KALAMAZOO, MI - The greater Kalamazoo area has been a hotbed of baseball talent for decades, with MLB players, all-conference college athletes and high school All-Americans all calling the region home.
MLive.com took on the task of naming and ranking the area’s 10 best teams since 2000, and among those to make the cut are five state championship squads, plus several more that were a couple pitches away from hoisting championship hardware.
Sorting them was not an easy task. Baseball is a game of inches, and it was by the narrowest of margins that some teams separated themselves over others.
With that in mind, here's a countdown of the Kalamazoo area's 10 best in the last 20 years.
In the dug out, baseball stars Strugis senior Zach Gentile, left and Paw Paw senior Derrick Mitchell, are both going on to play college ball, Gentile at Western and Mitchell at Michigan State in the fall. (Melanie Maxwell / Gazette)GAZETTE
10. Paw Paw, 2004
Final record: 34-5
Season achievements: Division 2 district champs; Kalamazoo Valley Association champs
State tournament result: Lost to Richland Gull Lake 5-0 in regional finals
Notable: Longtime minor league baseball player Derrick Mitchell led the winningest team in Paw Paw history, but the squad also featured future Division-I college ball players in Kyle Galbraith (WMU), Derek Jones (Northern Kentucky), Cody Winter (Kalamazoo Valley Community College), Luke Gumper (KVCC) and Matt Peshl (Lake Michigan College). The 2004 team also had a deep rotation of pitchers, led by Gumper, who went 12-0, and Eric Beebe, who went 7-1.
Paw Paw cruised to its first district championship in program history, then won an unforgettable 12-inning battle with St. Joseph in the regional semifinals thanks to a Ferris Baker driving home Mitchell to give his team a 4-3 victory, but they had to turn right around and face a Gull Lake team that shut out the weary Paw Paw squad for the first time all season. The team managed just two hits in the 5-0 loss to the Blue Devils, which was shortened to six innings because of darkness.
Paw Paw ended the year outscoring its opponents 336-120 and sent Mitchell to the all-state team.
Schoolcraft celebrates as Nolan Anspaugh (10) is walked in the seventh inning of their MHSAA Division 3 semifinal baseball game against Traverse City St. Francis at McLane Baseball Stadium on the campus of Michigan State in East Lansing, on Friday, June 16, 2017. (Mike Mulholland | MLive.com)Mike Mulholland | MLive.com
9. Schoolcraft, 2017
Final record: 25-11
Season achievements: Division 3 regional champs; Southwestern Athletic Conference champs
State tournament result: Lost to Traverse City St. Francis 3-2 in state semifinals
Notable: Schoolcraft battled through a tough regular season schedule to earn its first trip to the state semifinals, where they lost a heartbreaking 3-2 contest to Traverse City St. Francis on a sacrifice fly in the eighth inning.
The Eagles' roster featured several college baseball players, including twins Caleb and Nolan Anspaugh, the latter of whom was named the GLIAC's Freshman of the Year at Grand Valley State in 2018. Ricky Clark and Blake Bales also went on to pitch in college, with Bales boasting a 4-0 career record as a reliever at the University of Virginia.
Portage Central's Ryan Krill, right celebrates with Jaden Nozicka, left, after scoring during Tuesday's Division 1 state quarterfinal game against Detroit Catholic Central at Michigan State University's McLane Baseball Stadium. (Gazette / Jonathon Gruenke)Kalamazoo Gazette
8. Portage Central, 2011
Final record: 35-3
Season achievements: Division 1 regional champs; SMAC champs
State tournament result: Lost to Rockford 6-5 in state semifinals
Notable: Central entered the playoffs as the state's top-ranked team and boasted a lineup loaded with college talent, headlined by future Michigan State slugger and New York Yankees ninth-round draft pick Ryan Krill, who wrapped up his senior season with a Dream Team nod from the Michigan High School Baseball Coaches Association. But the Mustangs were far from a one-trick pony, with Kyle Jusick (Michigan), Derek Schneider (Western Michigan), Nate Schneider (WMU), Jordan Tillman (WMU) and Bryan Stevens (Western Kentucky) all going on to play Division-I baseball.
Central also had a deep pitching rotation led by Jusick, Stevens and Logan Templeton, and a defensive ace at shortstop in Caleb Meulman, who earned the nickname "ninja" because " he would appear out of nowhere in places you didn't think he should be, but he had such great instincts and always found himself in the right spot," former Central assistant coach Don Ampersee said.
The Mustangs eventually got tripped up by eventual state champ Rockford, who scored three unanswered runs to come back from a 5-3 deficit in the fourth inning of their state semifinal matchup.
Decatur's Stephen Botti sprints toward first base during the Division 3 baseball quarterfinals at Bailey Park Tuesday evening.MLive Media Group
7. Decatur, 2012
Final record: 36-6
Season achievements: Division 4 state champs
State finals result: Defeated Grosse Pointe Woods University Liggett 4-1
Notable: Decatur's 2012 squad was loaded with seniors, most of whom had played together in travel ball since age 9, so their senior-season march to the state championship was a fitting way to end their run. Theodore Rufo was one of four all-staters for the Raiders that year, joining pitchers J.T. Kawaski, Tim Cerven and Stephen Botti, and he came through with the biggest hit of his career in the state semifinals against Muskegon Catholic Central, when he blasted an RBI triple to left centerfield, then scored on an error to produce two runs with one swing of the bat. The big hit gave Decatur a 3-2 lead over the Crusaders in the seventh inning, and they'd go on to win by that score, as Kawaski closed out a two-hit pitching gem with a 1-2-3 inning.
In the state championship game, Decatur squared off against Grosse Pointe Woods University Liggett and University of Michigan-bound pitcher Alex Daar, but Raiders' ace Tim Cerven outdueled the future Wolverine, allowing just five hits and four walks, while striking out two in the 4-1 win.
Decatur had several college-bound players on their own roster, including Cerven (Kalamazoo Valley), Rufo (Glen Oaks), Botti (Olivet), Max Drenth (Kellogg), Matthew Botti (Concordia) and Cole Southworth (Concordia).
Gull Lake's Zach Fish hits a double in the third inning as Sturgis catcher Eliezer Melendez looks on during their regional game from the 2011 season.Kalamazoo Gazette
6. Richland Gull Lake, 2011
Final record: 38-2
Season achievements: Division 2 regional champs, Wolverine Conference champs
State tournament result: Lost to St. Clair 6-1 in state semifinals
Notable: Gull Lake's 2011 campaign saw superstar senior Zach Fish set the state single-season home run record with 24 bombs, but the team also had an outstanding supply of pitchers, who combined for 305 strikeouts, which ranks 12th in MHSAA history.
The group had 10 college-bound players, headlined by Fish (Oklahoma State), Colton Bradley (CMU) and Patrick Gaudard (South Carolina Upstate).
"You had something special with Fish and his run at the home run the record, but that team was just loaded," current Gull Lake head coach Reggie Walters said. "Zach was a tremndous baseball player, but he also had Lucas (Hamelink) behind him, who had 12 or 13 home runs. We had Connor Owen leading off and had some young kids on the squad step up and a young pitching staff.
"That lineup was balanced 1-9 and could run bases or hit for power. You love a team that has speed because that makes it hard to get into a slump."
The Blue Devils season came to an end in the state semifinals, where they couldn't solve St. Clair pitcher Joel Seddon, who struck out 11 and allowed just one hit for the eventual state champs, before going on to pitch at South Carolina and in the Oakland As farm system for several years.
Decatur's Adam Newell watches his team from the dugout. (Mark Bialek / Special to the Gazette)Kalamazoo
5. Decatur, 2002
Final record: 26-8-1
Season achievements: Division 4 state champs
State finals result: Defeated Taylor Light and Life 7-2
Notable: Decatur started seven sophomores on its 2001 state runner-up squad, so expectations were high heading into 2002, the Raiders lived up to the hype by capturing their second state title in program history.
The regular season included a win over Division 1 district champ Warren De La Salle, and the playoffs featured several lopsided scores, including the state's first semifinal super-mercy in the Raiders' three-inning 16-1 win over Alanson, in which they scored nine runs in the second. In the team's 7-2 state championship win over Taylor Light and life, seven different Raiders each tallied one base hit, while catcher Lee Moser led the way with three RBIs, while Andy Hall and Lucas Luth each drove in two runs. Adam Newell was strong on the mound, scattering eight hits and striking out four to pick up the title-clinching win.
Portage Northern's Tommy Henry fist bumps his teammates after the division 1 state semifinals game against Grosse Pointe South at McLane Baseball Stadium in East Lansing, Mich., Thursday, June 11, 2015. (Hugh Carey | MLive.com) MLive.comMLive.com
4. Portage Northern, 2015
Final record: 30-8-1
Season achievements: Division 1 regional champs
State tournament result: Lost to Hartland 2-1 in state finals
Notable: Before Tommy Henry pitched the University of Michigan to the College World Series, he led Portage Northern to the state championship game during his junior season and delivered an all-timer of a performance in the Division 1 finals, only to see the trophy slip away in extra innings. Henry threw 151 pitches across eight innings in the state finals against Hartland, striking out eight, walking four, scattering seven hits and allowing just one run. But the run support wasn't there, and despite Henry's strong effort, the game was tied at 1 heading into the ninth. Future Eastern Michigan star and Oakland As draft pick Max Schuemann relieved Henry and allowed two walks and three hits, including a walk-off single in the 10th inning.
Henry and Schuemann weren't the only two stars on that Northern team, as Blake Therrian also stepped up on the mound during the Huskies postseason run, and Ryan Beadle provided a level of leadership behind the plate that head coach Chris Andrews still speaks highly of. Unfortunately for the Huskies, one of its top players, future Michigan pitcher Ben Keizer, missed the entire year with an injury.
Decatur catcher, Lee Moser, hits the dirt after diving for a pop up during his team's 16-1 state semifinal win over Alanson. (File | MLive.com)Kalamazoo Gazette
3. Decatur, 2003
Final record: 28-6
Season achievements: Division 4 state champs
State finals result: Defeated Royal Oak Shrine 3-0
Notable: It's easy to question a Division 4 team earning a spot in the top three of the Kalamazoo area's best teams since 2000, but this Decatur squad was a special group thanks to seven seniors who made the state finals three years and took home two championship trophies, including one in 2003.
Niles, Stevensville Lakeshore and Lansing Sexton were among the bigger schools that fell to Decatur that year, and the playoffs featured a 12-inning quarterfinal contest against Sand Creek
that the Raiders won 6-5 and long-time head coach Ben Botti still considers "probably the best game I've ever been a part of."
After trouncing Bay City All Saints 12-2 in the state semifinals, Adam Newell and Andy Hall combined to pitch a three-hit shutout to out-duel Royal Oak Shrine flamethrower Dan Kapala, who took his 90-plus mph fastball to Notre Dame.
For Decatur's seven seniors that helped the Raiders reach the three consecutive state championship games, it was a fitting way to end their high school careers.
Center fielder Joe Schuring, of Porage Central, dives for a hard hit ball during the state quarterfinal game against Grandville at Charlotte High School Tuesday afternoon, June 11, 2002.
2. Portage Central, 2002
Final record: 35-2
Season achievements: Division 2 state champs; Big Eight champs
State finals result: Defeated Warren Mott 7-0
Notable: The 2002 Portage Central team had a future NHL player at shortstop (Scott Parse) and a future college soccer player in centerfield (Joe Schuring), but what stood out most about the Mustangs is that they didn't have a prototypical No. 1 pitcher. Instead, they relied on a rotation of four solid starters to claim the program's first baseball state championship.
"We didn't have a dominant pitcher," former assistant coach Don Ampersee said. "We always said we had four No. 2 pitchers, and what they learned to do was throw strikes, throw off-speed when they're behind in the count and fastballs when they're ahead, which is the opposite of what hitters are expecting."
Led by all-staters Parse, Schuring, pitcher Scott Millen and catcher Jeff Brink, Central dominated the competition during its playoff run, with its closest call after districts coming in the regional semifinals, where they defeated Holt 4-1.
In the state championship game, Schuring and third baseman Brian Craven each drove in two runs and Steve Anderson pitched a complete-game three-hitter to lead the Mustangs to a 7-0 win over Warren Mott.
Portage Northern catcher Gannon Andrews (2) holds the championship trophy while talking with outfielder Alex Cox (15) after defeating Rockford, 10-4, in the MHSAA Division 1 state final baseball game at McLane Stadium in East Lansing, on Saturday, June 15, 2019. (Mike Mulholland | MLive.com)Mike Mulholland | MLive.com
1. Portage Northern, 2019
Final record: 40-7
Season achievements: Division 1 state champs
State finals result: Defeated Rockford 10-4
Notable: With 12 juniors and just five seniors on its roster, Northern was a young team, but a loaded one that featured future Division-I college players Tyler Helgeson (EMU) and Nolan McCarthy (Kentucky).
Heading into the 2019 state finals, four players boasted batting averages above .400, and nine more were hitting above .300, making the Huskies lineup a deep and formidable one up and down the batting order.
"We really didn't have a weakness," head coach Chris Andrews said. "That team had the highest batting average (.373) of any team I've ever had, and our pitchers threw strikes, and our defense was solid behind them."
Northern cruised through districts and the regional semifinal, but then ran into some trouble in the super regional round, only to see McCarthy hit a walk-off against Grand Ledge and the team rally from a two-run deficit against Woodhaven and Mr. Baseball pitcher Colin Czajkowski.
“I remember thinking this isn’t good, getting down against a guy that probably isn’t going to give up many runs, but the players were confident they were going to hit this guy and started chipping away,” Andrews said.
The Huskies ended up tagging Czajkowski for five hits and two earned runs in their 7-3 victory over Woodhaven, then defeated Bloomfield Hills Brother Rice 2-0 in the semifinals and Rockford 10-4 in the championship round to secure the program’s first state title.
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