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2026 High School Team Preview: Standish-Sterling Panthers

STANDISH - After reaching the state finals and tying the school record for most wins in a season in 2025, Ryan Raymond has high expectations in looking ahead to the 2026 season.

“The key this year is to stay healthy,” explained the head coach at Standish-Sterling since 2013, who has a career record of 242-79-5. “We don’t have numbers like we did last year so the top 10 or 11 players will need to stay healthy. We will also need to manufacture runs a little more than last year.”

Preston Kann will again be the ace of the staff following a 12-0 campaign in 2025. The sixth-rated senior right-handed pitcher in Michigan struck out 105 in 64 innings allowing 25 hits, 25 walks and three earned runs, posting a 0.326 ERA.

“We expect him to be dominant like last year,” Raymond said of the Toledo commit, the winning pitcher in last year’s state semifinals against Mason who will play second or short when not pitching.

Landon Nixon, a junior left-handed pitcher who did not give up a hit in two shutout innings in the state finals, is expected to be the number two pitcher.

Depth on the mound will come from junior Branton Bartlett, junior Karter Fegan and sophomore Jay Roper. Bartlett will also play first base, Fegan will see time in the outfield and Roper will also play third.

Senior Ben Briggs, a Saginaw Valley commit who will bat leadoff and play second or short coming off a .400 season at the plate, will also pitch.

Rylee Blanchard, a senior corner infielder, is penciled into the three-hole in the batting order after hitting .340 a year ago with Carson Koin back to catch. A Lake Michigan College commit, Koin hit .339 with only three passed balls last season.

Nixon will play center field when not pitching with Fegan, senior Ian Emans and junior Noah Begres others slated for time in the outfield.

“One thing I like about this team is it’s very tight,” Raymond noted. “Our offseason workouts were extraordinary. The guys were pushing each other hard. They know they have big shoes to fill with brothers that graduated. There is some family competition going on. These guys want to keep it rolling.”

Playing in the Jack Pine Conference for the first time last year, Standish-Sterling won a league title and expectations are to be at the top again with Shepherd High School among the main competition in Division I in the conference according to Raymond.

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