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2026 High School Team Preview: Bay City Western Warriors

AUBURN - With more than 900 coaching wins in his career at Bay City Western, Tim McDonald is no stranger to success and that is expected to continue in the 2026 season.

“We have a good mix of guys that were with me last year that will be better, I think, and we have some young players that are ready to contribute right away,” explained the 34th-year head coach, who enters the year with a 903-288-11 overall record.

Saginaw Valley League champions eight of the past 11 seasons, McDonald is proud of what has been accomplished in the program in his time at the helm.

“We’re solid in fundamentals,” McDonald noted. “We’ve been lucky to have good arms and pitching depth and we’ve been strong defensively. We also have good assistants.

“Traditionally, we’re known for small ball,” the head coach added. “We can bunt with any hitter, and bunt with two strikes, it’s a point of pride for us.”

A 36-8 record a year ago made it three straight seasons with at least 35 wins (106-18) and the loss in the state semifinals to Macomb Dakota was the second straight trip to the Final Four for the Warriors, which won consecutive Division 1 state titles in 2013 and 2014, the only time that has happened in D1 in MHSAA history.

“We have standards here, and if we live up to them we will be successful,” McDonald said.

The losses from a year ago are huge, including Michigan Mr. Baseball Luke LaCourse, a sixth-round MLB draft pick with the Angels. A pair of second-team all-state players, Jack Sequin (Saginaw Valley State) and Mikey Deluca (Kalamazoo College), along with three-year player Brayden Simmon (Saginaw Valley State) also leave big holes to fill.

“We may not have the target we have had, but we’re not going to sneak up on anyone either,” pointed out McDonald.

The reason is a handful of standouts back to build around in 2026.

Cal Plarske, is a two-year starter who has 56 career hits. A .303 batter last season, the left-handed hitting junior will play third and first.

Owen Dominowsk returns in center field after carrying a .315 average as a sophomore with 28 hits and 23 runs.

Jimmey Sequin played in 42 games as a freshman and the third-rated 2028 in Michigan is back, moving from the outfield to shortstop. The younger brother of Jack, the top-rated sophomore shortstop in Michigan batted .300 with 36 hits, including 10 doubles, and scored 28 runs a year ago.

Two pitchers also return in Jaxon Jenkins and Gabe Wegener. Jenkins, expected to be the staff ace, was 3-1 with a 1.17 ERA last season. The Mott CC commit will be helped out on the mound by Wegener, a junior lef-hander who was 4-0 with a 0.66 ERA as a sophomore, fanning 39 and walking just five.

Sequin and Dominowski are being looked at as two-way players this year ready to put innings in on the mound with seniors Brady Vrable and Dawson Lavender, the quarterback on Western’s football team, bringing more arms to the squad.

“We have pitching depth,” McDonald admitted. “What we need is the top three or four to step up. We have some competition, and that’s not a bad thing.”

That is one of the keys according to the Bay City Western mentor.

“We need to establish our core group,” McDonald explained. “We have a few more question marks than the last few years, but we’ve had them before and figured it out.”

Jenkins and Plarske are expected to play first base with seniors Aiden Revette and Nolan Kuhaney looking for time at second base. Sequin will man the shortstop position with sophomore Caleb Conway filling in when Sequin goes to the mound. Plarske and Vrable will see time at third.

Three seniors, Owen Beebe, Aiden Richard and Ben VanTol along with junior Waylon Sequin are contending to be behind the plate at catcher.

Dominowski anchors the outfield in center with Wegener and three-sport athlete Andy Robbins, a senior, in the corner positions. Brady Larue and Kam Bedell are very athletic according to McDonald and will also play outfield.

“We’re maybe more athletic than we were last year,” McDonald noted. “We have a lot of team speed.”

The SVL has gone to two divisions this year, with Bay City Western in the six-team North Division. Midland Dow, Midland High, Mount Pleasant, Saginaw Heritage and Bay City Central comprise the North.

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