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PBR Michigan Division 4 Team Of The Week - Muskegon Catholic Central

MUSKEGON - No seniors?

No problem.

That is the case for Muskegon Catholic Central in the early going of the 2019 baseball season. Steve Schuitema’s squad is off to a 7-0 start and the recipient of the Prep Baseball Report Division 4 Team of the Week.

“We’re hitting the ball pretty well,” pointed out Schuitema. “We have eight kids hitting .340 or better, but we haven’t seen the best pitching we’re going to see this year.”

Sophomores Max Price and Navarre Klint are both hitting better than .470 to lead the team. Price, a shortstop, was second-team all-state last year as a freshman and “one of three kids vying to emerge as a legit starting pitcher” according to the coach of Muskegon Catholic Central.

“We’ve got to get a little better on the mound,” noted Schuitema, who has led the program to the quarterfinals the last four seasons highlighted by a Division 4 state championship in 2015. “Last year we had a first-team all-state guy, but this year we have to try and find that or see if we can develop a couple into that kind of kid. We have a couple capable.”

Otherwise, MCC looks to be strong up the middle with returnees at second base, shortstop and center field along with two solid catchers.

“I think we have the two best catchers in the area,” Schuitema said in reference to Ryan Gillings (Video) and Josh Holden, who plays infield when not behind the plate. Gillings, a 5-10 180-pounder who also plays first base, is the 184th-rated 2020 in the state while Holden, a 5-10 165-pounder hitting .500 thus far, is ranked 190th.

Klint - who plays third base, outfield and pitcher - hits at the top of the order along with junior Nolan Convertoni. Center fielder Carson Bleicher, the leading batter on last year’s team, brings another strong stick to the lineup that recently got a big boost.

“One of the pleasant surprises we’ve had is that one of our top kids that had Tommy John surgery in September came back this past week,” Schuitema noted about junior second baseman Carson St. Amour, a top-of-the-order hitter and a good base stealer who is currently 7-for-11 at the plate on the young season.

With the every-day lineup looking strong, it comes down to pitching according to Schuitema.

“We have three kids vying for the number one pitcher, we just have to see who develops,” the coach of Muskegon Catholic Central said. “One is a junior and two are sophomores, but all are capable.”
A doubleheader with Western Michigan Christian on Thursday will cap off a week that includes scheduled games with North Muskegon and Grant.

“The biggest thing with us is we’ve got to stay healthy,” Schuitema explained. “Right now we have a couple kids with nagging injuries. We’re a small school with 130 in the school, so staying healthy is certainly important.

“Developing pitching and pitching depth is the other key. If we’re going to get where we want to get, we need to be more dominant on the mound.”