Prep Baseball Report

Brother Rice Warriors


Bruce Hefflinger
PBR Michigan Senior Writer

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2023 Spring Team Preview: Brother Rice

BLOOMFIELD HILLS - How does 21 returning players sound for a team that lost half of their games last season to Division 1 state champion Orchard Lake St. Mary’s?

“We have the nucleus of our team back,” noted Brother Rice head coach Bob Riker, whose squad finished 28-10 in 2022, five defeats coming to Oracher Lake. “As far as camaraderie, they like each other.”

The hope is that means success in a league, arguably, as good as any in the midwest.

“We beat up on each other pretty good,” Ricker said of the Catholic High School League featuring the likes of defending champ Orchard Lake, University Liggett, De La Salle, Cardinal Mooney, Detroit Catholic Central and U of D Jesuit. “It prepares you for states. You want to play the best so you can measure yourself and see where you need to get better.”

Where Riker is hoping to make strides in 2023 is at the plate.

“If we could hit as well as we pitch we’d be winning at .850 clip,” pointed out Riker, who played at Central Michigan before being drafted by the Tigers. “We can pitch and field.”

It is on the mound where the Warriors are expected to shine this season, with a large number of potential hurlers.

“That’s the best thing we have,” Riker related.

Left-hander Alfredo Velasquez, the seventh-rated 2023 in Michigan, and Ryan King, the 64th-ranked right-handed pitcher in the state, are two seniors expected to play vital roles on the mound.

Chase Van Ameyde, a Notre Dame commit rated third among junior RHPs, is back for his third year as a starter with sophomore brothers Cash and Cole Van Ameyde also looking to make their mark pitching for Brother Rice. Cash, a left-hander, is the top-ranked 2025 outfielder in Michigan and twin brother Cole the number two shortstop.

Tristan Crane, the ninth-ranked junior shortstop in the state, adds depth to the staff along with fellow juniors Wyatt Ruppenthal and Evan Kopf. 

“Those two will have a big impact on the staff this year,” Riker said of Ruppenthal, the 15th-rated 2024 right-handed pitcher in Michigan, and Kopf.

Another pitcher looking for innings is senior southpaw Presley Fortino.

“Our pitching staff and defense are our strengths,” Riker explained. “If we could hit a little, we’d be winning more. Good pitching beats good hitting, but we have to take pressure off our pitchers more.”

Although the head coach is looking for better production at the dish, the Warriors do feature a ton of talent starting with Velasquez, a Michigan commit ranked third in the state’s 2023 class of outfielders. 

Brayden Dowd, a USC signee, will also play outfield along with Ruppenthal and Fortino.

Chase Van Ameyde is penciled in at third base when not pitching, with Crane and Alex Cheeseman, the fifth-ranked senior shortstop in the state who is committed to UAB, slated to play middle infield.

Central Michigan recruit Ryan Tyranski, the number 69 junior in Michigan, will be at first base with Tyler Fox, an Ohio State commit rated 20th in the state in the 2024 class, a corner infielder. Additional depth comes from junior Max Orozco.

Owen Turner, the number four junior catcher in the state, Jack Fleury, the 12th-ranked 2024 backstop, and senior Nick Allor will be behind the plate this season.

“We have a group that’s interchangeable,” Riker explained. “A lot of guys can play different spots and the majority of them can pitch which is a good thing.”

Rated 29th in the country in one preseason poll, Riker laughs it off.

“It’s where you finish,” Ricker said. “The big thing for me is to keep guys grounded and not look at preseason hype. You’ve got to know how to win. This junior and senior group was part of the Final Four team a couple of years ago and I hope they can use that to know what it takes to get over the hump.”

Riker points to the coaching staff as a major strength in 2023 with Mike Steele joining Kyle Galli as an assistant.

“He will be big for player development,” Riker said of Steele.

Riker, a Brother Rice 1985 graduate who became the fifth head coach ever at the school back in 1995, enters this season with a 565-237-4 record, highlighted by a state title in 2008. There have been five state semifinal appearances and also eight consecutive Catholic League titles from 2012-19.

“Players competing and not getting too caught up in their own world will be the key,” concluded Riker, who was an assistant when Brother Rice won state championships in 1992 and ’94 and has sent more than 75 players on to play in college since 1998. “Can they play as a team? If they walk through the clubhouse doors thinking about themselves, we’re not going to win.

“It’s not about talent,” added Riker, whose Warriors open the regular season March 27 against Sterling Heights Stevenson. “It will be mental toughness and competitiveness that’s the difference between winning and losing.”

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