Who are the top 5 baseball players in Livingston County entering 2024?
Preseason top-five lists are usually populated with seniors, particularly in sports like baseball.
However, the list of top players in Livingston County entering 2024 could look very similar in 2025, with four underclassmen in the five spots.
Howell’s Nick Hoorn, Hartland’s Michael Zielinski and Pinckney’s Nolan Carruthers had outstanding seasons as sophomores. Howell’s Danny Hampton was in a class of his own, becoming one of the county’s best players as a freshman.
While these five players have been selected by the Livingston Daily as the best in the county entering the season, the list could be completely different by season’s end as unheralded players emerge.
Baseball season will begin for some county teams Wednesday, weather permitting.
HS BASEBALL: What's the outlook for Livingston County teams in 2024?
1. Nick Hoorn
► School: Howell
► Class: Junior
► Position: Pitcher, shortstop
► Accomplishments: Hoorn made a huge impact for Howell on the mound, in the field and at the plate in 2023. He will be the team’s ace after going 8-0 with a 1.24 earned run average last season. Hoorn was sixth in the county with a .370 batting average and third with 29 RBIs.
► Coach Matt Hunt: “Nick Hoorn’s very mature for his age, very composed. He’s a very good baseball player all around. He’s a great tool to have. He helps us in all facets of the game. As a team, we’ll try to take a load off his shoulders, but he gives us a lot.”
2. Michael Zielinski
► School: Hartland
► Class: Junior
► Positions: Pitcher, center fielder
► Accomplishments: Zielinski enters his third varsity season as the team MVP from a squad that was senior-laden in 2023. He pitched Hartland to a victory in the regional semifinals and will be counted on heavily on the mound following the graduation of three strong pitchers. Zielinski went 3-1 with a 2.15 ERA while hitting a team-high .326. He will be eased into pitching early in the season after recovering from an arm injury.
► Coach Brad Guenther: “He needs to be healthy. We’ll probably be building him up early where he may not be perfectly seasoned like some of those seniors were last year the first week or whatever it was. He might be peaking a little more toward the end of the year. We’ll be counting on him for those big-game matchups.”
3. Braeden Chiles
► School: Brighton
► Class: Senior
► Positions: Pitcher, first base
► Accomplishments: Chiles will be integral to Brighton’s success in his final year of competitive baseball. He will kick for Hillsdale College’s football team after making all-state. If he chose to play baseball, colleges would certainly be interested. He was 6-3 with a 2.36 ERA last year, hitting .297 with 24 RBIs and a county-high seven home runs.
► Coach Charlie Christner: “I expect him to be our No. 1 pitcher and hitting right in the middle of our lineup. He’s as locked in and focused a kid as I’ve coached. I’m not really worried about the fact his future may be kicking a football. He’s gonna give us everything he’s got every game, every practice.”
4. Danny Hampton
► School: Howell
► Class: Sophomore
► Positions: Second baseman, outfielder
► Accomplishments: After becoming a rare freshman all-county selection, Hampton has a chance to blossom into something special over the next three seasons. He was Howell’s third-leading hitter with a .344 average last year while starting as a middle infielder. He drove in 20 runs, scored 37 and had 12 doubles.
► Coach Matt Hunt: “He’s a great athlete. His bat will play at any level. I’m looking to try him in the outfield. He’s gonna be a three, four hitter for us and drive some runs in.”
5. Nolan Carruthers
► School: Pinckney
► Class: Junior
► Position: Center fielder
► Accomplishments: The speed that has made Carruthers a dangerous threat as a wide receiver makes him just as impactful on a baseball field. Carruthers led the county with 34 stolen bases last season and covered a lot of ground in center field. He was fourth with 30 runs and showed some power with two homers.
► Coach Bill Cortez: “His baseball IQ and his awareness on the field are second to none. He stole 34 bags last year. We’ve got a goal for him of 50 bags this year. We’ll see if he gets there. He’s super valuable. In center field, he’s fast. Not only that, he gets a great read, a great jump. He’s always communicating. He’s just a fantastic kid.”
Contact Bill Khan at wkhan@gannett.com. Follow him on X @BillKhan
This article originally appeared on Livingston Daily: Who are the top 5 baseball players in Livingston County entering 2024?
