Tiger Baseball team ready for season

By Bill Mullaly

The 2008 edition of the Hudson High School varsity baseball team should be an exciting one if experience counts for anything. Hudson head coach Jeremy Beal has plenty of returning experience to work with this spring as Hudson gets set to battle for an upper level spot in the LCAA standings and perhaps a district crown. Things look much brighter this season than last after the young Tigers suffered through a 7-26 campaign in 2007 but the team was very close to winning several of those games that ended up losses. The team last year was young and most of the key players return with a lot more experience. Then add in the fact that several of these Tigers last summer spent time playing on the first-ever American Legion baseball team that was sponsored by Post 180 and that will make them that much better this spring. Beal believes in playing tough competition during the season to get his squad ready for the likes of perennial league power Blissfield and the challenging schedule will help the Tigers get ready for the district tournament. The district is special this season because Hudson will host a division 4 district and with that opportunity comes a great chance for Hudson to win a district crown like it did two years ago at Sand Creek. Beal is excited about starting his fifth season at Hudson and he should be because he has been building his program for this moment when a lot of the young players have become seasoned veterans. Here is a look at who will represent Hudson on the diamond this spring.

Pitching and Catching

If Hudson is going to make a serious run at the LCAA title, as many observers of the baseball scene think they can, it will come down to the ability of the Tiger pitchers. Two interesting hurlers will be senior Jeremy Busscher and junior Luke Milligan. Both are going to try to be two-sport athletes as they both will be primarily golfers but will also see plenty of time on the mound for the Tigers. This unique situation was brought on by the switch in the high school sports seasons that put golf in the spring for the first time in years and that has conflicted with baseball. Beal and golf coach Kevin Reed agreed to give this experiment a try with the understanding that golf will be the primary sport for these two baseball pitchers. Can these part-time players and full-time pitchers help the team? It appears so and it will be interesting to watch how this situation plays out this spring but as any high school baseball coach knows you can never have enough fresh arms during the season and both Busscher and Milligan will be needed. And both are very good with plenty of past experience on the hill. These two are both top returners from last year and they will both be counted on to provide plenty of innings during the next two months. Other hurlers that will log some key innings will be junior Josh Shepard who saw some work last year along with sophomores Chris Aguirre and Mitchell Webb. Both Webb and Aguirre have plenty of promise and lots of talent and they will get the chance to show what they can do this season.

The success of the Tiger baseball team like most teams will come down to the effectiveness of its pitching staff and that is a good thing because the Tigers have plenty of arms and they are quality arms that Beal can go to when the need arises. "I think if our pitching comes through like I'm hoping that we will have a real good year," said Beal.

Hudson has not only a challenging schedule but also a very busy one so all the pitchers will be needed. Behind the plate will be either senior Nick Hart or junior Colin Wollet. Hart played infield last year and will be switching to catcher and Wollet is back out for the team after not playing last year. Beal knows that good catching is necessary to compliment quality pitching and he is hoping that both Hart and Wollet respond to the position by providing the type of catching that is needed for the team to have success. Both Hart and Wollet will also be needed to provide the team with some pop in the bat on offense.

Infield looks solid

Hudson has as good of first baseman as there is around in junior Kyle Benschoter who played that spot all of last year and did a fine job. He is back with experience and is looking for a big season on defense and also at the plate. Benschoter swings a mean stick and he had a pair of triples last year that shows the power he is capable of. At second base should be sophomore Nathan Smith who has plenty of quickness. The third baseman will also be a sophomore as Chris Aguirre looks solid there and Hart could also see time at that spot like he did last year. Shepard will be the full-time shortstop and he gained experience at that position in 2007. Look for him to play a key role in the infield all year long. Beal is looking for the infield to be one of the strengths of the team this spring.

Outfield look strong

In center field and the leader in the outfield will be the other half of the Milligan duo as Taylor Milligan will use his considerable speed to cover a lot of ground on defense and then on offense look for Milligan to steal plenty of bases like he did last year when he had 20 swiped bases. Senior Alex Middleton is a baseball player through and through. He loves the game and plays pretty much year round or at least whenever the opportunity arises. All the hard work should pay off for Middleton who will hold down the right field spot but he is best known for what he can do at the plate with the bat. Middleton will be expected to drive in a lot of runs and look for him to have success in doing that for the Tigers. Middleton could also play left field when the need arises. In left field most of the time will be sophomore speedster Mitchell Webb who can get to most any ball hit near him. Webb will also be valuable on the bases with his speed. Another outfielder will be Christian Taylor who will provide depth for the team. A player who could help as a utility type weapon will be freshman Drew Milligan who has speed and lots of it. Milligan could help in the outfield or the infield or could be used as a runner. He will see time on the varsity in some capacity.

Season Outlook

The season opener will be Saturday, April 12th at the Airport Invitational. Hudson will scrimmage twice next week as they host both Western on Tuesday the 8th and Tecumseh on Thursday the 10th with 4:00 starts.

Hudson would like to think they can battle Blissfield for the LCAA crown and why not. The Tigers almost beat the Royals twice last year but this year they will have to go on the road to face the vaunted Royals. The Tigers have quality pitching and experience at most of the positions so this should be a winning campaign for Tiger baseball just like those other Tigers in Detroit.

The home opener will be on Thursday, April 17th when the defending division 3 state champion Hornets of Hillsdale come to town. Local fans won't want to miss that match-up.

Tiger Golf Preview

By Bill Mullaly

The scenario that he was worried about has played itself out in the new season of high school boy's golf being played in the spring in Michigan. Hudson High School head boys golf coach Kevin Reed was less than thrilled a year ago when the infamous Cincinnati Circuit Court of Appeals gave its ruling that the MHSAA would have to switch its seasons for volleyball and girls basketball. Many of us like Reed didn't understand why the boys and girls golf seasons had to also switch. In the good ole days the boys played golf in the fall but not since the long awaited April 2, 2007, ruling made some crazy moms in Grand Rapids public enemy number one to most of the people in Michigan. "We have not really had an official practice yet," said Reed recently as he was wisely heading to Florida for spring break 2008. "We have not been able to practice outside and we have had limited time to do stuff in the gymnasium. This was a concern of mine when I knew the seasons were switching. Playing in the summer led into the fall season and the weather was always so nice and enjoyable. Now we are starting out in bad weather and hopefully by the time we finish in late May or early June we will have some real nice weather."

The switch has had one benefit for the Hudson team as a few golfers who before had to pick between golf and football no longer have that concern. Of course, there is baseball along with track and field to compete with now but Reed is very happy with his numbers as the pre-season practices are trying to take place. The team will not open up action until after spring break and Reed is hoping that a few of his golfers who are on spring break will be able to get some swings in during their treks to warmer climates. If the weather cooperates around here some of the others left behind staying at home can also maybe get on a local course to play some golf. Reed has around 18 golfers out for the team and he will be assisted by had dad, Larry, as the 2008 season gets set to start next week. Here is a look at who will comprise the squad of Tiger golfers this spring. The season opener is April 10th at the Blissfield Jamboree.

Busscher and Milligan are dynamic duo

Hudson will be led on the links by senior veteran four-year golfer Jeremy Busscher who is the two-time defending LCAA medalist. "Jeremy is going to have a real good season and he is the two-time league champion," said Reed about his superstar golfer. "He has what it takes to have a great senior season and he is hopefully going to get a lot of time on the course in Florida during spring break." Busscher has the total game as he can drive the ball well off the tee, has good approach shots to the pin and then can finish off his play with his superb putting. Look for Busscher to win his third straight LCAA medalist title in May at the annual league meet and to advance to the state meet as an individualist. Of course, that is if the entire Hudson team doesn't make it and it's a good possibility the entire team will be able to advance to the state golf meet.

Another Tiger with plenty of experience and success in the past is junior Luke Milligan who returns from a season ago where he was second team all-LCAA. Milligan also has all the phases of the game to be a top-notch golfer and he will be in his second season with the golf program as he played football as a frosh. With the switch of seasons Busscher and Milligan will try to pull double duty as they both are very good pitchers for the baseball team. They will pitch when needed for the baseball team but their primary sport is golf and that is where they will put their full concentration. "We are going to try this two-sport thing this spring and see how it goes," said Reed, who noted that it is a win-win situation for both teams and players. "They are just going to pitch so it won't affect the baseball team position wise and they are going to be with us at all of our practices and meets. However, they will also be able to help pitch for the baseball team and sometimes you can never have enough arms in baseball."

Other Tiger Linksters

Most golf teams carry a varsity squad of six players and that is what Reed will do as all the golfers will be counted on to help the team but only the top four scores go into the final team total. Helping out Busscher and Milligan will be sophomore Josh Merillat who is back for his second season with the team. A third-year golfer who loves the game and who has plenty of experience on the links is junior Jarrett Patterson. "Jarrett has been with us a long time and he knows the game and has plenty of experience," Reed said about the sweet-swinging golfer.

Two others are newcomers but no strangers to the game of golf. Seniors Gannon Curtis and Taylor Smith have both been busy previously playing football in the fall but now with the switch of seasons they can participate on the golf team and Reed is pleased. "Both of these seniors can really help our team and they are going to make a real difference in how we do as a team," said Reed, who feels his team has what it takes to advance to the state meet as a team. "With these six kids I feel we have what it takes for a very good season. Gannon and Taylor both really like the game and it's great for them to be able to finally play in high school as they both play a lot in the summer." Twelve other players will be on the junior varsity squad and they will have several meets to get them some playing time this spring.

Season Outlook

Reed has a solid six on his varsity and he feels they have a legitimate shot at winning the LCAA after last year's success. "We will be battling Ida and we beat them last year at the league meet by 12 strokes so we have a lot of confidence," said Reed, who knows what all six of his players are capable of doing. "We have six boys that can break 40 and we will have plenty of depth. This should be a team capable of fighting it out for a shot at the league title."

The Tigers want a LCAA crown but they also like their chances of doing well at the team district event where the top six teams will move on to the regional. At the regional six teams will advance to the state meet and Reed thinks his team could be one of them. "I like how the brackets are and we will be heading west instead of east if we make it to the regional," said Reed, who knows the east regional has more of the tougher private schools. "We have a very good shot at getting to the state meet if all goes as planned."

The team will play its home matches at Evergreen Golf Course with the first one there on April 30th against Clinton. Reed is hoping the team will still be playing the first weekend in June, which means they will be at the state meet.

Hudson Wrestling Club Busy Over Spring Break

Even though it was Spring Break, the Hudson Wrestling Club didn’t take a break from wrestling this past week.  On March 29th, twenty-eight wrestlers traveled to Addison to compete in their annual youth tournament.  In the 6 and under group, Seth Musgrave placed 3rd and Camron Cox took 4th place.  The 7-8 yr medal placers were Hunter Blaker, Tucker Sholl and Kody Eichler all placing 1st. Jarrett Waters placed 2nd.  The 9-10 yr old group had two champions on the day, Tyler Roberts and Kyle Eichler.  The 11-12 yr olds bringing home medals were Cole Weaver and Jacob Morgan taking 1st place and Dustin Mattison placing 2nd.  Brian Parkhurst placed 2nd in the 13-14 yr old group and James Herron placed 4th.  Tyler Mattison was the lone 15-16 yr old placer on the day for Hudson bringing home 2nd place.

On Saturday, April 5th the Club traveled to Morenci with 20 wrestlers.  It was another successful day for the club. The 6 and under group had three wrestlers bringing home medals.  Dylan Smith and Seth Musgrave placed 2nd and Camron Cox placed 3rd.  The 7-8 yr olds had several placers as they were the largest age group that went from Hudson.  Kody Eichler was the lone champion for the group. Jordan Hamdan and Jarrett Waters placed 2nd. Taking home 3rd place honors were Ethen Brown and Gavin Wagner.  Michael Tanner and Zane Fix placed 4th.  The 9-10 yr olds had champion Ty Grames and Hunter Blaker and Kyle Eichler placing 2nd.  Roddy Hamdan placed 3rd in the 11-12 yr old group.

Also on Saturday, April 5th, seven of the club members went north to Mason to participate in the Border Wars tournament.  Tucker Sholl brought home the championship in his weight class.  James Herron and Jacob Morgan both placed 2nd.  JD Waters and Joel Varney brought home 4th place honors.  All five of the wrestlers have qualifed to participate in the 08 Border Wars Folkstyle Nationals in November.

Congratulations to all the wrestlers.  This Friday the club will travel to Clinton.

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