Players to watch: Gaylord, GSM and JoBurg baseball all return key players in 2024
GAYLORD ― It may be Spring according to the calendar, but the Northern Michigan weather would suggest otherwise.
Those of us around the Northern Lower know the calendar doesn't dictate the season changes; the springtime will come in due time, accompanied by the tangs of metal bats, the cracks of leather gloves and the rest of the sounds accompanied by America's pastime.
It will be baseball season soon enough in Otsego County, but who are the players you should be looking out for when the first pitches are thrown?
Here are the standouts to watch from Gaylord, Gaylord St. Mary and Johannesburg-Lewiston baseball this season:
Gaylord
Tornio Lamerato, outfield
Gaylord had a few key graduates from the 2023 team, but senior Torino Lamerato leads the group of returning players hoping to turn the 2024 Blue Devils into a contender.
Lamerato had a .337 batting average from his leadoff spot last season while drawing a team-high 23 walks. Along with 20 stolen bases and 28 runs scored, Lamerato put together a successful junior season that he looks ready to build on in his final high school baseball season.
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Lucas Green, infield
Green was Gaylord's everyday shortstop as a sophomore in 2023, finishing with a .215 batting average with 18 runs scored and 11 RBI. After getting a year of varsity experience under his belt, he is poised to take a leap this season as one of the go-to guys at the plate and in the field.
Gaylord St. Mary
Dillon Croff, pitcher
The reigning GHT Pitcher of the Year, Croff led the district championship-winning Snowbirds on the mound last season. He had a 5-2 record in his 10 starts while leading the team in innings pitched (49.1 IP) and strikeouts (64 SO). He finished with an ERA of 1.42 while throwing three no-hitters throughout another successful GSM season.
Croff is hoping to find a spot to play college baseball, and another dominant season on the mound would help his cause.
Daniel Jacobson, infield
GSM's Daniel Jacobson was undoubtedly one of the best basketball players in the area this past winter, one of the best football players this past fall and now has a chance to cement himself as one of the best baseball players this spring.
As a sophomore, Jacobson had a .301 AVG with a .474 on-base percentage, 22 hits, 19 RBI and a team-high 43 runs scored. The only real question surrounding DJ is his health; he suffered a broken ankle in a basketball game at Onaway in early February, only to return for the MHSAA district playoffs less than a month later.
Johannesburg-Lewiston
Thomas Fox, infield
Senior Thomas Fox has taken on a bigger role in basically every sport he's played this season, and baseball will likely be no different.
Most of the key players from last year's district runner-ups (Colin Basinski, Rily McVannel, Eli Lindbert) all graduated at the end of the 2023 season, and now Fox leads a somewhat inexperienced group back out to the diamond one final time.
Benny Lindbert, utility
Lindbert only played in three varsity games last season, but he sure made his opportunities count, going 4-for-8 with two doubles, two RBI and four runs scored during the MHSAA district playoff rounds.
Contact GHT Sports Editor Dylan Jespersen at Djespersen@gaylordheraldtimes.com. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @dylanjespersen, and Instagram, @dylanjespersen
This article originally appeared on The Petoskey News-Review: Gaylord, St. Mary and Johannesburg-Lewiston baseball players to watch
