Petoskey baseball continues to learn along the way in eight-game win streak
PETOSKEY — There’s still quite a bit Petoskey baseball coach Shawn Racignol has to figure out with his 2024 group.
That’s both exciting and frustrating all at once. And, that’s a lot of how the Northmen have played this season.
On Thursday at Turcott Field in Petoskey, the Northmen displayed that same kind of play – while adding to an impressive early season win streak.
After winning a pair over Sault Ste. Marie Tuesday, playing from a deficit in each game, Petoskey did exactly the same against Ogemaw Heights.
“We do have a young team and it’s early, but you’re not going to hear excuses from me or any of our players or anyone in our program,” Racignol said. “No excuses, no explanations. We just have to trust our training a bit more, stick to a plan at the plate a bit better. Not that we’re not doing it, it just needs to be more consistent.”
Wait. This is a Petoskey (8-2) team that’s won eight straight and earned wins of 9-4 and 8-2 Thursday against the Falcons, right?
Well, that just speaks to the expectations of this program.
They trailed 2-0 against the Blue Devils Tuesday to start the series, before winning that one 7-2. They then needed three runs in the bottom of the sixth to earn a 3-2 walk-off win in game two.
Thursday, Ogemaw pulled in a 1-0 lead early in both games, before Petoskey responded.
But, at least there’s been a response with their back up against the wall in games.
“That has been a really good indicator of a team that wants to fight to the end,” Racignol said. “We’ve had those teams in the past and recent history, we’ve had a lot of those teams. I think that’s just part of our culture. We’re going to play the full game. I’m glad they’ve bought into that philosophy.”
More: Busy day around PHS campus brings wins all around
More: Petoskey soccer adds fourth straight shutout, open BNC on win
In both games against Ogemaw, it was the bats that eventually picked things up across each game, with a combined 17 hits.
Kam Horn continued to swing a hot bat, collecting a 2 for 3 opener with an RBI, while Lucas O’Donnell went 2 for 3 and Ely Pethers doubled and drove in three. Ben Lansing also earned the pitching win with five strikeouts.
In the nightcap, Haden Janes and Barrett Elliott each drove in a pair, Pethers doubled in a run and Tyler Goeldel went 2 for 2 with an RBI.
“We’re getting quality at bats, it’s just needed to be more consistently one through nine,” added Racignol. “It’s our expectation. It’s still early and it’ll come. It’s on the coaching staff, myself being the leader of it, to make sure that we start doing that more often.”
The wins are certainly a good thing, but there’s no doubt the 2024 team remains a work in progress to reach beyond the district and regional their goals are set at.
More: Boyne City softball showing they've got each other as 2024 gets going
There’s opportunity ahead to continue working on just that and Racignol feels good about the willingness of this team to do so.
“The energy has been good, the effort has been outstanding,” he said. “You can see how we get down the first base line how these kids want it. Those are fun groups to work with when you get chances to practice.”
Contact or send game stats/info to Sports Editor Drew Kochanny at dkochanny@petoskeynews.com. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @DrewKochanny, and Instagram, @drewkochanny
This article originally appeared on The Petoskey News-Review: Petoskey baseball sweeps over Ogemaw Heights for eighth straight win
