PBR Michigan Division 1 Team Of The Week - Romeo
May 21, 2019
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PBR Michigan Division 1 Team Of The Week - Romeo
All questions have been answered for the Red Division champions, the Michigan Prep Baseball Report Division 1 Team of the Week.
“We knew we would be competitive, but when you move up a division you’re not as fully understanding about the teams you play,” admitted DeLamielleure admitted, whose squad is ranked 19th in the latest Michigan Team Power Rankings. “But our kids took it as a challenge and embraced it.”
A 7-3 win over Oxford on Monday moved the Bulldogs to 22-8 this season and 47-15 over the past two years.
“Things really came together,” said DeLamielleure, whose squad won all five three-game conference series this season to finish 12-3 in league play. “Our pitching has been pretty good and offensively we’ve really come on down the stretch and are hitting the ball extremely well. That’s taken pressure off everything else.”
Six players are batting .300 or better led by senior center fielder Blake McRae at .410. The 95th-ranked 2019 in the state, a Lansing Junior College commit, has 29 stolen bases, 25 RBIs and six extra-base hits this season.
Three other seniors have been big contributors at the plate as well. Patrick Vinckier, a third baseman/pitcher, is hitting .311 with 20 RBIs and five doubles while Eric Meldrun, a right fielder planning to play football and baseball at Albion next year, is averaging .325 with six doubles and 14 stolen bases. Leadoff hitter Matt Boeve, a first-year starter at shortstop, is at .306 with 22 runs scored.
Junior Danny Vinckier is another first-year regular for Romeo averaging. 347 with six doubles and 25 RBIs.
“The most pleasant surprise is our offense right now,” DeLamielleure noted. “We’re getting contributions from one through nine. Last year we had good seasons from a lot of guys but we weren’t as solid from one through nine. That’s been helped out by some nice seasons from first-year players. We can put pressure on teams every inning.”
Another 2020 playing a huge role is Dominic Hann (Video), a first baseman/RHP committed to Michigan State. The eighth-ranked junior in the state is batting .324 with 24 RBIs and seven doubles at the plate while going 5-1 on the mound with a 1.07 ERA, striking out 55 in 39 innings.
Kaden Stively, a senior left-hander signed by Wayne State, did not allow an earned run during the conference this season and has been the ace for the Bulldogs. Stively is 6-0 on the year with a 0.142 ERA, fanning 52 in 49.1 innings of work.
Patrick Vinckier is the number three hurler with a 5-1 record and 2.70 ERA with 24 strikeouts in 33.1 frames.
“Our pitching staff has done a nice job keeping teams off balance,” DeLamielleure said.
It has Romeo closing in on last year’s win total when the Bulldogs went 25-7 overall and 12-3 in the conference, the same league mark as this year’s Red Division champs.
“That is a really big accomplishment,” DeLamielleure explained about taking the Red Division crown. “We had success in White last year but it was not the top division. These guys took the change in divisions as a challenge in the off-season and it paid off.”
With Henry Ford on tap today and Anchor Bay Wednesday, Romeo now focuses on completing the regular season and being prepared for the tournament.
“With the non-league games we need to make sure our enthusiasm is up so we can be at our highest point when the post-season comes around,” DeLamielleure said. “If we do that and stay healthy, we have a good opportunity come districts.”