Bright Future

I got the chance to get out and see the Bloomfield Hills Andover baseball team the other day and was really blown away with what I saw. These Barons are young, relentless and just PLAIN GOOD. Watching this Andover group shred on the diamond elicits memories of the Barons squads of the early 2000s that made back-to-back long runs in the state tournament.

After witnessing Andover pull off a heart-pounding 6-5 come from behind win over crosstown rival Bloomfield Hills Lahser on Monday, courtesy of a game-winning two-out RBI single with the bases loaded in the bottom of the seventh inning by junior Zach Wolfe, Burney is overwhelmingly convinced that the future is paved with gold for the Barons baseball brigade.

This current crop of Andover ballers only has one senior in the entire bunch (Ronnie Roseman). The bulk of the squad is sophomore and junior dominated. At the top of the heap for the Barons is junior Gabe Berman, a Division 1 recruit, who will kill you both from the mound and the plate. I call Berman 'Gabe the Babe', 'cause this kid is THE REAL DEAL!

Fellow standout juniors Wolfe, Emerson Misch and Tim Zobl compliment Berman well, as do a sterling sophomore class headlined by starting pitcher Marlon Pruitt, Harry Singer and Mike McGovern. Peppered into the mix and making the future even brighter is the presence of two freshmen on the roster (Todd Weiss and Preston Smith).

Singer went 2 for 4 with two RBI against Lahser and Pruitt started on the rubber, going 5 1/3 and not allowing a single earned run. Pruitt and Berman (credited with the 'W' in relief vs. Lahser) make up a formidable one-two punch of arms, possibly the best pitching combo in their league.

Following its spine-tingling victory on Monday, Andover is 8-6, 4-1 in the OAA White. The win also vanquishes a brief four-game losing streak for the Barons after a hot start had placed their record at 7-2 out of the gate.

Head coach Mike Boyd and assistant Frank De Vito are doing a magnificent job molding this stable of primed thoroughbreds into a fine-tuned diamond-cutting machine. I can't wait to see how this team progresses over the next few weeks and the next few years for that matter. There's no doubt in my mind, the results will be just as exciting as what I saw Monday.

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