Hats off

MAC baseball coaches honor league’s top players

By Brad D. Bates
C & G Sports Writers

It was another successful season for Macomb Area Conference baseball teams.

The MAC had seven teams crowned district champions, and Grosse Pointe South and St. Clair Shores Lake Shores carried their league banners to regional championship games.

To honor the players and coaches that made 2009 a success, the MAC awarded All-Conference honors and named MVPs and Coaches of the Year in its six divisions.

All names were submitted by coaches and compiled in a season-ending report.

Red Division
Macomb Dakota won its second Red Division title in three seasons with an 8-2 record. Utica Eisenhower finished second at 7-3, followed by Grosse Pointe South (5-5), Utica Stevenson (4-6), Grosse Pointe North (4-6) and Clinton Township Chippewa Valley (2-8).

Eisenhower senior catcher/pitcher Griffin Jones is the league’s MVP, and Dakota skipper Ken Thoel took Coach of the Year honors.

All-Conference selections are seniors Kyler Kolb, Adam Mazza and Mike Romanchik, and junior Eric Whitney, Dakota; seniors Jones, Kirk Dandurand and Brett Kauten, Eisenhower; seniors Kelly O’Donnell and Johnny Hackett, and junior Bobby Peltz, Grosse Pointe South; senior Josh Andreycak and junior Jason Fracassa, Stevenson; seniors Josh Cok and Brett Reardon, Grosse Pointe North; and senior Ryan Daar, Chippewa Valley.

White Division
Warren Mott and St. Clair Shores Lake Shore were co-champions of the White Division at 8-2. Utica High and Romeo High finished tied in third at 5-5, followed by Macomb L’Anse Creuse North (3-7) and Utica Ford II (1-9).

Lake Shore senior pitcher/first baseman Travis Brown is the league’s MVP, while Lake Shore coach Chris Kuppe split Coach of the Year honors with Mott’s Shawn Maloney.

All-Conference selections are seniors Brown, Greg Santo and Carl Smith, and junior Dan Carroll, Lake Shore; seniors Robert Southard and Gary James, and junior Ben Filimon, Mott; seniors Andy Orr, Ben Orr and Dan Baranski, Utica; juniors Jake Moore and Spencer Szwejk, Romeo; senior Eric Vandlerberghe and junior Eric Lech, L’Anse Creuse North; and junior Terry Gissendanner, Ford II.

Blue Division
St. Clair High held off two 20-win teams to win the Blue at 9-1. Fraser High and Harrison Township L’Anse Creuse hit the 20-win plateau. Fraser was second in the Blue at 7-3 and L’Anse Creuse was third at 6-4. Port Huron High was fourth at 4-6. Port Huron Northern placed fifth at 3-7, and Anchor Bay was sixth at 1-9.

St. Clair sophomore Joel Seddon nabbed MVP honors, while St. Clair coach Bill McElreath is the division’s Coach of the Year.

All-Conference selections are Seddon, seniors Tom Hannahan and Brandon Schantz, and junior Andrew Rossi, St. Clair; seniors Nathan Smith, Ernie DeRocco and Carson Beauchaine, Fraser; junior Billy Bolding, and sophomores Erik Winnega and Brandon Krolczyk, L’Anse Creuse; seniors Anthony Ingle and Jordan Galanos, Port Huron; seniors Tyler Thomas and James MacMillan, Port Huron Northern; and senior Vince Misiewicz, Anchor Bay.

Gold Division
Marysville High won the Gold at 9-1; Warren Cousino was runner-up at 7-3. Madison Heights Lamphere was 6-4 and placed third, followed by Warren Woods Tower (5-5), Marine City High (2-8) and Eastpointe East Detroit (1-9).

Marysville senior Andrew Schunck is the league’s MVP, and Vikings coach Shawn Winston is the Coach of the Year.

All-Conference selections are seniors Schunck and Trey Curley, juniors Devin Herr and Nick Watson, and sophomore Steve Molesworth, Marysville; senior David Chasney, and juniors Mike Newcomb and Jared Johnson, Cousino; senior Jon Kleinert, and sophomores Gregg Fettes and Ryan Horvath, Lamphere; seniors James Horgan and Wade Howard, Warren Woods Tower; senior Brent Weil, Marine City; and senior Marcillino LaManna, East Detroit.

Silver Division
Clawson High took home the Silver Division title at 9-1 in its first year in the MAC.
St. Clair Shores Lakeview finished second at 7-3, followed by Madison Heights Madison (6-4), Roseville High (5-5), Sterling Heights High (2-8) and Center Line High (1-9).

Clawson senior shortstop Shawn Giroux was named the league’s MVP, and Clawson coach Colin Quinn was selected Coach of the Year.

All-Conference selections are seniors Giroux and Travis Forsmark, and juniors Howard Crippen and Rob Feeman, Clawson; seniors John Chuhran, Steve Eatherly and Adam LaFrance, Lakeview; juniors Josh Matiyow and Steven O’Keffe, and senior Aaron Purdy, Madison; senior Brett Makowski and junior Nathan Hammer, Roseville; juniors Jason Vissotski and Jeff Kozumplik, Sterling Heights; and sophomore Joel Musser, Center Line.

Bronze Division
Clinton Township Clintondale took home the first MAC Bronze title at 8-2. Warren Fitzgerald, St. Clair Shores South Lake and Warren Lincoln tied for second at 6-4, followed by New Haven High (4-6) and Mount Clemens High (0-10).

Clintondale junior pitcher/shortstop Leterrius Walton took home MVP honors, and Dragons coach Scott Evans was selected Coach of the Year.

All-Conference selections are juniors Walton and Darius Vann, and seniors Dan Sawicki and Chuck Pellerito, Clintondale; sophomores Ryan Urso and Ricky Mercer, and junior Austin Kilgore, South Lake; seniors Ben Smith, Rob Wells and Jeff Lusczki, Fitzgerald; seniors Steve Convery and David Ksar, Lincoln; seniors Paris Smith and Wes Green, New Haven. Names of Mount Clemens players were not available at press time.

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