History makers, elite players and more: Thoughts on the 2024 Cheboygan area baseball season

CHEBOYGAN – That sure was fast.

It’s been over two weeks since the 2024 Cheboygan area baseball season ended. We had teams making history, we had players showing just how elite (and clutch) they were, and we saw some thrilling postseason runs .

Even with the season over, I have thoughts on what impressed me and what we should expect in the future.

What a ride for Onaway

I’m still at a loss for words on what the Onaway baseball team accomplished. Going from a program that experienced all sorts of disappointment in recent years to making the ultimate breakthrough by winning a first-ever regional title was something to behold.

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The fact that they delivered their history-making triumph against rival Inland Lakes had to feel ultra special for Rick Price’s Cardinals, who saw several players come up huge during their magical postseason run.

The moment I’ll always remember was the clutch display by senior pitcher Cole Selke, who tossed the game of his life and inspired Onaway to the win over the Bulldogs. With senior ace Dylan Szymoniak not able to start because of pitch count rules, it was all up to Selke to come up enormous– and boy, did he do that.

What a journey.

Inland Lakes isn't going anywhere

As thrilling as the season was for the Cardinals, it was a demoralizing ending for Inland Lakes, which fell short of winning a regional and getting to East Lansing.

Still, Josh Vieau’s Ski Valley Conference and district champion Bulldogs had a tremendous season fueled by the dominant pitching of Connor Wallace, who will play at Grand Rapids Community College next campaign.

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While Inland Lakes’ star trio of Wallace, Jake Willey and Payton Teuthorn has graduated, the good news is the Bulldogs return a ton of talent, including Aidan Fenstermaker and Ty Kolly, who both thrived this past season. Fenstermaker will likely be I-L's ace going forward, but something to keep an eye on will be who becomes the No. 2.

What will Cheboygan look like?

There were times when the Cheboygan Chiefs showed flashes of being a dangerous team. Unfortunately for the Chiefs, errors were a huge issue throughout an up-and-down campaign.

The Chiefs need to find a way to replace four-year starter Dylan Balazovic, who has graduated, but they still return the likes of Sean Postula and James Charboneau, who should form a solid 1-2 pitching duo next spring.

Even when his quality players graduate, Cheboygan coach Kevin Baller usually finds a way to field a competitive team the next year. With what he has returning, Baller's Chiefs should be able to bounce back.

Is a Northern Lakes repeat possible for the Comets?

While I could talk about Onaway being the team that really overachieved in 2024, we shouldn’t forget the Mackinaw City Comets, who earned hardware themselves by winning their first Northern Lakes Conference crown since 2021.

Fueled by the outstanding senior class of Sabastian Pierce, Lucas Bergstrom, Trystan Swanson and Nick Vieau, the Comets captured 22 wins. Those four have graduated now, but I’m sure Mackinaw City coach Elijah May is confident his team can repeat in 2025.

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The Comets return their fair share of talent, led by Braylon Currie, who delivered an excellent sophomore campaign on the mound. If Mackinaw City can put it all together again, another title isn’t out of the realm of possibility.

A season to forget for the Hornets

The Pellston Hornets had the roughest season of any team in the area.

From the start, the Hornets struggled to find their footing under first-year coach Jared Anderson. While the Hornets were still able to grind out a few victories, they’ll be hoping to turn things around next season.

Standouts Jack Schmalzried and Jack Lane have both graduated, but the Hornets will return a decent young core of players, including Brett Bonter, who had a strong campaign.

Contact sports editor Jared Greenleaf at jgreenleaf@gannett.com . Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter @sportsCDT

This article originally appeared on Cheboygan Daily Tribune: History makers, elite players and more: Thoughts on the 2024 Cheboygan area baseball season