Silver standard

By Brad D. Bates
C & G Sports Writer

Clawson High baseball takes league title

Clawson High baseball coach Colin Quinn has just one regret about his team’s 9-1 Macomb Area Conference Silver Division record and the accompanying league title — that it came perhaps a year later than he would have liked.

This year’s title came in their first year in the MAC after three seasons in the Metro Conference, where the Trojans took on programs like three-time defending Metro champs Grosse Pointe University Liggett.

And Quinn believes that with the seasons he’s seen from some of his players, a league championship could have been in the cards regardless of the competition his squad faced.

“(The championship) was a combination of things, and we would have given it a run in our old league too,” Quinn said before his squad clinched the Silver title outright with its 8-6 win May 20 at St. Clair Shores Lakeview. 

“We had a number of seniors have great seasons that were much better than anything they had ever done before.

“We had a confidence this year too, that we could win any game, and that comes from the seniors. That’s made us a better team all around. It’s just a shame it didn’t come a year sooner.”

Senior shortstop Shawn Giroux is the driving force behind Clawson’s surge in the standings to 13-6-1 record.

At press time, Giroux was hitting about .600 with five home runs and 40 RBIs.

“This is Shawn’s fourth year on varsity, and it’s his last,” Quinn said. “His stats have gone up every year, and this is his second year as captain. He’s done a great job leading.”

Giroux has been able to focus completely on playing shortstop after playing shortstop and pitching a year ago.

The emergence of junior hurler Rob Feeman and senior Travis Forsmark, who moved to Clawson this year, have bolstered the Trojans’ pitching staff.

“They’re both 4-2,” Quinn said. “That’s a great 1-2 combo that allows us to move Shawn to fulltime shortstop, and that’s made him a lot more comfortable this year.”

An offensive force like Giroux, coupled with pitchers like Feeman and Forsmark, makes the Trojans a strong candidate to win their second district title in three years.

Clawson opened the Division 3 postseason May 26 against New Haven High, after press time. The winner of that game faces Harper Woods High May 29 at Madison Heights Bishop Foley in a district semifinal with the final played later that day.

“Our first goal was to win a league, and then we want a district title, too,” Quinn said May 20. “We won the district my first year here; then, we went to extra innings in the final last year.

“Hopefully, that little taste last year is really going to help us with our two strong pitchers. With two strong pitchers, you can really go far in the playoffs.”

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