Unbeaten state champ St. Mary’s baseball named MaxPreps National Champion

Orchard Lake St. Mary's players dog pile to celebrate after the final out as Orchard Lake St. Mary’s faces Grosse Pointe North during the MHSAA Division 1 Baseball Final at MSU’s John H. Kobs Field in East Lansing on Saturday, June 18, 2022

Grosse Pointe North's Brennan Hill (1) runs back to second base as Grosse Pointe North's Cam Schafer (2) slides in and Orchard Lake's Jasen Oliver (14) looks to force an out as Orchard Lake St. Mary’s faces Grosse Pointe North during the MHSAA Division 1 Baseball Final at MSU’s John H. Kobs Field in East Lansing on Saturday, June 18, 2022

Orchard Lake St. Mary's players hold the championship trophy after defeating Grosse Pointe North during the MHSAA Division 1 Baseball Final at MSU’s John H. Kobs Field in East Lansing on Saturday, June 18, 2022

Grosse Pointe North's Parker O’Neill (6) fields the ball as Orchard Lake St. Mary’s faces Grosse Pointe North during the MHSAA Division 1 Baseball Final at MSU’s John H. Kobs Field in East Lansing on Saturday, June 18, 2022

Grosse Pointe North's James MacAuley (25) celebrates after stealing third base as Orchard Lake St. Mary’s faces Grosse Pointe North during the MHSAA Division 1 Baseball Final at MSU’s John H. Kobs Field in East Lansing on Saturday, June 18, 2022

Grosse Pointe North's James MacAuley (25) celebrates after stealing third base as Orchard Lake St. Mary’s faces Grosse Pointe North during the MHSAA Division 1 Baseball Final at MSU’s John H. Kobs Field in East Lansing on Saturday, June 18, 2022.

Grosse Pointe North's Drew Hill (8) fist-bumps a first base coach after safely making it to first as Orchard Lake St. Mary’s faces Grosse Pointe North during the MHSAA Division 1 Baseball Final at MSU’s John H. Kobs Field in East Lansing on Saturday, June 18, 2022

Grosse Pointe North's James MacAuley (25) runs for third base as Orchard Lake St. Mary’s faces Grosse Pointe North during the MHSAA Division 1 Baseball Final at MSU’s John H. Kobs Field in East Lansing on Saturday, June 18, 2022

Orchard Lake St. Mary's Jasen Oliver (14) pitches as Orchard Lake St. Mary’s faces Grosse Pointe North during the MHSAA Division 1 Baseball Final at MSU’s John H. Kobs Field in East Lansing on Saturday, June 18, 2022

Orchard Lake St. Mary's Nolan Schubart (30) is hit by a pitch as Orchard Lake St. Mary’s faces Grosse Pointe North during the MHSAA Division 1 Baseball Final at MSU’s John H. Kobs Field in East Lansing on Saturday, June 18, 2022

Orchard Lake St. Mary's player Ciaran Caughey (12) pitches as Orchard Lake St. Mary’s faces Grosse Pointe North during the MHSAA Division 1 Baseball Final at MSU’s John H. Kobs Field in East Lansing on Saturday, June 18, 2022

Orchard Lake St. Mary's player Jack Crighton (5) reacts after safely making it to first as Orchard Lake St. Mary’s faces Grosse Pointe North during the MHSAA Division 1 Baseball Final at MSU’s John H. Kobs Field in East Lansing on Saturday, June 18, 2022

Orchard Lake's Blake Grimmer (13) and Orchard Lake's Jasen Oliver (14) celebrate after the final out as Orchard Lake St. Mary’s faces Grosse Pointe North during the MHSAA Division 1 Baseball Final at MSU’s John H. Kobs Field in East Lansing on Saturday, June 18, 2022

Grosse Pointe North's Jordan Arseneau (23) catches a fly ball as Orchard Lake St. Mary’s faces Grosse Pointe North during the MHSAA Division 1 Baseball Final at MSU’s John H. Kobs Field in East Lansing on Saturday, June 18, 2022

Grosse Pointe North's Jake Tedesco (11) reacts after being called safe as Orchard Lake St. Mary’s faces Grosse Pointe North during the MHSAA Division 1 Baseball Final at MSU’s John H. Kobs Field in East Lansing on Saturday, June 18, 2022

Orchard Lake St. Mary's player Ryan McKay (3) catches a fly ball as Orchard Lake St. Mary’s faces Grosse Pointe North during the MHSAA Division 1 Baseball Final at MSU’s John H. Kobs Field in East Lansing on Saturday, June 18, 2022

Grosse Pointe North's James MacAuley (25) reacts after being called out as Orchard Lake St. Mary’s faces Grosse Pointe North during the MHSAA Division 1 Baseball Final at MSU’s John H. Kobs Field in East Lansing on Saturday, June 18, 2022

Orchard Lake St. Mary's player Ike Irish (18) bats as Orchard Lake St. Mary’s faces Grosse Pointe North during the MHSAA Division 1 Baseball Final at MSU’s John H. Kobs Field in East Lansing on Saturday, June 18, 2022

Orchard Lake St. Mary's player Nolan Schubart (30) takes a walk as Orchard Lake St. Mary’s faces Grosse Pointe North during the MHSAA Division 1 Baseball Final at MSU’s John H. Kobs Field in East Lansing on Saturday, June 18, 2022

Orchard Lake St. Mary's player Jake Dresselhouse (4) reacts to an inside pitch as Orchard Lake St. Mary’s faces Grosse Pointe North during the MHSAA Division 1 Baseball Final at MSU’s John H. Kobs Field in East Lansing on Saturday, June 18, 2022

Orchard Lake St. Mary's player Jack Crighton (5) fields the ball as Orchard Lake St. Mary’s faces Grosse Pointe North during the MHSAA Division 1 Baseball Final at MSU’s John H. Kobs Field in East Lansing on Saturday, June 18, 2022

Orchard Lake St. Mary's player Blake Grimmer (13) and Orchard Lake's Jasen Oliver (14) celebrate after the final out as Orchard Lake St. Mary’s faces Grosse Pointe North during the MHSAA Division 1 Baseball Final at MSU’s John H. Kobs Field in East Lansing on Saturday, June 18, 2022

Grosse Pointe North's Parker O’Neill (6) bats as Orchard Lake St. Mary’s faces Grosse Pointe North during the MHSAA Division 1 Baseball Final at MSU’s John H. Kobs Field in East Lansing on Saturday, June 18, 2022

Orchard Lake St. Mary's player Jake Dresselhouse (4) bats as Orchard Lake St. Mary’s faces Grosse Pointe North during the MHSAA Division 1 Baseball Final at MSU’s John H. Kobs Field in East Lansing on Saturday, June 18, 2022

Orchard Lake St. Mary's Ryan Sommer (25) holds a cannon made from Gatorade cups in the dugout as Orchard Lake St. Mary’s faces Grosse Pointe North during the MHSAA Division 1 Baseball Final at MSU’s John H. Kobs Field in East Lansing on Saturday, June 18, 2022

Grosse Pointe North's Drew Hill (8) bats as Orchard Lake St. Mary’s faces Grosse Pointe North during the MHSAA Division 1 Baseball Final at MSU’s John H. Kobs Field in East Lansing on Saturday, June 18, 2022

Orchard Lake St. Mary's Brock Porter (10) bats as Orchard Lake St. Mary’s faces Grosse Pointe North during the MHSAA Division 1 Baseball Final at MSU’s John H. Kobs Field in East Lansing on Saturday, June 18, 2022

Orchard Lake St. Mary's players dog pile to celebrate after the final out as Orchard Lake St. Mary’s faces Grosse Pointe North during the MHSAA Division 1 Baseball Final at MSU’s John H. Kobs Field in East Lansing on Saturday, June 18, 2022

Orchard Lake St. Mary's players celebrate after the final out as Orchard Lake St. Mary’s faces Grosse Pointe North during the MHSAA Division 1 Baseball Final at MSU’s John H. Kobs Field in East Lansing on Saturday, June 18, 2022

Orchard Lake St. Mary's players celebrate after defeating Grosse Pointe North during the MHSAA Division 1 Baseball Final at MSU’s John H. Kobs Field in East Lansing on Saturday, June 18, 2022

Grosse Pointe North head coach Kevin Shubnell is called onstage to honor his team after their loss to Orchard Lake St. Mary’s during the MHSAA Division 1 Baseball Final at MSU’s John H. Kobs Field in East Lansing on Saturday, June 18, 2022

Orchard Lake St. Mary’s players hoist the championship trophy after their win over Grosse Pointe North during the MHSAA Division 1 Baseball Final at MSU’s John H. Kobs Field in East Lansing on Saturday, June 18, 2022

Orchard Lake St. Mary’s players hoist the championship trophy after their win over Grosse Pointe North during the MHSAA Division 1 Baseball Final at MSU’s John H. Kobs Field in East Lansing on Saturday, June 18, 2022

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The Orchard Lake St. Mary’s baseball team cemented itself as the best in Michigan when it completed its 44-0 season with a 1-0 victory over Grosse Pointe North in the Division 1 state finals last Saturday.

This week, it cemented itself as the top team in the nation as the high school sports website MaxPreps named St. Mary’s it’s 2022 National Champion.

According to MaxPreps Kevin Askeland, St. Mary’s was ranked No. 1 in the MaxPreps Top 25 rankings for the entire season.

“In earning the MaxPreps Top 25 National Championship, St. Mary’s Prep registered several firsts,” Askeland wrote. “It became the first Michigan school since national baseball rankings began in 1976 to finish No. 1. The Eaglets also became the first team to go wire-to-wire as the top team in the country and their 44-0 record also ranks as the best record ever for a national championship team.”

St. Mary’s owned arguably the most prolific roster in state history, with a majority of its players owning NCAA Division I scholarship offers. Senior pitcher Brock Porter was named the Gatorade National Player of the Year -- just the second player from Michigan to earn the honor -- while the Eaglets set the state’s single-season record for wins, eclipsing the 43 wins earned by Ann Arbor Gabriel Richard (43-3) in 2010, Midland Dow in 1997, and Harper Woods Bishop Gallagher (43-6) in 1985.

“I think this is the best team I’ve ever played on,” Porter said after winning a state title. “This is the best team that any of these guys have ever played on. The brotherhood we have here and the brotherhood we carry on to the younger kids, especially from our seniors, it’s absolutely amazing.”

St. Mary’s won state titles in Division 2 in 2019 and 2021 and missed the chance to win in 2020 when COVID-19 canceled the spring sports season. Moving up a division this year, St. Mary’s became the first Division 1 team to go undefeated in a season.

St. Mary’s players knew after taking care of business in the Division 1 championship game, a national title was a guarantee. Senior pitcher Ciaran Caughey was the winning pitcher in the title game and expressed is excitement of being a national champion.

“We tried not to let it affect us the whole season,” Caughey said. “But now that we’re here, we can kind of look back and say, ‘Wow, we really did that’ and really take it in. I know in 10-20 years, I’m going to be telling everyone about it. Everyone will know I’m a national champion, don’t worry.”

MORE

St. Mary’s baseball cements legacy with perfect 44-0 record and D1 title

St. Mary’s ace Brock Porter adds MHSBCA’s Mr. Baseball award to his legacy

Brock Porter named Gatorade Michigan Baseball Player of the Year for 2022

Orchard Lake St. Mary’s baseball advances to D1 semifinals with 42-0 record

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Brock Porter’s no-hitter spearheads St. Mary’s baseball to dominant mercy sweep of Brother Rice

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