Sunday May 20, 2012

By Mike Penn

PBR Michigan visited a bunch of games yesterday.  Here are some quick notes from what we saw with more stories to follow.

Utica Stevenson vs Romeo Notes

Senior John Carlin threw a stellar game for the Stevenson Titans.  The Adrian College commit (for football) appeared to have the stuff to play baseball as well. Carlin sat 80-83 MPH with a curveball with some bite that ranged from 67-69. His change up was around 70 all day.  

For Romeo, junior RHP Derek Staelgraeve pitched well keeping Stevenson off balance for a majority of the day.  Staelgrave sat 78-80 MPH with a low three-quarters arm slot and sweeping slider.  

Romeo had a few more players to follow as well.  Joe Gardner, class of 2014, C, has a good build and his pop time ranged from 2.15-2.25.  Another intriguing athlete was Brian Sorensen.  The 5-foot-10, 175 pound Sorensen played center field with a good arm.

Game two for Stevenson saw Joey Wolf, class of 2014, take the mound.  Wolf is a lean bodied athlete with a quick arm and clearly knows how to pitch.  He threw three pitches for strikes. Certainly he will be one to watch as he matures.  

Other class of 2014 standouts on the day were Zac Maguire, Dean Emanuelle, and Brandon Hughes who all played well.


Brother Rice vs Orchard Lake St. Mary's Notes

Matt Rupenthal threw for the Warriors of Brother Rice.  This highly anticipated matchup was a good one as St. Mary's hung tough all night.  Rupenthal started the game sitting 87-89 but in later innings sat at 84-86. He pitched his seventh complete game in a row.  

Senior Travis Ferguson, who remains unsigned, had a bases clearing double to seal the win for the Warriors. Ferguson displays a strong arm with good speed as he ran a 4.12 home to first from the right side.  


U of D Jesuit and Dearborn Divine Child Notes

Arriving early for the Brother Rice vs St. Mary's game, I was able to catch the tail end of U of D Jesuit and Dearborn Divine Child. T.J. Shook, a recent University of Michigan commit, came on to pitch in relief for Jesuit in their win over Dearborn Divine Child.  Shook threw the ball well as he sat 89-91 with a good slider.

 
Bishop Foley and Royal Oak Shrine Notes

The reports we got about senior Brian Bayliss, Bishop Foley HS, stated that he was outstanding yesterday. Striking out 16 hitters and running his fastball up to 89 MPH.  Bayliss used three pitches well and spotted his fastball consistently.