Clinton Township

That time of year

By Brad D. Bates
C & G Sports Writer

Photo by David Schreiber With the regular season now in the homestretch, prep baseball teams are gearing up for the postseason. Grosse Pointe North is in the Division 1 district tournament at Harrison Township L’Anse Creuse. Pre-districts get under way May 26; the draw was not available at press time. Pictured is North junior Marc Palazzolo.

North, South baseball teams gear up for postseason

CLINTON TOWNSHIP — With the regular season winding down, Grosse Pointe North’s and South’s varsity baseball teams are getting ready for what each hopes will be long postseason runs.

Both teams are scheduled to play in the Division 1 district at Harrison Township L’Anse Creuse — along with the host Lancers, Roseville High and Eastpointe East Detroit.

District draws were not available at press time. For playoff matchups, dates and times, contact your school’s athletic department.

Here’s a look at where both teams stand following their May 11 games.

Norsemen looking for consistency

The Norsemen fell to Clinton Township Chippewa Valley 12-2 May 11 at Chippewa Valley largely because of fielding errors, but coach Frank Sumbera knows his club is capable of much more than that.

“Consistency,” Sumbera said of what his team needed.

“We play two good games, and then we play a bad one. We’ve got a good group, but what

it takes is a total commitment to work to bounce back.”

North fell to 3-4 in the Macomb Area Conference Red Division, 14-10 overall, at press time.

In those 14 wins, the Norsemen have displayed the talent that had them ranked among the top 10 Division 1 teams in the Michigan High School Baseball Coaches Association’s first poll.

“We’ve got to get mentally tougher,” senior pitcher Brett Reardon said following the team’s May 11 game. “Today, we got in a big hole early because we weren’t focused. We’ve just got to get past this, and we’ve got to bounce back and play to our potential.”

Part of what makes the Norsemen a potential threat in the postseason is their strength on the mound.

Pitchers like Reardon, coupled with senior left-handed ace Josh Cok, make North a challenge for any team looking to win a district or regional title.

“Josh Cok, when he’s on the mound, is as good as anyone is the state,” Sumbera said. “Josh is our No. 1, and he was last year. Brett’s been pitching real good all year, too.”

South continues steady climb

One of the teams that will have to deal with North’s pitchers is rival South.

After starting the season 2-9 overall, the Blue Devils won nine straight games before a May 11 loss to Macomb Dakota. South was 14-12 overall, 3-4 in the Red — including a 10-8 win against North May 6 at North — at press time.

“We’re playing better all the way around,” South coach Dan Griesbaum said. “We had a very inexperienced group, so it was going to take time to get acclimated. But they worked really hard on the little things that they needed to do to get better.”

While veterans like junior shortstop/pitcher Bobby Pelz and senior center fielder Johnny Hackett have led the team, the Blue Devils’ improvement has been bolstered by contributions from every member on the roster.

“Bobby Pelz has done well with the bat and on the mound,” Griesbaum said. “Johnny Hackett — our center fielder and lead-off hitter — gets it all started, so he’s been one of the key guys. But up and down the lineup, I can’t single anyone out because everyone has improved.”

Last year, the Blue Devils took home the Division 1 district title at Grosse Pointe North, beating the Norsemen in the championship game.

But 16 players from that roster graduated, with nine going on to play college baseball, and replacing that kind of postseason experience may be one of the toughest things there is to do in high school sports.

“They were here last year when we won it, but they weren’t starters,” Griesbaum said of his current players.

“They’re aware of the tradition and that we expect to win, but in the playoffs, you can’t take a break or take an inning off.

“It’s single elimination, so you have to make them understand that you need to focus on every pitch of every inning.”

You can reach C & G Sports Writer Brad D. Bates at bbates@candgnews.com or at (586)498-1029.