Follow on Twitter- @PrepBaseballM
Follow on Instagram- @pbrmichigan

If you are a coach and haven't filled out your 2022 Team Preview, click here.

2022 Michigan High School Team Previews

• To view our complete list, please CLICK HERE.

2022 Spring Team Preview: Detroit Edison

DETROIT - After setting a school record for wins a year ago with 26, Detroit Edison head coach Mark Brown has bigger things on his mind.

“Our schedule is loaded this year,” Brown explained. “It’s all about getting ready for Liggett on June 4.”

The matchup with the eventual Division 3 state champion did not go well last season for Edison, an 11-1 loss that brought an end to a 26-5 season that included winning the Michigan Charter School League in its first year as a member.

The hope is playing teams like Orchard Lake St. Mary’s, Saline, Grosse Pointe North and South, Brother Rice and Grand Blanc will prove beneficial when the postseason arrives in 2022.

“Playing good teams like that will get us ready for a team like Liggett,” Brown pointed out about a schedule that features seven of the top 11 Division I teams in the preseason ratings. “They’re a traditional power and you want to see the best competition you can to get ready for a team like that. You have to play good quality teams to be a good quality team.”

Five players are gone from a year ago, four that are playing college baseball and the other at Central Michigan on an academic scholarship. But the cupboard is far from bare for Brown and company, starting with four key seniors.

It starts with Greg Pace, the 48th-rated senior outfielder in the country who hit .368 with eight home runs, 42 runs scored, 28 RBIs and 29 stolen bases a year ago. 

“I think he’s the number two player in the state, Brock Porter is a different dude,” Brown said. “Last year he was our leadoff hitter but this year he will start the season batting him third.”

The Michigan commit looks forward to his final year at Edison.

“We’ve built a good relationship with our teammates and that’s one thing I think will help this year, how well we connect with each other,” Pace said. “Most of us grew up together and the others we’ve helped fit in.

“My job is to play with a lot of energy and bring a lot of communication,” continued the Edison center fielder. “We try to keep uplifting positivity and keep each other in the game. It’s important to keep pushing through all the challenges we face, the tough games and the tough pitching. Never get down on anybody by keeping everyone uplifted.”

Three other seniors are being counted on in a big way this year in Edward (EJ) Gregory, Kaleb Sanders and Keith Smith.

Uncommitted at this point, Gregory, the fourth-rated 2022 shortstop in Michigan, will bat leadoff this season after hitting .379 with 33 stolen bases hitting in the nine-hole. Sanders, a Dayton signee ranked fourth among senior outfielders in the state, will bat second and play right field following a .321 season with 31 RBIs. Smith, a Wilberforce commit, is slated to be in left field and bat cleanup after averaging .368 with 19 RBIs hitting eighth a year ago.

“We are counting on these four seniors,” the sixth-year head coach noted. “We’ll basically go as they go as far as our offense.”

Smith, Pace and Sanders will also see time on the mound on a deep pitching staff that includes sophomore Marwynn Matthews and a trio of left-handers in Kole Waterman, Orlando Olvera and DeShaun Williams.

Matthews, the 38th-rated 2024 in Michigan, was 7-0 pitching as a freshman while also playing second base and hitting .363. Waterman, a 6-3 sophomore who did not play high school baseball while being home-schooled last season, will be a “big addition on the mound” while also playing first base according to Brown.

Olvera, a transfer from DeSalle rated 23rd among 2022 southpaws in the state, is a Wilberforce commit. A 6-3 170-pounder who will also play first, Olvera brings another arm to a staff that a year ago featured Sanders as the closer.

“We have seven guys that will do the pitching for us this year,” Brown said.

Sophomore Jordan Jones hit .266 in 2021 and is slated to bat fifth this year and play third base. The 6-1 183-pounder is the cousin of Jarren Purify, the Liggett shortstop and top-ranked junior in Michigan.

Quintez White, a senior, will get first crack at playing first base this season, with the biggest hole to fill at catcher after the graduation of Brandon Ford, an all-state backstop. Freshman Kyle Norton, a tailback and safety in football, is expected to catch and DH this season with junior Davion Williams also penciled in to catch.

“The senior leadership has been really good,” Brown said about what he likes with his squad that features two deep classes with seven seniors and eight sophomores. “I’m excited how they’re leading the younger guys. I love our leadership and I love the togetherness these guys are building away from the school together. I’m looking forward to seeing how that translates to the field.

“I also love the athleticism,” Brown added. “Pace runs 6.3 and we have a bunch of other 6.6 and 6.7 guys that can run. I hope that translates on the field offensively and defensively. We just need to find pitchers that will step up.”

Recent Articles