Area baseball players to watch in 2023: Another solid wave ahead

NORTHERN MICHIGAN — Typically, talent levels and seasons go in waves in every sport.

You’ll get a group that’s been together for a while at a program or large and driven senior class, then it’ll take a year or so for the teams to build back up with veteran players.

When it comes to baseball around Northern Michigan, there’s no denying the 2022 graduating group was a baseball class.

From Petoskey and Boyne City, to East Jordan and Harbor Springs, a whole lot of baseball talent threw their school’s cap into the air in June.

But, that’s not to say there’s not talent left in their wake that’s either been waiting to break out or already a known star themselves.

Petoskey is coming off a 24-win regional run from a year ago and will need to replace one of those giant senior groups that grew up through the Petoskey system, but there’s a couple of college signees returning and some talented younger guys that have been waiting behind those seniors.

Boyne City was similar to Petoskey in that they too earned a district title a year ago behind a baseball savvy group. They’ll need to replace some big arms on the mound, though they’ll bring back capable bats, speed on the base paths and a new head coach in Ryan Brubaker.

Harbor Springs and East Jordan each had their moments last season and exited the season on narrow losses in the district, while Charlevoix returns perhaps the most veteran group it should also be one of the most motivated as well.

The Rayders put together a 21-4 regular season, then had their bats go cold in a 1-0 loss up against East Jordan to open the postseason, ending a strong campaign. They’ve got the arms and bats to contend for a regional or more this season.

Mackinaw City also put together a strong campaign in the Northern Lakes, finishing the season 15-12-1, though met a tough Rudyard squad once the postseason rolled around. The good news for the Comets is that most of their team will return in 2023.

From the tip of Emmet County all the way down to the bottom of Charlevoix County, here’s a collection of players to watch heading into the 2023 baseball season:

Stephen McGeehan, Petoskey 

McGeehan has been the kind of player willing to play anywhere to see the field over his career and the Northmen have been smart to get him in the lineup everywhere.

He’s played third base, catcher and served as a solid relief pitcher and he’ll be able to do it all again this season.

Now a senior, McGeehan is coming off a season in which he earned All-BNC with a .321 average with 18 RBI and 19 runs, while hitting three homers and four doubles. He logged 75 innings behind the plate and held down a 2.15 ERA as a pitcher.

Patrick Sterrett, Charlevoix 

Sterrett proved to be more than just a standout football player a year ago for the Rayders.

He batted .449 with a team-high 40 hits, while driving in 19 runs and scoring 35. He also proved to have a bat that wasn’t one-dimensional, as he had six doubles, three triples and a homer.

In five starts as a pitcher, Sterrett also held a 1.38 ERA in just over 25 innings.

Ben Reid, East Jordan 

While it was his brother Tommy pulling in most of the headlines last season as a dominant pitcher, Ben was behind the dish bringing those pitches in.

Reid enters his senior season having batted .400 as a junior, driving in 26 runs with seven doubles and a pair of triples.

He also had just five errors in the field with a .980 fielding percentage.

Gavin Hewitt, Boyne City 

There will be a lot of new faces around the Boyne City lineup but Hewitt’s won’t be one of them.

Now a senior, Hewitt has been starting in the outfield since his sophomore season and utilizing his speed all along the way.

He batted .406 with 42 stolen bases a year ago, adding 35 runs scored and 13 driven in. He’ll again be an unfriendly face for opponents atop the Rambler lineup in 2023.

Grant Slater, Petoskey 

With the Northmen in need of an ace a year ago, Slater stepped in to take over the job and did so with a team-high 54.2 innings and seven starts in the book.

He held down a 2.05 ERA with 41 strikeouts, then also added a .302 average at the plate with 26 runs scored and 16 driven in.

Owen Waha, Charlevoix

Waha enjoyed quite the breakout season as a freshman with the Rayders and the future looks even brighter.

As a pitcher, he led Charlevoix with 49.1 innings, seeing the mound in 12 games, while striking out 58 and walking just 10 batters. He also held a 1.85 ERA.

At the plate, Waha then added a .425 average, third best on the team and struck out just three times on the season.

Brady Keiser, Harbor Springs 

Keiser is likely to be looked at to lead a host of new Rams at the varsity level this season, but he’s been around long enough and preformed at a high level to where that shouldn’t be a problem.

As a junior a year ago he batted .316 with 21 RBI and 17 runs scored, then turned in an equally impressive season on the mound, holding a 2.90 ERA over 31.1 innings.

Nick Vieau, Mackinaw City 

The Comets put together another respectable season a year ago and Vieau was one of the bigger bats in the lineup as just a sophomore.

An All-Northern Lakes honoree, Vieau played throughout the field and pitched, while contributing 31 hits at the plate with 25 runs scored and 19 RBI. He also had 10 multi-hit games.

Dawson Carey, East Jordan

The Red Devils have a nice one-two punch with Reid and Carey back in the lineup this season.

Carey put together a strong season in the infield as a junior, finishing with a .337 average and 21 stolen bases. He also drove in 15 runs, scored 34 and showed quite a bit of extra-base pop with 10 doubles, a triple and two homers.

Troy Nickel, Charlevoix 

Another standout returnee for the Rayders this season, Nickel started all 26 games for the Rayders and maintained a .394 batting average.

Speed on the base paths was Nickel’s game and he showed it with 38 swipes and just over a 97 percent success rate. It led to 29 runs scored as well.

In the field, he led the team with a .977 fielding percentage at second base and had just two errors in 87 total chances.

This article originally appeared on The Petoskey News-Review: Area baseball players to watch in 2023: Another solid wave ahead