PBR Michigan Division 2 Team Of The Week - Otsego
May 21, 2019
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PBR Michigan Division 2 Team Of The Week - Otsego
“We were not playing particularly well up until then,” noted Matt Eldred, head coach of the Michigan Prep Baseball Report Division 2 Team of the Week. “It was non-league stuff, but that being said they ran two really good pitchers out there. We had a ton of timely two-out, two-strike RBIs, it just kind of came together for us. From that point on we haven’t lost.”
Now 16-4-2 on the season and 10-3-1 in the league play, Otsego faces a strong opponent today in state-ranked Paw Paw.
“We’ve been finding different ways to win,” Eldred explained. “One time we play good defense or we have timely hitting. Another time we get a big inning or we get a great pitching performance.”
In the past 15 games, the Bulldogs have allowed just 38 total runs with a team ERA of 1.82.
Jayden Dentler (Video), a senior right-hander, has emerged as the staff ace with pitching wins over Sturgis and Gull Lake among the highlights. The 75th-ranked player in the state’s 2019 class stands 3-0 with a 0.93 ERA in 15 innings.
Juniors Derek Ward and Mason Ingold along with seniors Carter Morris and Will Eldred bring depth to a staff. Ward, a left-hander, is 4-2 with a 2.42 ERA in 26 innings on the mound while Ingold is 3-1 with 25 strikeouts in 23 innings. Morris is 1-0 in four outings while Eldred has pitched in a team-high eight games with a 2-0 record and two saves, sporting a 2.10 ERA in 29.2 innings.
“We don’t have a lot of guys that blow you away with velocity, but they have confidence in their secondary pitches and locating them,” said the veteran Otsego coach, who has also gotten solid innings from Addison Atwater and Daniel Weirick. “When they do that they become really tough.”
Jaekob Sallee and Dentler handle catching duties for the Bulldogs, which has proven to be beneficial for the staff according to Eldred.
“Both read the hitters well and call a great game,” noted Eldred, now in his 21st year in charge of the program and 27th overall at Otsego. “I rarely call a pitch any more.”
Sallee, a Hillsdale commit and three-hole hitter rated 159th in Michigan’s senior class, leads Otsego with a .409 average, 28 RBIs and nine doubles while also stealing 14 bases. Dentler, who also plays shortstop in addition to pitching, is averaging .293.
Atwater, a senior three-hole batter who plays third base, is batting .403 with 20 runs scored while Eldred, the left-handed hitting son of the head coach, is at .388 with a team-best 26 runs and 17 stolen bases. The North Central College (Illinois) commit, who is rated 248th in the 2019 Michigan class, plays short, second and outfield as well as pitcher.
“A lot of our kids are very versatile,” the head coach of the Bulldogs explained. “That helps us as a team and helps them as they try to break into playing roles collegiately.”
Eldred is counting on veterans to help make the end of their high school careers memorable.
“We have seven seniors who contribute in various ways,” said the Otsego coach. “As sophomores, I made Eldred, Sallee, Atwater and Dentler captains and they’ve been doing it now for three years. They’ve put in a ton of time and been really good leaders. What’s allowed us to play well is we have a lot of experience at the varsity level and really good leadership is very helpful.”