A look at the Lenawee County baseball season
Last baseball season was a memorable one in Lenawee County as Adrian won the SEC White, district and regional titles before falling in the quarterfinal.
Hudson also won a district title while Clinton the always brutal LCAA, battling with the likes of Onsted, Blissfield and the rest of the league.
This season looks to be even more loaded on the diamond. Take a look for yourself:
Preseason Player of the Year Vote
ADDISON
Head coach: Richard Gramm, 14th season
Outlook: The Panthers have steadily improved the last few seasons and made the district final last spring where they fell to Concord, 5-0. Addison had one of the top pitchers in the county in First-Team selection Drew Spink, who will return for his senior season.
Road to Regional: Division 4, District 118 at Concord against Concord, East Jackson, Litchfield, Vandercook Lake
ADRIAN
Head coach: Kyle Johnson, 4th season
Outlook: The Maples are a legit contender to make it to Michigan State for the state semifinal and championship with a plethora of returning talent from last season's run to the quarterfinals. Adrian begins the season ranked No. 4 in Division 2 led by senior Sean Parker (Lenawee County Pitcher of the Year) and is joined by fellow First-Teamers junior Solomon Hiatt (P/INF) and junior Tyler Bruggeman (OF), second team honorees, sophomore (P/Utility) Julius Robichaud, senior catcher DJ Ott, junior (P/INF) Joelden Griffin and senior (OF/P) Tristan Hayes.
Road to Regional: Division 2, District 50 at Dundee against Dundee, Milan, Tecumseh
BLISSFIELD
Head coach: Eric Schmidt, 3rd season
Outlook: The Royals are an established contender in the LCAA and will have the returners to compete once again in the baseball heavy league. All-County honorable mentions, senior Jack Deatrick and junior Blake Iffland will bring the experience while other returns will look to improve and newcomers develop in the roles.
Road to Regional: Division 3, District 86 at home vs. Madison, Erie Mason, Ida, Whiteford
BRITTON DEERFIELD
Head coach: Andrew Clark, 11th season
Outlook: The Patriots made it to the district final a season ago and returns pretty much the entire squad as they'll look to compete for a TCC title along with the postseason. Junior Keegan Bush was an All-County Second Team honoree while senior Jan Maikel-Munoz and junior Ryan Good were honorable mention selections.
Road to Regional: Division 4, District 120 at Lenawee Christian vs. Lenawee Christian, Morenci, Summerfield
CLINTON
Head coach: Joe Gillies, 6th season
Outlook: Clinton had one of the top teams in the state, but the season got cut short with a tough loss to Onsted in a brutal district matchup. The Redwolves are ranked No. 3 in Division 3 to start the season with the likes of First Team All-County junior (P/INF) Jalen Stelzer, junior Andy Fair and senior Nik Shadley back on the diamond.
Road to Regional: Division 3, District 88 at Concordia Ann Arbor vs. Ann Arbor Greenhills, Brighton Charyl Stockwell Prep, Manchester
HUDSON
Head coach: Jeremy Beal, 19th season
Outlook: The Tigers have consistently been a tough team in the LCAA and it's shown with postseason success the past few seasons, including a district title against the likes of Clinton and Onsted. Hudson did graduate a number of seniors last season, so returning All-County Second-Teamer, senior (OF) KJ Walker, will bring the experience to the lineup.
Road to Regional: Division 3, District 85 at Onsted vs. Onsted, Columbia Central, Hillsdale, Sand Creek
LENAWEE CHRISTIAN
Head coach: Jamie Beach, 1st season
Outlook: First year head coach Jamie Beach will look to reignite the Cougars baseball squad, which have faced some down seasons the last few seasons. Senior Blake Dragowski is one of LCS' top returners as he'll look to have a strong final season.
Road to Regional: Division 4, District 120 at home vs. Britton Deerfield, Morenci, Summerfield
MADISON
Head coach: Chris Dubbs, 14th season
Outlook: The Trojans move to the loaded LCAA, but bring a strong team to compete with the likes of Clinton, Onsted and Blissfield. Senior Miles Frank is veteran on the mound, earning First Team All-County honors along with senior (Utility) Nolan Matthews. Madison sophomores Brian Dopp and Cam Barber are back after earning honorable mentions along with junior Xavier Rodriguez.
Road to Regional: Division 3, District 86 at Blissfield vs. Blissfield, Erie Mason, Ida, Whiteford
MORENCI
Head coach: Steve Hartman, 3rd season
Outlook: The Bulldogs will look to start the turn upward as they battle in the TCC. Junior Wyatt Stevens is Morenci's lone returning All-County selection as an honorable mention.
Road to Regional: Division 4, District 120 at Lenawee Christian vs. Lenawee Christian, Britton Deerfield, Summerfield
ONSTED
Head coach: Holden Branch, First season
Outlook: Matt Randall certainly didn't leave the cupboards bare for new head coach Holden Branch. The Wildcats start the season No. 6 in Division 3 with junior Xavier Gibbs returning as an All-County First Team pitcher while Second-Teamers senior (P/OF) Quinn Hiram, junior (C) Luke Manders and junior (P/Util) JT Hill are all back as well.
Road to Regional: Division 3, District 85 at home vs. Columbia Central, Hillsdale, Hudson, Sand Creek
SAND CREEK
Head coach: Wayne Perry, 8th season
Outlook: The Aggies will look to compete toward to the top of the TCC with a number of returning All-County members. Sophomore (utility) Ivan Wilkinson will look to build on a strong freshman season while seniors Carson Preston, Jordan Illendan and Jacob Schamberger are back after getting honorable mention nods.
Road to Regional: Division 3, District 85 at Onsted vs. Onsted, Columbia Central, Hillsdale, Hudson
TECUMSEH
Head coach: Tom Bullinger, 17th season
Outlook: Tecumseh produces quality teams year in and year out and while last season might have felt like a down year with no SEC White title or district title, Tecumseh was in the mix until the end. Tecumseh will have to look to some newcomers to keep up with rival Adrian after graduating a bulk of the team. Senior Max Bledsoe will lead the way as an All-County Second Team honoree.
Road to Regional: Division 2, District 50 at Dundee vs. Dundee, Adrian, Milan
This article originally appeared on The Daily Telegram: Lenawee County high school baseball season
