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Michigan Diamond Notes: April 7-13

What a memorable week it was for Talen Pilz.

The versatile senior at Ann Arbor Greenhills produced his 100th career hit with a triple on Friday and followed that up on Saturday with a grand slam in game one of a doubleheader. But Pilz was not finished, adding a two-run bomb in the nightcap.

The 14th-ranked senior third baseman in Michigan finished the week 5-9 with two home runs, a double and triple. Pilz also drove in seven, scored six runs, walked six times and was a perfect 3-3 stealing bases.

If that was not enough, the Pomona-Pitzer commit threw four innings on Friday night allowing one earned run while striking out seven.

So who else had big weeks? Read on… 

STRONG PITCHING

It begins with Sawyer Cooney, this week’s Pitcher of the Week in the state after throwing a no-hitter with 12 strikeouts and just one walk in a 1-0 win over Birmingham Groves. The ninth-rated senior right-handed pitcher in Michigan is a Xavier commit.

But there were many more great outings on the mound.

- Last week’s Pitcher of the Week, Dylan Luepke of De La Salle, fanned 13 in seven innings in a win over Catholic Central. The 32nd-rated junior right-handed pitcher in the state entered the week with 18.2 scoreless innings, 25 Ks and just three hits allowed for the third-rated team in Division 1.

- Andrew Mahoney dealt De La Salle its first defeat of the season with a one-hit shutout for Detroit Catholic Central. The No. 2 2026 left-handed pitcher in Michigan struck out nine and gave up three walks for the 13th-ranked D-1 team in the state.

- Standish-Sterling’s Preston Kann went six innings in a 3-0 victory over Goodrich, allowing just one hit and three base on balls while setting 11 down on strikes for the second-ranked Division 2 team in the state. The Toledo commit is the fifth-rated junior right-handed pitcher in Michigan.

- Ethan Armstrong, the 29th-ranked 2026 RHP in the nation, was impressive in a seven-inning no-decision extra-inning loss. The Garden City two-way standout, a Michigan commit, struck out 14 and gave up one walk and one run. The No. 1 junior in the state was 91-93 mph with the fastball, topping out at 94.

TWO-WAY STANDOUTS

The top-ranked team in Michigan won the Bay County Tournament with a 3-0 record and Jack Sequin was a big part of the success for Bay City Western. The Saginaw Valley State commit had an astounding 10 RBIs in the tourney, hitting a pair of home runs in a 5-8 performance at the plate.

The 16th-rated 2025 right-handed pitcher in the state also struck out four in two innings of work on the mound for the 6-0 Warriors.

There were other players also worth noting that came up big at the dish as well as pitching this week.

- The position for Camden Townsend is listed as utility and the Fraser senior lived up to that billing this week playing six positions. The senior did his part on the mound and with the bat, pitching two no-hit shutout innings with two strikeouts while going 3-7 with three walks at the plate. Townsend scored four runs, hit a double, stole three bases and drove in one.

- Ian Maness was 9-13 for Dearborn Edsel Ford, belting two doubles and a home run while driving in five runs. The Henry Ford JC recruit also fanned 10 in a one-hit six inning outing against Southgate, giving up his first run of the season in the win. Maness now has 20 strikeouts in 11 innings with just two hits permitted.

- Mateo Icaza is off to a hot start on the season for Portage Northern, going 6-11 at the plate with a double, two stolen bases and three runs scored. The senior also had a pair of strikeouts in 2.1 innings on the hill.

- JJ Cochran is a big reason why Kalamazoo Christian is ranked fifth in the state in Division 3. The senior 1B/LHP reached base nine out of 11 plate appearances, going 5-7 with two walks and two HBP. Cochran scored three runs, drove in two, hit a double and stole a base. He also went three innings to pick up a win, giving up no hits with eight strikeouts.

- Grass Lake junior Collin Knight went 3-3 with a double, walk, stolen base and RBI, scoring a pair of runs. Knight also struck out 10 in 3.1 innings, giving up three hits and not allowing an earned run.

HOT STICKS

What a combo Saginaw Nouvel had last week in Cam Kaul and Owen Vance.

Kaul, the 29th-rated 2025 outfielder in Michigan, scored seven runs and drove in five while hitting .545 for the week. The uncommitted senior produced three doubles and a triple, walking three times and stealing a base.

Vance, a sophomore catcher, aided the cause with a .400 average for the week. Vance stole eight bases, scored five runs, drove in five and walked five times while also hitting a pair of doubles.

There were other standouts with the bat worth mentioning as well.

- Daniel Crosby of Detroit Western International was spectacular with a 10-14 week at the plate earning Hitter of the Week recognition in the state. The fourth-rated senior first baseman in Michigan had a go-ahead bases-loaded double in the eighth inning of a win over Brother Rice, and also had the go-ahead single versus Hartland. An uncommitted 2025, Crosby drove in seven and scored five times while also reaching base on three walks for the 14th-ranked D-1 team in the state. 

- Cole Van Ameyde remained one of the hottest hitters in the state with his fourth home run. The Brother Rice senior was 4-10 on the week with a double and homer, driving in five after earning Hitter of the Week a week ago. The Michigan State commit is the third-ranked 2025 shortstop in Michigan. 

- Daniel Hampton had a huge week for Howell, going 7-10 with three doubles, a home run and seven RBIs. The third-ranked 2026 second baseman in the state drove in six runs in a doubleheader sweep of Plymouth Christian, the seventh-ranked D-4 team in Michigan, finishing 4-5 with three doubles. Hampton was also 3-5 with a homer in a DH versus Canton.

- Southgate Anderson won three games on Saturday and Rafael Valdovinos was a big reason why. The No. 1 junior third baseman in the state went 6-9 with a double, bringing home six runs on the day.

- While the top-rated 2026 hot corner had a big day, the number one shortstop in Michigan did as well. Orchard Lake St. Mary’s Hudson Brzustewicz, the 74th-ranked junior SS in the country who is a Notre Dame commit, went 4-8 with a double and home run, driving in five in a sweep of Toledo Central Catholic for the top ranked D-2 team in the state.

- Senior catcher Bradley Hughes is now batting .708 in 24 at-bats, scoring 12 runs and driving in 10 with 14 singles and three doubles while walking three times. The senior catcher was 6-7 this past week with four runs scored and three stolen bases. Hughes also threw two base runners out trying to steal.

- Noah Banas, a teammate of Hughes with New Boston Huron, went 3-3 in the season opener, driving in three, stealing two bases and pounding out a double. Banas is a junior second baseman.

- Cooper Weaver of Plymouth Christian Academy now has seven RBIs on the season in four games after driving in two with a pair of doubles while going 5-8 at the plate.

- Josh Schuiteman of Covenant Christian only played one game this week but his numbers show otherwise with seven RBIs and two home runs, going 3-4 at the plate.

- Jack Lupo of Grosse Pointe South pounded out eight hits on the week in 15 at-bats for the Blue Devils.

- Another senior at Grosse Pointe South, Henry Domzalski, has had a big year with seven doubles and nine RBIs, going 15-29 at the dish thus far.

- Left-handed hitting junior third baseman Braelyn Penn came up big for Ann Arbor Pioneer with five hits including a home run, four RBIs, four runs, three walks, two stolen bases and a HBP in 12 at-bats.

- Ryan Rumble of Sterling Heights Stevenson went 5-11 with nine RBIs on the week. The Lansing CC commit, the fifth-ranked senior third baseman in Michigan, added four runs, three stolen bases and two doubles for the No. 6 Division 1 team in the state.

SOPHOMORES SHINE

There were five sophomores that had big weeks in the state worth pointing out.

- Tre Eitniear of Ottawa Lake Whiteford hit two home runs in a 6-10 week at the plate while pitching six scoreless innings with 11 Ks, picking up a pair of wins for the eight-rated Division 3 team in the state. Eitniear is the fifth-rated 2027 shortstop in Michigan.

- Jaret McCoy of Bangor stole nine bases and scored six runs while going 5-7 with two walks and an RBI. A RHP/SS, McCoy also threw nine innings with 22 Ks, four walks and four hits allowed in wins over Fennville and Benton Harbor.

- Drake Terwilliger drove in seven and scored seven times in an 8-15 week for Millington. A C/1B, Terwilliger had five doubles and a walk.

- Brody Parrott did not give up an earned run in 10.1 innings, allowing just two hits with 12 strikeouts for Parma Western. Parrott also drove in four runs going 2-5 at the plate.

- Andrew Parrott also had good numbers for Parma Western, with the sophomore giving up two earned runs and six hits in eight innings, going 1-0 with five Ks. He also had five hits with three RBIs and a pair of base on balls.

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