Toledo's three Catholic high school baseball teams will embark on a new journey in 2024, competing in the Michigan-based Catholic High School League's Central Division.
Central Catholic, St. Francis de Sales, and St. John's Jesuit will join with six Detroit-area teams – Bloomfield Hills Brother Rice, Grosse Pointe Woods University Liggett, Novi Detroit Catholic Central, Warren De La Salle, Orchard Lake St. Mary's, and University of Detroit Jesuit in an unbalanced division schedule and subsequently a single-elimination championship playoff May 8-10.
The three Toledo teams, each former members of the now-defunct Three Rivers Athletic Conference, will play each other three times in division play, and will play the Detroit-area teams once each for a total of 12 Central Division games
The Detroit-area teams will face each other twice each and the Toledo teams once each for 13 Central Division games.
The playoff quarterfinals are set for May 8 at sites to be determined, and the semifinals and finals are set for 3 p.m. and 7 p.m., respectively, on May 10.
As for the Michigan contingent in the CHSL's Central Division, the program at Orchard Lake St. Mary's has developed into a state power in recent years, winning the Central Division's last four Bishop playoff titles (2019, 2021-23), and capturing four state championships in the past nine seasons – Division 1 in 2022, and Division 2 in 2015, 2019, and 2021.
GPW University Liggett was Michigan's Division 3 state champion in 2016 and 2021.
Here is a look at the three Toledo teams.
ST. JOHN'S
■ Coach: Sam Fischer, fourth year
■ Last season: 20-6-1 overall, 12-2 TRAC
■ Top players: Senior Ben Zetocha (1B). Juniors Kenyon Miller (OF-1B; .329, 16 SB), Donovan Mattimore (P-3B; 5-0 record, 1.45 ERA), Jon Tober (P; 3-2 record, 1,81 ERA). Sophomores Cooper Johnson (OF), Owen Murawa (IF-P).
■ Scouting report: The Titans ride into the new CHSL landscape coming off a league-championship season, and a run to the Division I regionals with three starters plus four other letterwinners returning. With just three seniors on the roster, they are a young group that may need some seasoning together to build diamond chemistry. The biggest graduation losses were that of first team All-TRAC honorees J.P. Wagner, who was the TRAC's 2023 player of the year (.400), Caleb Click (.362), and Jake Dukate (3-2 record, 1.05 ERA). Mattimore returns after earning first team league honors.
■ Outlook: “We will be very inexperienced this year, in the field and at the plate,” Fischer said, “but we have a lot of depth and moving parts. They are a group that really gets along together, and our returning guys have done a wonderful job of welcoming our younger players. We are excited for our group to gain experience, and see them grow, develop, and compete together.”
ST. FRANCIS
■ Coach: Bobby Edgell, second year
■ Last season: 20-7, 11-3 TRAC
■ Top players: Seniors Derek Dzienny (IF; .265, 13 RBI, 27 stolen bases), Evan Dudley (OF-P; .324). Juniors Drew Tucker (IF-P; .359, 21 RBI), Gabe Lisowski (OF-catcher; .288). Sophomore Nick Hood (IF-C; .500).
■ Scouting report: The Knights narrowly missed out on a TRAC title share in 2023 and return five starters plus five other letterwinners from that squad. Ten seniors on the roster should provide solid leadership. The biggest graduation loss was that of first team All-TRAC selection Josiah Erd (.313; 4-1 record, 2.06 ERA). Tucker returns after also earning first team league honors.
■ Outlook: “This will be a year of new challenges for St. Francis, from new opponents to new technology on the field,” Edgell said. “I'm excited for this team to tackle the new league, and the overall schedule we have compiled. I hope, by May, we are battle-tested and ready to compete in the state tournament.”
CENTRAL CATHOLIC
■ Coach: Jeff Mielcarek, 38th year
■ Last season: 14-12 overall, 7-7 TRAC
■ Top players: Jaxon Sanchez (infielder; .460 batting average, 2 home runs, 12 RBI), Kyle Wasserman (catcher; .316, 12 RBI), Josh Floyd (first base-outfield-pitcher; .346), Madden Bernal (OF-P). Junior Beau Gardner (P-IF; 3-3 record, 3.03 ERA).
■ Scouting report: The Irish return three starters plus three other letterwinners, and have five seniors on the roster. Senior Austin Guerra (IF-P), a solid producer as a sophomore, is coming back off of surgery this season. Sanchez was a first team All-TRAC selection in 2023, and Central's top loss to graduation was that of all-conference first-teamer Brian Bishop (.325).
■ Outlook: “We lack experience on the mound and in the outfield,” said Mielcarek (543-397 career record), “however we are athletic and preparing to get better each day as we enter a new league, and an extremely difficult schedule.”
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