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2026 High School Team Preview: Williamston Hornets

WILLIAMSTON - Fresh off a school record-setting 31 wins a year ago, the 2026 Williamston baseball team has even bigger aspirations with 10 seniors back to lead the way.

“We are going to be anchored by 10 seniors, six that have been varsity contributors since they were freshmen and another two since they were sophomores,” explained head coach Ryan Orr.

Four-year leadoff hitter Hunter VanSickler along with four-year varsity players Kaleb Nielson and Hawk Harding are among the top returners for the Hornets. VanSickler batted .412 with 47 runs scored and 21 stolen bases last season, Nielsen hit .393 with 34 runs, 30 RBIs and 14 extra-base knocks, and Harding carried a .423 average with a .515 OBP. Van Sickler, who returns in center field, is a Grand Valley commit, Nielson, an outfielder, is a Grand Rapids signee, and Harding, a corner infielder, is a Lansing recruit.

Miles Keener and Rudy Marinez are other key seniors back. Keener, an outfielder, was a .355 hitter with 32 RBIs and 33 runs last year and Marinez, an infielder, a .391 batter with 28 runs driven in to go with 30 runs scored.

Keener will also be part of a strong pitching rotation after throwing 21.2 innings with a 3-2 record and three saves in 2025. Brett Palmer, a senior left-handed pitcher, returns as the staff ace for the third year in a row after going 9-2 with a 1.40 ERA last season, fanning 82 in 65 innings with a 0.94 WHIP.

Harding is also being counted on to pitch after going 5-0 with a 1.42 ERA in 29.2 innings along with a 0.94 WHIP in 2025.

Two other returnees are Jack Hart and Grady Langdon. Hart, an infielder and outfielder who also pitches, batted .400 with 31 runs and 19 stolen bases to go along with a 5-0 record in 17 innings on the hill. Langdon hit .292 with a .564 OBP. 

“We feel our greatest strength this year will be our explosive offense and the depth that comes along with it,” Orr noted. “We hit .347 as a team with a .915 OPS and return the vast majority of the players that contributed to that offense. We also feature speed up and down our lineup as we stole 128 bases in 2025.

“The front end of our starting rotation will also be a big strength for our team. Brett Palmer and Hawk Harding return as our number one and number two starters. We’ve identified depth in the starting rotation as our number one weakness or area to improve as well as our team defense where we would like to see this group go from good defensively to great or elite.”

It adds up to an exciting season ahead.

“There are a lot of things to like about this team,” Orr related. “Beyond the pure baseball aspects, we think we have a group of really good dudes. This is our fourth year at Williamston so these seniors are the first group of guys that have been a part of the culture we’ve installed from the start of their careers to the end. They know exactly what is expected of them in the classroom, in the offseason, and when we get together for the first time this spring. We fully expect this group of seniors to lead the team to its best season to date.”

With a three-year record of 80-24-2, including a 31-7 mark a year ago highlighted by a 9-1 CAAC Red Division title, the former pitching coach at Kalamazoo College is enjoying his time in charge of the Williamston program.

“Our primary goal is to develop the kids in our programs as human beings first and baseball players second with the goal of playing college baseball,” Orr explained. “We have been fortunate enough to send six players to college baseball programs in our three years at Williamston with another four currently committed in the 2026 class and more with the talent to do it.

“From a style of play standpoint, we pride ourselves on developing a dynamic and explosive offense. We can score in a variety of ways. Not only can we hit and hit with power, but we run the bases very well and have a strong bunting offense. We preach attacking the zone with multiple pitches to our pitching staff and forcing the opposing offense to earn every run they score.

“Defensively, we’ve improved significantly since we started with the program in 2023,” Orr added. “We deploy an aggressive shifting defense with elite outfielders and a reliable middle infield.”

Riding four consecutive district titles, more is expected from a team that lost one major contributor from a year ago, Brayden Johnson the number three pitcher and starting second baseman now playing at Muskegon.

“Our ability to accomplish the goals we’ve set for the 2026 season hinges on our ability to find reliable depth in our starting rotation,” pointed out Orr. “We’ve got plenty of options to choose from and we’re excited to see which guys step up and take those roles. Additionally, we think we can be one of the best teams in the state if we improve an already good defense into one that’s great or elite.”

Switch-hitting Tobin Smith, who played 31 games at short last season batting .210, is among three key juniors back. Brady Elizondo pitched (3-0, 2.58 ERA), played infield and caught last season, hitting .268, while Tyler Bryan was also behind the plate for a limited time.

“Our goals include winning championships in our league, Lansing’s Diamond Classic Tournament, and the State Tournament,” Orr said. “We have strong competition in the CAAC Red as Mason returns a very good team in 2026, but we feel we have the ingredients to win our third league championship in the last four years.

“Lansing’s Diamond Classic has been operating for 63 years,” Orr continued. “After a 10-inning loss in the 2024 championship game (the first championship game in school history), we were eliminated in the semifinals in 2025.

“We feel we have one of the elite teams in the Greater Lansing Area and are poised to make another run in the tournament,” Orr concluded. “We exited the 2025 State Tournament in the regional finals and the 2026 team has plenty of experience with six four-year varsity seniors and two three-year varsity seniors. We feel we have the team to make the short trip to East Lansing in the State Tournament.”

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