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2026 High School Team Preview: Hartland Eagles

HARTLAND - A state championship in 2025 only brings added incentive to Hartland this coming season in the eyes of head coach Brad Guenther.

“Every year is different,” the seventh-year mentor related. “The kids that maybe weren’t all in are now all in. You win it all and you get to feel what it’s like. There’s a lot of motivation to maybe make a run again this year. There is a lot of belief from the players and coaches that we can do it again.”

Nine seniors are gone from a 28-15-1 squad that defeated Grosse Pointe South 4-2 in the state semifinals and Macomb Dakota 5-3 in nine innings in the championship game.

“We lost a lot of experience and some really good baseball players, seven of the nine went on to play in college,” Guenther pointed out. “But we bring back a lot of good pitching. Outside of that, we’re not as experienced, which is similar to how we went into last year.

“The juniors last year weren’t thrilled with their playing time,” Guenther added. “I had a lot of meetings with them. Now they’re looking to step up this year into full-time roles.”

Michael Bernardi and Logan Randall headline the pitching returnees for the Eagles. Both seniors, Bernardi threw 51 innings last season and allowed a lone run in 12 postseason innings while Randall, a Lansing commit who pitched in relief a year ago, picked up the win in the state championship game.

“We have a lot of returning innings, but the top two that we lost from last year combined for 126 innings,” Guenther noted.

Fin Stanaway logged 33 innings a year ago and “has earned a role in conference games this year” according to Guenther. Senior Ethan Aho pitched 27 innings and brings more experience to the staff with junior Brady Hopson providing a left-handed arm to the mix.

Dylan Crowe, who drove in both runs in a 2-1 victory over Northville in the quarterfinals and had all four RBIs in the state semis against Grosse Pointe South, will anchor the infield moving over from third to shortstop. The 23rd-ranked 2026 third baseman in the country, a Central Michigan recruit, will be without his brother Brayden Crowe, a three-year starter at catcher, with Aidan Heidt or Preston Spisz the replacement behind the plate. Heidt, a junior, can also play third base while Spisz, will also see time in the outfield.

Max Rector and Randall, a returning starter, can both play first and third with Stanaway being another potential third baseman. Junior Braden Oumedian, who was injured last year, is one of the possibilities to play second base.

Bernardi will again be in center field with senior Carson Perkins in left and senior Ryan Cheyne in right. Another in the 2026 class, Sawyer Scott, a Macomb CC recruit, brings depth to the lineup at third and outfield with junior Taylan Williams and Hopson others that could see time in the outfield.

“We have good pitching and good defense and this is a smart base running team,” Guenther explained. “I think this team will hit well, pitch well and play good defense. I’m excited to see how the new guys do. They’ve been waiting for their shot. They weren’t happy with their playing time last year and I like that. I think we’ll have a lot of confidence after that run last year. We’re a very confident team.

“This is a senior-led team,” Guenther added. “The key is being great teammates. We just need to focus on the process and be able to handle failure well.”

Last year was a memorable season that Guenther and company hope to be able to repeat.

“We were losing in five of our seven tournament games and the other two games we won 1-0,” Guenther reflected. “Last year’s team was battle tested. I’m confident the group this year will put in the work to be there at the end again. This group is really motivated this year. They’re working harder than ever.”

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