Check out the baseball players to watch this season in the Holland area
The high school baseball season is underway. Several local teams are looking to build on strong seasons last year with many returning stars, especially at Zeeland East.
Here is a look at the returning players to watch:
Brentson Brown
SCHOOL: Zeeland East
GRADE: Senior
POSITION: Catcher
LAST YEAR: Was all-confernce and all-district. Batted .370 with 33 runs and 33 RBis.
COACH'S VIEW: "Brenston showed tremendous maturity and toughness this season. It's hard to ask a kid to catch the majority of 40 games, but Brenston handled it with grace. He takes great pride in all aspects of the game and is constantly working to improve. He works hard, is a vocal leader and manages our pitching staff as good as any catcher we've had. He was also one of our most clutch hitters this season, whenever a game was on the line and he was up, he came through with a big hit or RBI. Brenston plays with a fiery enthusiasm that is contagious." - Matt Sattler
Ty Elmer
SCHOOL: Black River
GRADE: Junior
POSITION: First base
LAST YEAR: Batted .443 with .552 on-base percentage. Had 32 runs and was 23-for-23 in stolen base attempts. All-conference in SAC.
COACH'S VIEW: "Ty mainly played 1st base but also filled in wherever he was needed, solid all around player that played hard no matter what the score was, he also set up extra practices with teammates to help the team get better." - Jim Elmer
Austin Keur
SCHOOL: Zeeland East
GRADE: Senior
POSITION: Centerfield
LAST YEAR: All-conference in OK Green. Batted .385 with 50 runs scored and 22 RBIs.
COACH'S VIEW: "Austin was our fire starter this year. He had great success leading off and anchoring us in centerfield. He is phenomenal defensively and a pest at the plate. Austin is as gritty and competitive of any player I have ever coached. I always know when we show up to the field that he will be ready to fight and win. Because of his personality and competitive nature, he is a natural leader and it showed all season. When Austin succeeded, so did the team… the good news is he succeeded a lot." - Matt Sattler
Charlie Lacny
SCHOOL: Zeeland East
GRADE: Senior
POSITION: Shortstop
LAST YEAR: Was all-conference and all-district. Batted .453 with a school-record 45 RBIs. Had 41 runs scored and 22 stolen bases.
COACH'S VIEW: "Charlie is a tremendous baseball player. He started every game for us at shortstop and was as sure handed defensively as any middle infielder we've ever had. I have not had another player who has ever worked as hard at their craft than Charlie does. All off-season he continues to push himself fundamentally to improve. Charlie understands the game and what it takes to succeed." - Matt Sattler
Trevor Raade
SCHOOL: Zeeland East
GRADE: Senior
POSITION: First base
LAST YEAR: All-conference in OK Green. Batted .314 with three home runs and 37 RBI. Made zero errors in the field.
COACH'S VIEW: "Trevor once again anchored our lineup this year. He is a three-year varsity starter and has committed to play at Western Michigan University after next season. What people don't know is that Trevor was dealing with a nagging injury all season and still competed at the highest level possible. Every team we played prepared for him and because of that, his teammates were able to see better pitches and produce." - Matt Sattler
Max Salas
SCHOOL: Zeeland East
GRADE: Senior
POSITION: Pitcher
LAST YEAR: Was all-conference and all-district. Finished 10-1 to tie for school record in wins. Had a 1.71 ERA. At the plate had .443 averave with 40 RBIs and 42 runs scored. Had 81 strikeouts and just 16 walks in 57.3 innings.
COACH'S VIEW: "Max was a horse for our team this year. He takes great pride in all facets of the game, whether he is hitting, playing defense or pitching, Max always is locked in and ready to compete. He is Mr. Everything for our team, he carries us on the mound and is extremely productive in the middle of our lineup. He can power you with fastballs, or pick corners with off-speed pitches. He can also hit for power and average." - Matt Sattler
Kyle Smith
SCHOOL: Holland Christian
GRADE: Senior
POSITION: Outfield/pitcher
LAST YEAR: Batted .357 with 22 RBs. On the mound, had 43 strikeouts in 34 innings with 2.26 ERA. All-conference in OK Blue.
COACH'S VIEW: "Kyle was a very important part of our team. He batted middle of the order for us and played terrific in Center Field. He may not be the biggest or the fastest kid, but he rips the cover off the ball at the plate and plays great defense. We are glad to have him back again next year." - Ty VanWieren
Caden VanHuis
SCHOOL: Holland Christian
GRADE: Junior
POSITION: Second base
LAST YEAR: All-Conference in OK Blue. Batted .357 with .476 on-base percentage.
COACH'S VIEW: "Caden batted leadoff all year for our team. He was phenomenal in that role and setting the tone for our team each game in a tough OK-Blue conference. Caden was on fire in the month of May hitting .426 at the plate. He also plays solid defense at second base as well." - Ty VanWieren
Contact sports editor Dan D’Addona at Dan.D’Addona@hollandsentinel.com. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter @DanDAddona or Facebook @HollandSentinelSports.
This article originally appeared on The Holland Sentinel: Check out the baseball players to watch this season in Holland area
