Full of experience, Cardinal Mooney baseball eyes another deep playoff run
MARINE CITY — In each of the past three seasons, the Cardinal Mooney baseball team has won exactly 17 games. It's a stretch that features three district championships, two regionals titles and a Division 4 state runner-up finish in 2021.
The pattern continued Tuesday, when the Cardinals beat Grosse Pointe Woods University Liggett, 8-2, to grab win No. 17 of 2024.
But with the regular season ending Friday, and the MHSAA district tournaments arriving next week, they're ready to buck the trend.
"Our pitching has carried us through much of the season," said Cardinal Mooney coach Dave Bowen, whose team is 17-8 overall entering Thursday. "Our hitting is just now starting to come around a little bit, so it's probably a good time for that to happen. But pitching and defense have carried us the most."
Mooney has six shutout victories, four of which came during a seven-game winning streak from May 1-7. The Cardinals are also 12-4 since April 22.
"The bats have come along and there are a lot guys back from (last season)," senior infielder Anthony Girling said. "So, just having those guys with their experience definitely helps out."
While nine seniors dominate the roster, only Girling and Ty Boedeker are left from the 2021 team. Fortunately, the lessons they learned back then still remain.
"We were always taught to want more," Girling said.
"The seniors and upperclassmen (from the past three seasons) were hungry," senior pitcher George Szep said. "They also felt like they were the underdogs. So, we saw their mentality and just took that upon ourselves as we came up."
Szep, meanwhile, has come into his own as Mooney's ace this year.
The righty is 7-1 with a 1.55 ERA and has 76 strikeouts. On May 9, he pitched a no-hitter and struck out 13 batters in the Cardinals' 2-0 victory over Macomb Lutheran North.
"I'm excited to keep it rolling and get back to the playoffs," Szep said. "Last year, in the district semifinals, I threw a no-hitter. So, hopefully, I can repeat that success."
He'll get his chance when Mooney faces Auburn Hills Oakland Christian in a Division 4 district quarterfinal on May 28. First pitch is 5 p.m. at Our Lady of the Lakes High School in Waterford.
"We feel really prepared with the competition we've played," Girling said. "Last year, our season ended on a tough loss. So we're (hungry) and expect better."
"They've come together as a team," Bowen said of his players. "I know it's cliché to say. But we win as a team, we lose a team. There's not one player better than the other and that's how we play baseball."
That's also how the Cardinals have gone 68-35 since 2021. However, they're not reminiscing on the current era just yet.
"I haven't really thought of it much," Szep said about the waning moments of his time with Mooney. "Just because I think we'll have a good run (in the playoffs). I think we still have a few more weeks left of baseball."
Contact Brenden Welper at bwelper@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter @BrendenWelper.
This article originally appeared on Port Huron Times Herald: Cardinal Mooney baseball eyes another deep playoff run
