Prep Baseball Report

Division 1 Team Of The Week: Week 3 - Saline


Bruce Hefflinger
PBR Michigan Senior Writer

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Division 1 Team Of The Week: Week 3 - Saline

SALINE - What a week for Saline head baseball coach Al Zeiher.

His squad, the Prep Baseball Report Division 1 Team of the Week, won five games including a 2-1 victory over Orchard Lake St. Mary’s to snap a winning streak by the top-rated team in the state that dated back to 2019. But that was not even the highlight for Zeiher.

A daughter, Anna Elizabeth Zeiher, was born on Saturday night.

“My wife delivered our first baby so we are soaking that whole process in,” Zeiher related.

Only a few days prior, Zeiher and his Hornets were enjoying a victory over OLSM.

“Orchard Lake St. Mary’s is as good as advertised,” related Zeiher, a Saline alum and former Mr. Baseball in Michigan. “They are extremely well coached and have ELITE talent 1-9. Liam Yelsma was tremendous in that game on the mound, as was our team defense. One thing that isn't published often is how well the players on OLSM run. One through nine those guys can fly. Every play has pressure because of how well they run the bases so our kids made some really nice plays under pressure throughout the game. 

“With a team like that, you can't give them any free bases or extra opportunities. We were really able to limit those throughout the game. Yelsma only had two three-ball counts in the game and didn't allow a walk or hit-by-pitch and we were able to do just enough offensively to win the game. Our guys competed well at the plate even if we only had two runs to show for it. This was a really big win for us. It gives us a ton of confidence going forward.”

Saline also beat Ann Arbor Huron 9-1 and 7-4, and Huron 6-2 while splitting with Northville, winning 15-6 and losing 5-2, during a 5-1 six-day stretch.

“I’m really proud of our kids this week,” explained Zeiher, whose squad had lost three of its last four coming into the week. “We are learning how to play together. I think the biggest thing we did this week was valuing the little things and taking the approach of every pitch matters. Everything matters throughout the entire game. How we do anything is how we do everything.”

Admittedly, Zeiher had high hopes entering the campaign.

“We always have high expectations in our program,” Zeiher said. “Those expectations are always in the back of our minds but our focus is on the present and what we can control today to get better and improve.”

The Saline mentor pointed to a strong coaching staff featuring assistants Joe Welton, Josh Reeves and Mike Muir along with a “phenomenal group of coaches at the JV, freshman and youth level in our community” helping make the program what it is today.

Yelsma, the 16th-ranked junior left-handed pitcher in the state, has thrown back-to-back shutouts to lead the way on the mound for Saline while Michigan State commit Aidan Arbaugh, the fourth-rated 2021 outfielder in Michigan, has a 3-0 record with a 0.72 ERA.

Leadoff hitter Bobby Butler, the 24th-ranked 2022 shortstop in the state, has a .462 on base percentage while junior outfielder Braden LaRusso is hitting .405 with a .439 OBP. August Hutchison, a Hillsdale commit ranked 124th in Michigan’s senior class, is averaging .345 with four home runs, two doubles and 12 RBIs with Arbaugh batting .333 with six home runs and five doubles while driving in 20 runs.

“I feel like we have played really good defense and are running the bases really well,” Zeiher said about what has stood out to date. “I think the other thing is how engaged our team is. We have 24 guys on our roster and I feel like all of them are engaged each day to get better. They are so fun to coach. In addition, they really work to be the best teammates they can be.”

Three games with Ann Arbor Skyline and a doubleheader with Grand Ledge are on tap this week with Ann Arbor Pioneer and Hartland on next week’s schedule.

“Continuing to have great practices and prioritizing getting better each day are the keys to continuing our success,” concluded Zeiher, who took over in the 2019 season with big shoes to fill as the head coach following Hall of Famers Scott Theisen and Dave Sontag.

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