Advertisement

The Pioneer senior concluded an outstanding high school career, not only in baseball, but also in football and basketball during the 2006-07 school year. Grundman was named an MVP in the Blue Water Area Conference in all three sports.

This spring, he led Cros-Lex to a share of the BWAC baseball title with an ironman performance on the mound. Grundman, a rangy 6'5" right-hander, owned a 9-3 record, with most decisions coming in BWAC play, and a 1.02 ERA. In 82 1/3 innings this year, he struck out 101 batters and walked just 23. He was also one of C-L's top hitters, finishing with a .320 average with two home runs and 13 RBI.

"He was and Thursday like that, and I've had a lot of good pitchers," praised Coach Rick Patterson. "He has pretty good command of his fast ball, his curve is pretty good and his cut fast ball works well. He has a great arm that's in terrific shape. He has a strong arm and a big heart."

Junior Andre Sanson will lead a strong returning pitching staff at Brown City next season. The Green Devil junior emerged on the mound this spring to finish with a 5-2 record with a 1.05 ERA. Sanson fanned 52 batters in 42 innings. Offensively, he had a .392 On-Base Average and led the team in runs scored with 15.

"He has great control. He set's up his pitches well and comes in with a curve ball. He has one of the better curve balls," added Coach Lowe. "He's a good bunter - he got everyone down we asked for. Next year, he'll play shortstop, too, and I don't think we'll be missing anything there."

In front of most good pitchers is usually a reliable catcher. The Pioneers of Cros-Lex had a good one this season in Zach Fabian. The junior progressed behind the plate in his second varsity season and also added some pop in the batting line-up, turning in a .298 average this spring.

Patterson commented, "He's a tough, solid kid back there. He can block the ball well and is arm is pretty good. He calls most of the pitches now - last year I wouldn't let him."

It was a stellar spring for Brown City's Jeremy Burgess, a hard-nosed, three-sport star. The Green Devil senior delivered at the plate and on defense at first base. He finished the season with a .400 BA, scoring 13 runs and driving in 12.

"He really improved his hitting. He batted .250 last year. And, defensively, he's one of the best first baseman I've had," noted BC coach Curt Lowe. "He was our captain and a great leader. He's a kid that I wish all others were like him. Everything asked of him, he would do for you."

Matt Quintano may be slight in build, but was one of most prolific hitters around in three years on the CPS varsity. The Tiger senior broke the school record for hits in a career this season, finishing with a total of 108. This season, Quintano batted .393 with five doubles, two triples and a home run and also collected 20 RBI. His On-Base Average was .559. He also pitched well for CPS, going 7-3 with a 2.74 ERA and fanning 78 in nearly 59 innings of work.

"He's a good contact hitter and an all-around good baseball player," lauded CPS coach Dave VanDyke. "Defensively, he was our best player. He played shortstop and even caught. For his size,, he hit ropes, he was a good hitter."

Justin Walls solidified a good defensive infield for Cros-Lex at the second base position. Along with a good glove, the junior batted .328 with seven RBI, six doubles and six stolen bases. Walls was also C-L's No. 2 pitcher.

"He would be what I would describe as a complete player, he lives and breathes baseball. He Ôs just into the game constantly. He knows everything that's going on - he's that type of kid."

Not many sophomores land on the All-County team, but Cameron Barrett prodded that with his speed and defense. The Cros-Lex shortstop was the team's lead-off hitter. Although, he batted just .240, Barrett had a high on-base percentage and finished with a team-high 17 runs scored and stole nine bases.

Patterson spoke of Barrett. "He's a real solid shortstop. He made very few errors. He also scored 17 runs for us, so for a team that did not score a lot of runs, that was quite a bit."

While the Peck Pirates are still rebuilding their baseball program, senior Michael Pries did turn in a standout performance this past spring. Not only was Pries excellent defensively at third all year and very steady at the plate, he was also the leader Coach Chuck Mahaffy was seeking. Pries batted .352 and a .592 On-Base Average with a team-high 20 walks. He also had 12 RBI and scored 14 runs.

"He was outstanding at third base and he hit real well," said Coach Mahaffy. He meant an awful lot to us and pitched when we needed it. He's just a good sportsman out there and kept the team fired up."

After missing varsity play a year ago with an injury, Ricky Bailey developed into a strong lead-off hitter for Brown City. The speedy senior outfielder batted .407 and led the team in stolen bases and also scored 12 runs.

Coach Lowe commented on Bailey: "About a quarter of the way through the season he became our lead-off hitter and he filled the role well. He has great speed. What impressed me is that I didn't know what we had in him with a year out of the line-up."

Chais Fleming brought some natural athletic ability to the CPS line-up. The 6'3" senior primarily was a strong outfielder but also played shortstop and did some pitching. At the plate he collected 29 hits this year including nine doubles and one home run, and finished with a .377 average.

Coach VanDyke spoke of Fleming's ability. "He's just an all-around, good athlete. Basketball is his sport, but he's always been a good baseball layer, too. Once he's in between the lines, he's all business."

In a season of developing a lot of younger players, Coach Mike Stoliker of Sandusky had a nice lift from sophomore outfielder Bernie Marx. He did play a couple of other defensive positions, but the outfield was his best. At the plate he came through with a team-high .360 batting average, including two triples and six doubles.

"I really never saw him play before, so he came out of nowhere this year. He's just a very, very good ball player," complimented Coach Stoliker. "He only had eight stolen bases, but if he had more opportunities, because we were behind too often, he would have had a lot more. He did pitch some and did a nice job. He's just a good all-around player."

Selected as a Designated Hitter on the All-County Team is Marlette's Andy Brown. The Red Raider senior played shortstop and did some pitching this season, but his biggest impact came at the plate. Brown led the team in hitting with a .366 BA. Among his team-high 26 hits were a pair of home runs and he drove in 17 runs. Brown also led the team in stolen bases with 16.

Coach Steve Schaub of the Raiders commented: "He's an excellent hitter, just very steady on offense. He was a good leader, who understands the game. He was our team MVP."

Selected as Player-At-Large, Ed Rayba was a hard-luck pitcher for Brown City early in the season. His final numbers, though, matched Sanson, his teammate. The Devil junior, who also plays an outstanding centerfield, was just 2-5 on the mound, but sported an ERA of 2.25 and struck out 55 in just over 45 innings. At the plate, Rayba batted .317. He showed some power with a pair of home runs and five doubles.

Lowe said this about Rayba, "He had good power for a hitter and batted No. 3 all season. He also has great speed in the outfield. As a pitcher, he always faced the other team's No.1. At the beginning of the season he had no run support and I think that frustrated him a bit."

The Sanilac County News has named Rick Patterson of Cros-Lex as Coach of the Year. Patterson, who completed his 13th season as head coach of the Pioneers, directed the team to a 15-6 overall record, an 11-3 mark and a co-championship in the BWAC with pre-season favorite Richmond.

"You go in every year hoping to be somewhere near the top (of the standings). Hopefully, you get some luck along the way and a few breaks," said Patterson. "With mostly juniors playing, I didn't know, really, what to expect.

"But, the kids played solid together and did whatever to win games. You can't ask for more," added Patterson.