Introducing the 2023 Big 8 All Conference Baseball team; Quincy's Mescher voted Big 8 MVP

The race for the Big 8 conference baseball crown was nip and tuck all season long, with the fate of the title still up in the air as the final day of the league season took place. In the end there was a two way tie atop the standings, as the two departing teams, the Jonesville Comets and the Homer Trojans (the two teams leaving next season for the Cascade Conference) finished in a tie for first place with identical 11-3 records.

The Quincy Orioles put together an amazing season and finished in third place with a record of 10-4, just one game back of the conference champions. Union City finished the year with the best overall record at 23-11, but five of those 11 losses were in the conference as the Chargers finished fourth with a record of 9-5. Concord finished in fifth place at 8-6, followed by Bronson in sixth place at 4-10, Reading in seventh place at 3-11, and Springport in eighth place at 0-14.

With the end of the season now in our rearview mirror it is time to introduce the 2023 Big 8 Baseball All Conference honorees. In all, 13 student-athletes from right her in Branch County were honored by the conference coaches, including five first team honorees, eight honorable mentions, and one MVP (Most Valuable Player) award.

(Editor’s Note: Please remember that only stats from games inside the Big 8 conference were used when determining All Conference honors. While some players most assuredly had better stats overall, only the stats earned during Big 8 games were used for All Conference selections.)

Big 8 All Conference First Team 

Quincy Orioles

Quincy senior Brady Mescher has been one of the best players in the league since he stepped foot on the field three years ago and would have possibly made it four straight Big 8 All Conference honors if his freshman season had not been stolen due to the pandemic. This season the coaches of the Big 8 agreed with the sentiment that Mescher is one of the best, voting him as this year’s Big 8 Conference Most Valuable Player. Mescher is a two-time captain of the Oriole squad and was named to the All District and All Regional team this season while also earning Honorable Mention All State. Mescher was third in the Big 8 conference in batting average this season, hitting .421 at the plate while recording a .569 on base percentage, tops in the conference. Mescher recorded 16 hits in Big 8 play, knocking out nine singles, five doubles and two triples to go with 13 RBIs and 12 runs scored. Mescher was also a key part of the Oriole rotation as well, serving as the teams ace on the mound. Mescher finished the year with the most innings pitched in the conference with 41.1, striking out the third most batters with 48, while recording five wins thanks to a 0.61 ERA.

Joining Mescher on the Big 8 All Conference First Team was senior teammate Hunter Tinervia. Tinervia has long been one of the best first baseman in the league and showed it again this season with his glove as he “often bailed out the Oriole defense with his glove work.” (Quote from head coach Pat Dillon’s recap of the Quincy awards banquet) Tinervia finished the Big 8 schedule batting .333 at the plate with 11 singles and one double, with an on base percentage of .519. Tinervia scored 15 runs on the season and 10 RBIs in conference play.

The duo of Mescher and Tinervia will continue to join forces next season as the senior duo have signed on to play at Glen Oaks Community College along with teammate Riley Miner.

Union City Chargers 

Three Union City Chargers earned Big 8 All Conference First Team honors this season as seniors Phoenix Elkins and Tyler Wagley were joined by junior Ryan Zweng.

Elkins held down first base and hit in the heart of the Charger line up this season, finishing second in the conference with a batting average of .422 in league play. Elkins recorded 19 hits on the year, including 14 singles and five doubles to go with 12 RBIs and 12 runs scored. Elkins also drew 11 walks compared to only two strikeouts while also stealing four bases without being caught. Elkins was no slouch on the defensive side of the ball either, recording 129 putouts and four assists in 134 chances with only one error for a fielding percentage of .993.

Wagley spent another season as one of the best catchers in the league, earning All-Conference honors for yet another season. Wagley finished the season battling .395 at the plate in Big 8 play for the Chargers with 17 total hits, recording 12 singles, four doubles and one home run with 12 RBIs and two runs scored. Wagley also drew 10 walks compared to just six strikeouts in Big 8 play. Wagley also played solid defense for the Chargers, recording 102 putouts and seven assists in 112 chances with only three errors for a fielding percentage of .973 behind the plate. Wagley also threw out the third most runners attempting to steal a base in the conference with four.

Rounding out Union City’s First Team honorees was junior Ryan Zweng. Zweng was a leader at the plate, in the field and on the mound for the Chargers, finishing near the top of each category in the conference. Zweng finished the season batting .409 in league play, recording 18 hits with 10 singles, seven doubles and one home run with 19 RBIs and 13 runs scored. Zweng also served as the ace of the Charger pitching staff, starting seven games, going 2-2 on the mound with an ERA of 3.231. Zweng allowed 22 hits and 26 runs, 16 earned, in 34.2 innings pitched while striking out 53 batters, the second most in the Big 8, compared to only 25 walks. Defensively the junior jack-of-all trades recorded 15 putouts and 21 assists in 41 chances with only five errors for a fielding percentage of .878.

Joining the five Branch County athletes with All Conference First Team honors was Carter Harris and Alex Miller of Homer; Drew Bradley, Devan Herendeen and Tyler Schofield of Jonesville; and Landen Clabaugh of Reading.

Big 8 All Conference Honorable Mention 

Eight total athletes from Branch County also earned Big 8 All Conference Honorable Mention honors, including three Bronson Vikings, two Quincy Orioles and three Union City Chargers.

Bronson Vikings 

Representing the Vikings with Big 8 All Conference Honorable Mention honors was James Jourdan, Owen Kimmons and Carson Stevens.

Jourdan played in 14 league games for the Vikings, hitting .333 at the plate with 14 hits, including 12 singles and two doubles with 12 RBIs and six runs scored. Jourdan saw some time on the mound for the Vikings, appearing in eight conference games, throwing 18.1 innings. Jourdan finished with a record of 0-3 but did record one save while allowing 17 hits, 22 runs, only 12 earned, with 21 strikeouts and 18 walks.

Kimmons finished the season batting .279 at the plate for the Vikings in league play, recording 12 singles in 43 at-bats with six RBis and eight runs scored. Kimmons was also solid on defense, recording 18 putouts and 20 assists in 39 chances with only one error for a fielding percentage of .974.

Stevens played in nine Big 8 games this season, finishing with a batting average of .286 with six hits, including five singles and a double with two RBIs and three runs scored. Perhaps Stevens' largest contribution to the Vikings Big 8 season came on the mound where he appeared in eight games, throwing 33.1 innings in six starts, finishing with a record of 2-3 in the conference with an ERA of 2.52. Stevens allowed only 22 hits in those 33.1 innings, giving up 19 runs, only 12 earned, with 32 strikeouts and 18 walks. Stevens was no slouch in the field either, recording 29 putouts and five assists in 34 chances with no errors and three double plays for a perfect fielding percentage of 1.000.

Quincy Orioles 

The Quincy Orioles had two student-athletes earn Big 8 Honorable Mention honors in catcher Grant Holroyd and outfielder Riley Miner.

Holroyd, a junior, earned Honorable Mention honors this season to go along with All District honors. Holroyd finished the year once again as one of the best catchers in the conference, both at the plate and behind it. Holroyd finished among the best in the conference in hits inside conference play with 11, including 8 singles and three doubles with an on-base percentage of .438 to go with eight RBIs. Behind the plate there was no one better in the conference in catching runners attempting to steal as Holroyd threw out 12 base runners in conference play, double that of the second place catcher. Holroyd will return next year as a captain for the Oriole squad.

Miner, a senior, battled injuries throughout the season and finished with 10 runs scored and on-base percentage of .500 for a solid senior season. Miner will be playing baseball at the college level next season, having signed his letter of intent to play at Glen Oaks Community College along with teammates Brady Mescher and Hunter Tinervia.

Union City Chargers 

The Union City Chargers had three student-athletes earn All Conference Honorable Mention honors as seniors Jakob Fosmore and Luke Watson were joined by junior Owen Jackson.

Fosmore held down several infield positions for Union City this season, playing in all 14 conference games. Fosmore finished the Big 8 campaign with a batting average of .286 after recording eight hits in 28 chances, with all eight hits coming as singles. Fosmore added six RBis and five runs scored to go with nine walks drawn.

Watson quickly took over a starting role in his senior season, not only holding down a spot in the outfield but serving as the Chargers number two starter on the mound. Watson earned his All-Conference honors thanks to his work on the mound where he made seven starts in Big 8 play, throwing 28.1 innings while putting together a record of 4-1 in the conference with an ERA of 2.718. Watson was a force on the mound, allowing 33 hits and 20 runs, only 11 of which were earned, with 20 strikeouts.

Jackson was a key member of the Charger attack all season long, serving as the team's leadoff hitter while also patrolling spacious centerfield at Alumni Field. Jackson finished Big 8 play batting .405 at the plate, third on the team inside the conference. Jackson recorded 17 hits in 42 at-bats, with 13 singles, three doubles and one triple to go along with 11 RBIs and 18 runs scored. Jackson also led the team in stolen bases with eight.

Joining the eight Branch County athletes with Big 8 All Conference Honorable Mention honors was Isaac Waldron and Lewis Fritz of Concord; Brock Butler and Kane Blatter of Homer; Bradley Wright and Jaxson Phifer of Jonesville; Brysen Schaffer of Reading; and Gibson Overweg of Springport.

Congratulations once again goes out to all those student-athletes who earned Big 8 All Conference Baseball honors for the 2023 season.

This article originally appeared on Coldwater Daily Reporter: Meet the Big 8 All Conference Baseball team; Quincy's Mescher voted MVP