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PBR Michigan Division 1 Team Of The Week - Brighton

BRIGHTON - No better time to heat up than mid-May when it comes to high school baseball. That is the case for Brighton, winners of eight out of its last nine games and the recipient of the Michigan Prep Baseball Report Division I Team of the Week.

“We have a lineup that has been swinging it well all year,” noted head coach Charlie Christner. “Our pitching has been tough for years and our defense up the middle has been solid. Good baseball teams have that.”

The 18th-ranked team in the PBR Michigan Top 25 Power Rankings is currently in first place in the Kensington Lakes Activities Association, with the Bulldogs seeking a sixth conference title in the seven years that Christner has been in charge of the baseball program.

“Our program was good before I got here, I just tried to maintain it and add to some areas,” Christner said. “I want to win some baseball games and get guys onto the next level.”

A number of Bulldogs are doing just that with senior Jack Krause committed to Bowling Green, Mitchell Marvin to Grand Rapids Community College and junior Brendan Harrity a Western Michigan recruit.

Harrity, the leadoff hitter and shortstop, is batting .450 with uncommitted senior Zach Hopman, the 34th-ranked 2019 in the state, topping the team with a .474 average. A left-hander who plays right field and pitches, the 5-11 170-pound Hopman has a team-high, 41 RBIs and 10 home runs.

Krause, a center fielder and left-handed swinging two-hole hitter ranked 38th in the 2019 Michigan class, is at ..340 with Marvin, a third baseman batting cleanup, hitting .370.

Helping solidify the defense up the middle with Harrity at short and Krause in center are catchers Mason McGuire, a sophomore batting .335, and junior Blake Weaver along with second basemen Adam Szerlog, Camden Benedict and Cole Conners.

Szerlog, Benedict, Hopman and Alex DePue are senior pitchers along with junior Luke Benedict (Video) for a staff that has a team ERA less than 2.00.

“We have a lot of guys that throw strikes, but not a true ace,” Christner pointed out. “But four or five of these guys are above average. They’re not a guy throwing 90 or even 88, they’re low 80s guys that command the strike zone.”

A big week started with a win over Hartland on Monday, pushing the squad to 20-6 on the season. Fordson, Hartland and two games with South Lyon are ahead this week for a team that has outscored the opposition 77-34 since the calendar turned to May.

“Good pitching is the key,” explained Christner, who has led the team to a berth in the regionals and a trip to the quarterfinals in his time at Brighton. “Playing good defense is always something that is big for us, too. We need to capitalize when we have opportunities, move runners along and get the timely big hits.”