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As a hitter, he was C-L's lead-off man and paced the squad in several offensive categories - .429 batting average, .609 on base average, 33 hits, 17 RBI, and 21 stolen bases. He also only struck out six times in 77 official at bats. As a catcher, Fabian did it all, too.

"He's a third-year varsity starter. The biggest thing about him is his work ethic," said C-L coach Mike Holes. "He doesn't allow a ball to get by him. And, it's his feet and hands in the transition to throwing where he is just so quick. Another thing is that he called all the pitches on his own this season" On his hitting ability, Holes added, "He's a guy I knew would get the bat on the ball. And, he's not your typical catcher with his speed."

Ed Rayba was a central figure in Brown City's run to a GTC East co-championship this spring. The Green Devil senior pitcher/outfielder was named the team MVP behind his .425 batting average and his 5-2 record on the mound. When he wasn't pitching, Rayba patrolled center field as well as any around. For the season, offensively, he had 34 hits, including 11 doubles and three homers and finished with an impressive .675 slugging percentage. Rayba also had 29 RBI, scored 28 runs and stole 29 bases. As a hurler, the left-handed thrower had an ERA of 3.07 and fanned 86 batters in just over 56 innings.

"He was one of our senior leaders," said Coach Tom Long of Brown City. "He was solid at the plate and, defensively, in center field he covered a lot of ground. He was also a presence on the mound. He threw hard, has a great breaking ball and a good change-up."

Justin Walls of Cros-Lex was the top pitcher in the county this spring. The Pioneer senior compiled a 7-2 won-lost record with a 2.09 ERA. In nearly 63 innings of work, Walls fanned 68 batters and walked just nine. He also batted .289, drove in 14 runs and scored a team-high 20 runs.

Coach Holes of Cros-Lex commented on Walls: "When he was on the mound, we knew we'd be in every game. He didn't pitch a lot last year, but he worked hard in the summer to get better and to improving his pitches. He throws a cutter, instead of a curve, that got good movement and he throws it hard. There's not too many high school kids that throw a cutter."

Like Fabian of Cros-Lex, Brown City's Kevin Kalbfleisch was a catcher that also had the bat and speed for the leadoff spot in the batting order. The Green Devil sophomore had a team-leading .453 BA with a .640 slugging percentage. Add to that his 24 walks and he possessed an on-base average of .604. He also totaled 29 stolen bases, drove in 23 runs and scored a team-high 35 runs.

Coach Long was equally impressed with his catching abilities. "As a sophomore, he showed a lot of poise, and being a catcher, you have to be a leader. He used his speed as a lead-off hitter and as a catcher, and that was the biggest asset for him."

A terrific all-around athlete for the Pioneers of Cros-Lex this season was Cameron Barrett. The junior, playing in his third varsity season, anchored the infield at shortstop and also saw some pitching duty. Barrett moved to the No. 3 spot in the line-up to make use of Fabian's speed at leadoff. He finished with .321 batting average, but had a slugging percentage of .481. Among his 26 hits were eight doubles, a triple and a home run and he drove in 14 runs. As a pitcher, he had 3-2 record with a 1.98 ERA.

"He was our power hitter," noted Coach Holes. "He really produced at the plate this year, becoming a lot more confident. As a shortstop, he takes charge in the infield. He has a great arm and covers a lot of ground."

Senior Andre Sanson gave Brown City a strong one-two punch in their starting pitching, especially in GTC East play. Sanson and Rayba traded off pitching the first or second game of the twinbills, but Sanson also proved to the team's most valuable reliever. Overall, he had a 6-2 record and also earned a save. Sanson's ERA for the season was 2.01 and he had 49 strikeouts in as many innings of work on the mound. At the plate, he batted .297.

Coach Long lauded Sanson, "He was our savior in a lot of games. Ed and him flip-flopped as our No. 1 or No. 2 starter, but as a reliever he gave us a chance, in games we got behind, to comeback and take a lead. He only gave up nine walks ... his ball-to-strike ratio was outstanding."

The Sandusky baseball program has gained a lot of mileage out of Dave Zambron in three varsity seasons, and he was just a junior this spring. A more than reliable starting pitcher since his freshman season, Zambron was a standout at shortstop, too, this year, plus he turned in best offensive season yet. He led the Redskins in batting average with a .405 mark, also possessing a .459 slugging percentage and .511 on-base average. He led the team in runs scored with 20.

Coach Mike Stoliker commented on Zambron. "He held our infield together. He always talked out there, always communicated. He made sure everyone knew the situation. He made some spectacular plays and has a good, strong arm. Offensively, he was our leading hitter. He did all the little things we asked of him, too. He plays the game the right way."

A two-time All-GTC East outfielder, Deckerville's Tony Santana has come a long way from picking up a bat and putting on a glove for the time ever as a freshman. A tremendous defensive player in center field, he had seven assists this spring. At the plate, he batted .360 overall with an on-base average of .579. Of his 32 hits, three were home runs and two were doubles. Along with a team-high 15 stolen bases, he drove in 17 runs and scored17 times.

Coach Steve Noble praised Santana's play, and more. "He has great speed in the outfield. He has tremendous footwork and can track a ball down. What most impresses me is not his batting or speed, but this kid has solid character."

Combining some defensive prowess at third base and some timely hitting this season was Brown City senior Justin Holsworth, who batted .417, actually led the team in hits with 40 and was second in RBI with 32.

Coach Long liked Holsworth's combination of defense and offense. "He made some really outstanding plays at third base. A lot of coaches would come up to me and tell me what a good third baseman I had." Long added, "He was a force at the plate was our No. 2 hitter. He always put the ball in play."

The Green Devils of BC were blessed with plenty of talent in the line-up, including first baseman Aaron Bullock. The big, senior slugger led the team in RBI with 34. Bullock batted .380, with two homers, including a grand slam, and had a .570 slugging percentage.

"He won our 'Big Stick Award'," mentioned Coach Long of Bullock. "When he hits it, it's solid. He's a line-drive hitter that finds the gaps. He had a lot of big hits for us. He was a commanding presence with his batting and his leadership."

Bernie Marx had been a very good outfielder for Sandusky, but with just 11 players on the varsity team, Coach Stoliker was looking to the future and moved to secure up the defense on the infield by moving him to third early in the season. The Redskin junior continued to be a force at the plate, despite a brief slump. He hit .375 for the season. Among Marx's 30 hits were 10 doubles and a triple, boosting his slugging percentage to .525. The left-handed hitter led the team in RBI with 21 and was perfect in 14 steal attempts.

"He is a very, very good base runner. He had a little bit of slump this year, but he still hit the ball hard. He's a prototypical No. 3 hitter. He always drives the ball up the gap.

Rounding out the All-County First Team as an At Large choice is Marlette's Shawn Monroe. The Red Raider senior was the team's No. 1 catcher, but his baseball abilities went beyond that. Coach Steve Schaub needed to shuffle his line-up at times and moved Monroe to the outfield, shortstop and to the pitcher's mound. Probably Marlette's top pitcher at the end of the year, Monroe was a consistent hitter all season, batting .397. He was mostly a singles hitter, but he did have three doubles and a home run and drove in 10 runs.

"He was our catcher but we had to move him around a lot. He's good player, a heady player, with an excellent arm," said Schaub. "He accepted (playing different positions) as a team leader should."

Named as the Sanilac County News' Coach of the Year is Tom Long of Brown City. After serving seven seasons as the Junior Varsity coach, Long stepped up to varsity this spring and joined players that came up through his younger Devil squads.

Long directed the Green Devils to a GTC East co-championship with a 10-2 record and a 19-9 overall mark.

"The season, for me, was awesome. These boys had success on JV and I followed them up to varsity this year," said Long. "We grew together as a team. I was with these boys more than my family half of the time.

"This season was something really special, even though I felt we could've gone further," Long continued. "Hopefully... the way we practiced, the way they handled themselves and the many moments in the games, they can take with them. As long as they all took something positive out of this season, that's satisfying to me."