PBR Michigan Division 1 Team Of The Week - Portage Northern
May 28, 2019
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PBR Michigan Division 1 Team Of The Week - Portage Northern
The Michigan Prep Baseball Report Division 1 Team of the Week has the chemistry and talent according to veteran head coach Chris Andrews.
“This is probably the most complete team I’ve had,” noted the 18th-year head coach of Portage Northern. “The one thing we’re missing is a guy we can run out there and dominate a game. We don’t have a number one like that, but if we play defense and throw strikes we’ll be okay.”
The Huskies have been more than okay this season, riding a 16-game win streak until a loss on Saturday to stand at 31-7 on the season.
“The second half of the season we’ve caught fire offensively,” explained Andrews, whose team is rated fourth in the Michigan Team Power Rankings. “Everyone in the lineup has started hitting. Early on in the season it was hit or miss, some would and some wouldn’t.”
Everyone but one in the batting order is hitting better than .300 with four exceeding .400.
“I’ve never had a team hit this well,” Andrews pointed out. “We have good players, it’s just a matter of getting them in sync.
“We struggled early on, so we made a concerted effort to go back to the basics with the batting tee, hitting drills, swing mechanics. We incorporated throwing to guys but making it more difficult. It was a combination of that.”
Juniors Nolan McCarthy and Parker Brey have lived up to expectations this season for Portage Northern. McCarthy, a shortstop rated seventh among uncommitted juniors in the state and the 20th-ranked overall, is batting .440 with six home runs and 30-plus RBIs out of the three-hole according to Andrews.
Brey, the five-hole hitter ranked 31st in the state’s 2020 class, is also hitting better than .400 while playing right field.
“He’s a phenomenal outfielder with a cannon for an arm,” Andrews said of the uncommitted Brey. “He lost his ability to throw strikes as a pitcher so we haven’t thrown him much, but in the middle of the season he found a way to throw strikes and we’ve put him back on the mound a little.”
Senior Cameron French and sophomore Xander Morris have been the leaders of the staff to date. The 24th-ranked 2019 in Michigan, French is a Wabash JC recruit with a 6-0 record while Morris, the 13th-rated 2021 in the state, stands 7-0.
“Both are phenomenal pitchers with ERAs around 1.00,” Andrews said. “Cam is the ultimate strike thrower. He gets ahead of hitters and locates pitches great. His fastball is quicker than it looks. Xander is a competitor. He’s got that fiery attitude and doesn’t want to get beat.”
Senior center fielder Tyler Helgeson and junior catcher Gannon Andrews give Portage Northern strength up the middle. An Easterm Michigan commit, the left-handed hitting Helgeson, ranked eighth in the state, hits leadoff and also brings pitching depth.
“He’s had a nagging hip injury all year and struggled big time at the beginning of the season,” Andrews noted. “He’s getting on base more now and his last two outings on the mound he’s been lights out.”
A .360 hitter, Andrews is the top-ranked junior catcher in Michigan and this season has not committed an error.
“He’s really strong behind the plate,” the Portage Northern coach said of his son. “He calls the pitcher’s game and is a coach out there. He knows what he’s doing. He’s also got a strong arm with the ability to shut down the run game.”
Cleanup hitter Greg Lapetina, the 89th-ranked 2020 in the state, is another standout for the Huskies at third base.
The biggest surprises according to the Portage Northern head coach are senior Zach Quinn and junior Jack Beffel. Quinn, a Glenn Oaks recruit who played in JV games a year ago, leads the team in batting while Beffel, a left-handed stick who bats ninth in the order, has heated up the second half of the season and is batting more than .400.
“This year we lifted weights twice a week after practice and that’s helped with their hitting,” Andrews explained about how the Huskies are batting better at this point in the season. “They’re a lot stronger.”
State runners-up in 2015, the best finish ever at the school, Portage Northern begins tournament action tonight.
“All of these guys are dedicated and they all want to play beyond high school so that helps,” Andrews said. “They just need to stay loose. We have great team chemistry, they’ve completely bought into the culture we’ve created. As long as they don’t start pressing and feel they have to win because they’re supposed to win we’ll be fine.”