New-look Battle Creek Battle Jacks set to open 2023 season

Some new faces on the field and in the dugout will highlight a new season for the Battle Creek Battle Jacks.

The 2023 season opener is set for Memorial Day at MCCU Field at C.O. Brown Stadium and fans will, for sure, want to grab a scorecard on the way in. It might be needed to identify all the new Battle Jacks.

"Almost an entirely new roster ... only one player coming back. The team and the roster is being built a bit different than what we had last year," said Chris Clark, another relatively new face who is in his first year as the Battle Jacks manager after serving as the team's hitting coach last year.

The Battle Jacks will open against the Kokomo Jackrabbits at 6:35 p.m. on Monday to begin play in the Northwoods League — a summer collegiate baseball league with 23 teams throughout the Midwest.

A former Northwood University standout, Clark is new to being in charge, but he's not new to Battle Creek. Clark also played two years at Kellogg Community College.

Clark is looking to bring a new playing style to the team for 2023.

"Our park plays so big, so we are going to be playing a little bit different than we did last year," Clark said. "We are built more around athleticism, putting more emphasis on speed. We want to hit-and-run, bunt, because that works well at our park. So having a roster that is quicker and faster is good for us."

The Battle Jacks went 35-37 last season under former manager Caleb Lang.

Fisher Pyatt, a first baseman from Central Arizona College, is the only returner for Battle Creek. Beyond that, Clark is looking for breakout performances from a roster full of players new to the Northwoods League.

Clark is excited about a catcher from his alma mater as Blake Salamon will be a key part of the lineup. The senior from Northwoods University has been a starter for three years and set multiple hitting records for the school, including 22 home runs this spring.

Battle Creek is also looking for big things from Kyle Ratliff, who hit .364 as an all-conference player at Lake Michigan College before transferring to Southern Illinois University, as well as Cam Farrar, a double-digit home run hitting junior from the University of Findlay.

The speed is expected to come from new Jacks players like Nikolas Clark from Rock Valley College and Payton Mazzola, a standout last year at Lansing Community College.

Battle Creek's opening day pitcher is new to the franchise, but not new to the area. Taking the mound will be Kameron Haviland, a sophomore from Benedictine University, who previously played at Glen Oaks Community College and is from Bronson.

There is also some excitement around some pitchers coming in from the Kellogg Community College staff, including Gavin Beuter, Kane Elmy and Jacob Spencer.

Another local product on the roster is catcher Cooper Middleton, who played at KCC and is from Marshall.

Highlighting the roster are standouts from Division I schools like the University of Missouri (Brock Daniels), Eastern Michigan (Blake McRae), Central Michigan (Spencer Verburg) and Illinois State University (Ryan Weaver and JT Sokolove), but there is an emphasis on smaller schools, and that is a bit by design.

"That's kind of my background, coming from a small school, so we have a lot of kids from smaller schools," Clark said. "But those kids are the guys who really want to play and be in position to prove something. They are hungry. They are motivated to win and to play hard for the team all season. We had a similar roster last year and we ended up having 12 or 15 guys stay here for all 72 games, and that's good for the team."

Battle Jacks General Manager Denny Smith likes that dynamic on the team, from his head coach and his roster.

"Chris was here last year and played at KCC and really understands what we are doing as an organization and what this team means to Battle Creek," Smith said. "He has a young team and a young staff that are ready to compete and looking to establish themselves as players.

"We are excited about the players coming in this week and our staff is getting the park ready for opening day and we are looking forward to the start of the season."

Contact Bill Broderick at bbroderi@battlecreekenquirer.com. Follow him on Twitter @billbroderick.

This article originally appeared on Battle Creek Enquirer: New-look Battle Creek Battle Jacks set to open 2023 season