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With 2024 now in the past, Prep Baseball Michigan is eagerly anticipating bringing the state the best high school coverage that can be found anywhere in 2025. Starting in February, we began releasing team previews for squads across the state. Ahead, we will have Preseason All-State Teams as well as the Preseason State Rankings coming your way.

To view the full list of 2025 Team Previews that we have already completed, please click here.

If you are a coach and haven't filled out your 2025 Team Preview, click here.

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2025 Spring Team Preview: Pewamo-Westphalia

WESTPHALIA - A former assistant coach is now in charge of the Pewamo-Westphalia baseball program and excited about what the future holds.

“We want our program to be known as a group that plays as a team and no one is bigger than the team,” explained new head coach Trey Bauer. “We want our guys to grind together and everyone be willing to do whatever is required of them to win, whether that be by driving in runs, bunting, being a courtesy runner, etc. Not many guys get to be THE GUY, but if we have everyone working together and trusting each other, it can make life difficult for whoever we are playing.”

Bauer, a second-year high school head coach who led Lansing Catholic to the Division 3 regional finals a year ago after serving for six seasons as an assistant at Pewamo-Westphalia, is of the belief the pitching potential of the Pirates can make it tough on opponents in 2025.

Trey Nurenberg is the top pitcher for Pewamo-Westphalia with Nolan George another being counted on this year. 

“Our strength this year is going to be our pitching, led by Trey Nurenberg and Nolan George,” Bauer noted. “Both have had experience pitching on varsity for multiple years now. I believe that when Nurenberg is on his game, his stuff is about as tough to hit as anyone else in the Lansing area, outside of Wyatt Mosley.”

A Lansing CC commit, Nurenberg is the 65th-rated senior right-handed pitcher in Michigan while George is a junior righty.

Carter Wirth, a senior RHP and first baseman, joins Nurenberg as a three-year starter for the Pirates with junior Logan Drysdale set to lead the way behind the plate. A two-year starter, Drysdale is the 11th-ranked 2026 catcher in Michigan.

“Our weakness is going to be our lack of varsity game experience,” explained Bauer, who must replace LHP/1B Gabe Miller (three-year starter) and outfielder Will Bengel (single season stolen base record with 41) in the lineup. “Outside of Nurenberg, Wirth, Drysdale and George, we only have maybe one or two guys that got varsity ABs or innings pitched last year. We are going to be looking at the youth of our program to step up big time, but we believe we have some guys that are going to be able to step into those roles, whether that be in the field, on the mound, or at the plate.”

Sophomore Hayden Smith, a third baseman and pitcher, along with freshmen Alex Drysdale (LHP/OF) and Andrew Khriss (Utility/RHP) are newcomers being counted on to make big contributions this season after a 14-9 campaign in 2024 that ended with a district finals loss to Central Montcalm, a team that went on to lose in the regional semifinals to the Bauer-led squad of Lansing Catholic.

“I love the willingness to work from this team,” Bauer related. “During our off-season open gyms, we are getting north of 20 guys showing up which is amazing. These guys want to get after it and they are showing that this off-season.”

It is a program that has had success in the past, with four trips to state, 1987, 1991, 2019 and 2022.

“Our key to success this year is going to be staying strong mentally,” Bauer said. “We are going to be very young this year and are going to be relying on quite a few young guys to step up into big roles. With that, there are going to be some lumps, but I believe if we are able to stay strong mentally and pick each other up, we should be able to compete for a very difficult CMAC championship and make a push in the playoffs.”

As usual, the Central Michigan Athletic Conference is expected to be strong in the coming season.

“I believe the CMAC is going to be tough yet again this year,” Bauer said. “The usual top four (P-W, Portland St. Patrick’s, Fowler, and Laingsburg) are all going to be tough once again. On top of that, Dansville has Wyatt Mosley who is going to pitch at West Virginia next year. The top of the conference is loaded which makes every game a challenge.

“Our expectation is that we will be able to compete for another title, which we have not won in two years, then compete for a district title which will be difficult with Lansing Catholic in it,” Bauer concluded. “We look forward to the challenge, however, and are excited to see what we are made of.”

2025 Spring Team Preview: Pewamo-Westphalia Pirates

Team Name: Pewamo-Westphlaia Pirates
Head Coach: Trey Bauer
Division: 3
2024 Record: 19-12
2024 Tourney Finish: District Finals loss to Central Montcalm
Returning Starters/Pitchers: 4/3

Coach Outlook: "We are a little bit of everything this year. Our guys that have experience have quite a bit of it (Trey Nurnberg and Carter Wirth are 3 year starters, Nolan George and Logan Drysdale are both juniors who got some PT as freshman and were starters as sophomores) but we will also have a lot of new guys that will be stepping into big roles. It will be exciting to see who is able to step up where it is needed."

2025 Team Strengths:

• Experience
• Pitching

Top Returning Players:

Trey Nurenberg, RHP/INF, 2025 Lansing CC recruit

Carter Wirth, 1B/RHP, 2025 

Brayton Thelen, OF, 2025

Nolan George,  RHP/INF, 2026

Logan Drysdale, C, 2026

Class of 2027 Prospects:

Hayden Smith, 3B/RHP

Class of 2028 Prospects:

Alexander Drysdale, LHP/OF

Andrew Kriss, RHP/UTIL

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