Charlevoix, Petoskey baseball showing ready for conference races, postseason ahead

Note: Check back for a gallery from Saturday's games in Petoskey.

PETOSKEY — The Charlevoix and Petoskey baseball teams showed a year ago they know how to handle the postseason when competition really heats up.

Each made regional title runs last season and each team has already shown they’re built to win once again in 2024.

Petoskey, off to a 13-5 start to the season, is doing so with a team full of new guys and young contributors around the lineup. Charlevoix, now 14-6-1 after a challenging schedule to start, is back with a nearly fully intact squad from a year ago, something that’s rare in any sport.

“It’s awesome,” Charlevoix senior Bryce Johnson said. “It’s something that a lot of people don’t get to experience because there’s always 10 seniors or whatever leaving every year, but we only had two. After this year, we’ve still got studs coming back too.”

Both teams are built for the future, not just this season and both were on display in a challenging Petoskey hosted invite over the weekend.

Along with the Northmen and Rayders, Greenville and Spring Lake each made the trip up for Saturday games and provided a solid test to both northern teams.

Petoskey went 1-1 with a 5-4 walk-off win over Greenville, then dropped to Spring Lake in a 6-1 game.

For Charlevoix, a 1-1 day also came, with a 3-0 loss to Spring Lake and a 4-0 win over Greenville.

More: Top performers for Emmet and Charlevoix Counties from April 30–May 2

In the opener for Charlevoix, Spring Lake had Louisville commit Zane Stahl take the mound with his 93 mph fastball in hand, presenting quite the challenge for the Rayders. It was the kind of test they wanted, however, and one of the guys that got one of two hits off Stahl was Johnson.

It was part of a day that also came with a 2 for 3 game with two RBIs and a double against Greenville and a season overall that’s gotten off to a heck of a hot start for Johnson.

“A lot of offseason work,” he said. “I’ve really been focusing on hitting the ball this year. A lot of in-game stuff. It’s always been there.”

Johnson has certainly had some solid games at the plate in years past, though consistency has been key this season, to go along with his ace of an arm on the mound, which will take him to Alma College to play baseball next season.

It’s not just Johnson standing out once again for the Rayders. On Saturday, junior Owen Waha showed up in both games with the other hit off Stahl, then he added a 2 for 3 game with two doubles and two runs scored against Greenville. Ryan Pearl also drove in a run vs. Greenville.

Waha and Pearl then each went three innings, giving up just two hits, with nine combined strikeouts.

Charlevoix’s Hunter Lemerand also had another strong pitching performance over three innings against Spring Lake, allowing just a hit and a walk, with four strikeouts.

“Our team, we’ve just been playing well rounded,” said Johnson. “Everyone is hitting the ball, our pitching has been great. We just had a perfect game. Beating St. Francis this week, that was a big thing that we needed for the conference.”

More: Lemerand's perfect game, triple play turned highlight Charlevoix tourney win

More: Petoskey's Harmon taking command of young Northmen pitching rotation

For Petoskey on Saturday, the walk-off win in the bottom of the seventh came off Garrett Wodek’s bat, which scored Haden Janes for the 5-4 win. It was part of a three-run seventh for Petoskey and their third walk-off win for the season.

Rowan Dohm also doubled in a run and Kam Horn and Tyler Goeldel each had an RBI. Wodek also pitched a solid 2 2/3 innings with three strikeouts.

Against Spring Lake, Brendan Swiss doubled and Drew Olson drove in the lone run.

There’s still a whole month of regular season baseball to play out, a busy week ahead for both teams and a conference race that each team is currently leading at the moment or tied for the lead, but there’s again a lot to believe in for the Rayders and Northmen.

Johnson – along with probably everyone else on each team – knows there’s plenty of season left as well, though the goal of where they want to be playing in mid June is certainly on the mind, along with the confidence.

“We’ve still got a long time to go still, but Michigan State, we’re on our way there,” Johnson added.

Contact or send game stats/info to Sports Editor Drew Kochanny at dkochanny@petoskeynews.com. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @DrewKochanny, and Instagram, @drewkochanny

This article originally appeared on The Petoskey News-Review: Charlevoix, Petoskey baseball showing ready for conference races, postseason ahead