area this season.

 

Besides Adams, Rochester, Clarkston and Auburn Hills Avondale all won district championships this season, while Troy Athens and Rochester Hills Lutheran Northwest both lost in the district finals. Adams downed Clarkston for the regional championship.

 

Adams, along with Lake Orion Baptist and Troy Bethany Christian, all won conference championships, while Oxford had one of the state’s best turnaround seasons, going from six wins in 2009 to over 20 in 2010.

 

As for individuals, there were three all-state players from the area, not to mention the dozens of players who made the all-conference, all-district or all-region lists.

 

Over on the www.northoaklandsports.com 2010 All-Area Baseball Team, there were plenty of talented candidates for the first team and second team slots, as chosen by area coaches in conjunction with staff. The first team consists of two pitchers, one catcher, four infielders, five outfielders and two at-large players that had standout seasons.

 

Below are the capsules for those first-team players:

 

FIRST TEAM

 

 

Pitchers

 

MATT RODGERS, Clarkston: The Wolves were not a highly-ranked team and neither were some of their players in the preseason, but Rodgers came through during his junior season and became one of the top pitchers in Oakland County. He finished 8-2 with a sterling 1.54 ERA and 38 strikeouts. He also hit .393 with 33 hits and a pair of home runs. He wound up making the All-State Second Team in Division 1 among his many postseason accolades.

 

“Matt just had a great season,” said coach Phil Price. “He won some big ball games for us. He was hard to hit and could pitch his way out of certain situations when he had to.”

 

MATT NESTOR, Rochester Adams: Nestor emerged as the No. 1 pitcher on the Highlanders’ staff and he was a perfect 10-0, winning over a third of his team’s total wins. With an ERA of 2.10, Nestor earned All-OAA Red Division and All-District honors as a junior. He struck out 78 in 60 innings of work, walked 31, scattered 45 hits, and surrendered only 18 earned runs. He will be expected to be one of the top pitchers in Oakland County next season. He also had a .958 fielding clip, with 17 putouts, 51 assists and only three errors.

 

Catchers

 

ANTHONY GONZALES, Rochester Stoney Creek: A big and physical catcher, this sophomore continued to impress in his second season as a starter. Behind the plate, he had a fine .960 fielding percentage with 206 putouts, 12 assists and only nine errors. He batted at a .371 clip with 36 hits, 19 runs, seven doubles, 12 walks and had a .445 on-base percentage. He was named All-District.

 

Infielders

 

JAKE DAVIS, Rochester Stoney Creek: On the mound, at the plate or in the field, Davis was one of the top players in the entire OAA. The four-year varsity veteran was the ace of the Cougars’ staff, as he was 7-3 with one save, had a 117 strikeouts in 75 2/3 innings of work, gave up just 58 hits and opposing teams batted just .199 against him. At the plate, he hit a team-best .376 with 35 hits, 24 runs, three doubles, three home runs, 27 RBI, 13 walks, six stolen bases, a .505 slugging percentage and a .453 on-base percentage. He had 54 putouts and 146 assists against 10 errors for a .952 fielding percentage, and nd was named to the All-OAA Red Division and All-District.

 

NICK DRUZINSKI, Rochester Adams: Headed for Toledo, Druzinski bowed out this season by being named to the All-State Dream Team and All-State First Team in Division 1 as well as being named to the coaches association East-West All-Star game. He batted a team-best .441 with four home runs, drove in 36 runs, had 52 hits, 16 doubles, scored 45 times, posted an on-base percentage of .566 and his slugging percentage finished at a .677. In the field, he also had 36 putouts and 76 assists for a .913 clip.

 

TOMMY ENG, Troy Athens: One of two sophomores on the first team, Eng posted a breakthrough year of sorts in his second season of varsity play. The sure-handed shortstop, who also was a member of the Athens pitching staff, made only two errors in 30 games. At the plate, he hit .402 with 10 doubles, two triples, eight home runs, scored 31 times, had 12 stolen bases and drew 15 walks. He was 2-1 on the mound with 37 strikeouts and a 2.00 ERA.

 

“He had a monster year as a leadoff hitter,” said coach Mike Morris. “He really came into his own this year and we have him for two more years. I think he’s going to be a special player.”

 

CHRIS MOCERINO, Clarkston: The Wolves’ senior shortstop combined a fine glove and a lethal bat to earn multiple postseason accolades, including All-OAA Red Division, All-District and All-Region. He collected 82 hits, eight doubles, 27 runs, three home runs, 33 RBI and a .476 average, and more importantly helped Clarkston reach the Division 1 regional finals for the fourth time in 10 years.

 

“Chris did it all for us,” said Price. “He’s a very underrated player. I thought he was one of the better players in our league and a big part of our success.”

 

Outfielders

 

BRIAN POTELLI, Auburn Hills Avondale: This junior had a breakthrough year for the Yellowjackets, earning All-State Second Team status in Division 1 among his many postseason accolades in his third season as a starter. The center fielder, who also saw some stints at first base, was named Team MVP after posting a school record .562 batting average, 59 hits (second most in school history) and 41 RBI (third-highest season total). In 105 at-bats, he also scored 44 runs, had 15 doubles, four triples, six home runs and 15 stolen bases. In the field, he had 127 putouts, six assists and only three errors for a .978 percentage. He struck out seven times all season from the No. 2 spot in the order, where he also posted a .648 on-base mark and a .952 slugging percentage.

 

TYLER SCARLETT, Clarkston: One of the best three-sport athletes to come through Clarkston in many years, Scarlett finished with nine varsity letters and numerous postseason awards between football, basketball and baseball during his stellar prep career. In his final baseball season, he hit 427 with 35 hits, 13 doubles, two home runs, and 32 runs scored. He led his football team to the Final Four as a senior and started on a final Four basketball team as a junior, playing point guard. He has signed with Michigan Tech for football.

 

“Tyler’s an amazing athlete,” said Price. “Look at what he accomplished during his career. Most people don’t realize this, but Tyler’s also a Division I-caliber baseball player, even though he’s playing football in college.”

 

STEPHEN MISCOVICH, Rochester Hills Lutheran Northwest: Another three-sport standout, Miscovich earned All-MIAC Blue Division honors in football, basketball and baseball as a senior. Also an All-District honoree, Miscovich had 73 at-bats and picked up 28 hits, 45 runs, 31 RBI, five doubles, two triples, five home runs, 17 stolen bases, 20 walks and a .384 batting average. He also committed only three errors all season in left field.

 

“Stephen is the best athlete in our entire school,” said coach Mario Borocci. “He plays three sports and was one of the best in the league in all of them. He’s a great kid, too. We will miss having him on our team next year.”

 

BOBBY PARDUN, Troy: The three-year starter will head to Defiance (Ohio) College for both football and baseball, but not before he had another fine season with the Colts. The senior hit .381 with 36 hits, 24 runs, one home run, 10 walks and 22 RBI from the No. 2 spot in the order. The center fielder, who was also a member of the Colts’ pitching staff, was named to the All-OAA Red Division and All-District squads.

 

“We had a little bit of a down year, but Bobby was still solid,” said coach Frank DiVito. “In his three years with us, he came through with a lot of clutch hits. We just didn’t have the lineup around him as we did a couple of years ago. He is still a very good athlete. I think he will do fine in college.”

 

BILLY KAMMERER, Oxford: The Wildcats’ No. 1 pitcher who also rotated at left field was a main force behind the Wildcats’ resurgence in 2010. The senior earned All-Flint Metro League and All-District honors while posting a .395 batting average with two home runs, 26 runs scored and 17 RBI, plus a .421 batting average inside league play. On the mound, he was 7-3 with a 2.77 ERA over 48 innings of work. He struck out 35, had four complete games, posted two shutouts and was unbeaten at 5-0 with an 0.50 ERA in FML games. His highlight reel included a complete-game, 5-4 win over rival Lake Orion in a Division 1 pre-district in which he hit the game-winning, walk-off home run.

 

At-Large:

 

ALEX RIOPELLE, Troy Athens: This senior upped his game up a notch this season to earn All-OAA Red and All-District honors in the Athens district. The pitcher-infielder finished with a 5-3 record with a 2.00 ERA and 88 strikeouts in 54 innings pitched. Among his best outings were 15 strikeouts against Lake Orion and 13 against Rochester Adams.

 

“Alex really stepped it up and had some great pitching performances,” said Morris. “He had some really big games for us. He helped us beat Troy in the (district opener) and he had those two monster games against Adams and Lake Orion, which shows that he is one of the better pitchers in our league when he is on.”

 

ZACK ZOTT, Lake Orion:  The Dragons’ No. 1 pitcher and outfielder pitched many of his team’s big games this season. He finished with a 2.18 ERA in 54 2/3 innings of work and a 4-4 record. He was also one of the team’s top hitters, batting .371 with four home runs, 26 RBI, eight doubles, 28 runs and 43 hits in 115 at-bats.

 

“Zack was our most consistent player,” said coach Andy Schramek. “He pitched in a lot of the bigger games for us and he had good numbers offensively.”

 

COACH OF THE YEAR

 

CHUCK VANROBAYS, Rochester Adams: A 1996 grad of Adams, where he played on two state runner-up teams, VanRobays came back to the program five years ago and has re-established the Highlanders as a perennial power. This season, Adams finished 27-10 overall and won the depth-laden OAA Red Division (11-3), where four teams won district championships. Ranked virtually the whole season, Adams went one step further than last year’s regional finals, as they lost in the Division 1 state quarterfinals to Macomb L’Anse Creuse North (4-2). VanRobays is a full-time baseball instructor and coach at The Varsity Shop.

 

 

 

 

2010 ALL-AREA BASEBALL TEAM

FIRST TEAM

 

Pitchers

Matt Rodgers      Clarkston         Jr.

Matt Nestor       Roch. Adams       Jr.

 

Catchers

Anthony Gonzales  Roch. Stoney Crk. Soph.

 

Infielders

Jake Davis        Roch. Stoney Crk. Sr.

Nick Druzinski    Roch. Adams       Sr.

Tommy Eng         Troy Athens       Soph.

Chris Mocerino    Clarkston         Sr.

 

Outfielders

Brian Portelli    A.H. Avondale     Jr.

Tyler Scarlett    Clarkston         Sr.

Stephen Miscovich R.H. Lutheran NW  Sr.

Bobby Pardun      Troy              Sr.

Billy Kammerer    Oxford            Sr.

 

At-Large

Alex Riopelle     Troy Athens       Sr.

Zack Zott         Lake Orion        Jr.

 

COACH OF THE YEAR

Chuck VanRobays   Rochester Adams        

 

SECOND TEAM

Pitchers

Keith Paslean     Oxford            Jr.

Jimmy Kingsley    Rochester         Sr.

 

Catchers

Mitch Robinson    A.H. Avondale     Soph.

 

Infielders

Nick Bradley      Rochester         Jr.

Ben Yax           Roch. Stoney Crk. Jr.

Matt Andrus       A.H. Avondale     Soph.

Frank Guidice     Roch. Adams       Sr.

Kyle Casadei      Roch. Adams       Sr.

 

Outfielders

Trent Drumheller  Roch. Stoney Crk. Sr.

Chase Toth        Clarkston         Jr.

Alex Massel       R.H. Lutheran NW  Sr.

Ricky Hamilton    Troy              Sr.

 

At-Large

Chris Porier      Lake Orion        Sr.

Mitch Stefanski   Oxford            Sr.

 

HONORABLE MENTIONS

Auburn Hills Avondale: Joel Peters, sr. OF-P; Clarkston: Jake Sims, sr. 2B; Jarret Coy, sr. P-INF; Clarkston Springfield Christian: Alex Trull, jr. INF-P; Lake Orion: Dalton Overson, soph. OF; Aidan Murdock, sr. 1B; Lake Orion Baptist: Connor Welby, jr. C-INF-P; Matt Cameron, sr. P-INF; Chris Hojnacki, sr. P-INF; Oxford: Jordan Macocha, sr. 2B; Rochester: Mike Rau, sr. INF; Nick Crivilla, sr.; Rochester Adams: Pete Bahner Jr., sr. C; Ian Mercer, jr. INF; Ryan Strum, sr. P; Alex Borglin, soph. OF; Rochester Stoney Creek: Jake Miller, sr. INF; Rochester Hills Lutheran Northwest: Kyle Novack, sr. INF; Eric Mischley, jr. 1B; Matt Berkseth, sr. P-INF; Chad Cook, soph. INF; Troy: John Wassel, soph. INF-P; Troy Athens: Alex Harrison, jr. P-INF; Steve Perkins, sr. OF; Mike MacKinnon, sr. 3B; Troy Bethany Christian: Luke Combs, jr. P-INF; Travis Woodham, jr. INF.

 

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Last updated: Sep 08 2010 at 5:22 AM

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