Dakota baseball looking to make a name for itself

MACOMB TOWNSHIP — There’s always a certain level of excitement when a coach sees a large group of sophomores or juniors excelling because they know one day they’ll have a stacked senior group.

That’s the time to make the state tournament run and lay the foundation for future classes when the majority of the team is veteran leaders, but what isn’t talked about enough are the players patiently waiting their turn and working hard behind the scenes for their moment to shine.

In the case of Macomb Dakota baseball, 12 seniors in the 2023 class led the Cougars to the Michigan High School Athletic Association Division 1 state semifinals with only four players currently on the roster taking the field in the 6-4 semifinals loss to Brownstown Woodhaven.

All across the diamond, voids would need to be filled for a Cougars team bracing for a grueling Macomb Area Conference Red league and a division eager to take down the reigning regional champions.

Luckily for Dakota, every player who waited in the wings last year is more than prepared to take control of their spot.

“My big motto that I tell kids is that you got to work hard while you wait your turn,” Dakota head coach Angelo Plouffe said. “You got a chance to win a job, but sometimes the guy may be older, may be stronger, and may be a little bit more seasoned. Sometimes the younger guys win the job. Sometimes the older guys take over.”

Entering his second year as head coach, Plouffe’s squad won its first regional championship since 2019 last year, and his motivated group of ballplayers are looking to defend their title.

Senior shortstop Matt Wouters; senior pitcher Brendan Pryzbycki, a Macomb Community College commit; junior catcher Evan Kavalick; and junior pitcher Luke DeMasse, a Ball State University commit, headline the returning group and understand their role as players who have been to the top and know what it takes to get there.

“During the state tournament last year, every guy bought into the team and each other,” Kavalick said. “Everyone played for the guy standing next to them instead of themselves, and that really brought the team closer and together. Each guy knew their role and never complained about what it was. Everybody was accountable and each guy could hold each other accountable.”

If there are some perfect spots for returning veterans, it’s Kavalick behind the dish, DeMasse and Pryzbycki in the rotation, and Wouters as the captain of the infield.

DeMasse was thrown into the fire as a sophomore last year, starting in a state quarterfinals matchup against Grand Blanc and helping Dakota earn an 8-6 victory.

While Luke’s older brother, Will DeMasse, who is now playing at Wayne State University, led the Cougars rotation in 2023, Plouffe has plenty of arms at his disposal this season, including junior Jadon Ford, the Cougars varsity quarterback who was sidelined during the baseball season due to injury.

Luke DeMasse and junior Ryan Petrovitch already gave teams a glance of what the pitching staff looks like, throwing a combined no-hitter against Clinton Township Chippewa Valley on April 10 as DeMasse, who tallied six strikeouts, handled five innings, and Petrovitch finished off the final two, collecting four strikeouts.

Alongside the core four of DeMasse, Petrovitch, Ford, and Pryzbycki, senior Jake Andrews (a St. Clair Community College commit), senior Donovan Heugh, senior Tyler Murphy (Albion College), senior John Kurzawa (Lawrence Tech University), junior Braylon Ryan and sophomore Andrew Borowicz are all expected to contribute innings.

As dominant as the pitching staff’s arsenal and depth may be, Ford said its chemistry is what sets it apart.

“The bond of our pitching rotation is unmatchable,” Ford said. “Our guys are really close with each other and work hard at practice to make each other better. Our pitching crew feeds off of each other’s energy and the dominance of pitching we bring to the game.”

Half the battle for a pitcher is trusting the defense, and the Cougars are looking to field another extremely efficient defensive unit with twin brothers Matt and Mike Wouters shoring up the middle infield.

Double-play duos are an art form in their own right, and also make up the majority of YouTube searches for young baseball players, and what better chemistry can there be than twin brothers turning two?

“Coming to the games when I was kid watching my older brother was always fun, and I couldn’t wait to be out there like him,” Matt Wouters said. “Now, I’m out there alongside my twin brother that I have been playing with since we started. It’s always been the dream for both of us growing up.”

Dakota will have plenty of bats pacing the offense this season with senior Landon Moore, senior Joey Tocco, junior Dylan Beitelshees, junior Evan Morrison, junior Luke Kavalick, and freshman Tyler Gardner all expected to contribute.

Currently 5-3 on the season and fresh off a two-game series split with defending Division 1 champions Novi, Dakota will look to be major players in a MAC Red league that last crowned Dakota champs in 2021.

With an impressive crop of talent and a rotation that can go as deep as Plouffe needs to go in any situation, the Cougars expect to be back in the state semifinals game this season.

“For us to make another state tournament run, we need to work hard at practice from the time we step onto the field till the time we step off, and there should be 100% focus and effort,” Matt Wouters said. “Last year was a lot of fun, and we will be back again this year.”