Lurking in the shadows of the county's prep baseball scene, playing second-fiddle in the headlines to the more high-profile diamond squads in the area, the Southfield-Lathrup Chargers have quietly built up a very strong resume on the field the past few seasons.

By defeating defending league champion Berkley 12-4 late last week, Lathrup wrapped up its third Oakland Activities Association White Division championship in the last four years. The Chargers currently sport an 18-8 overall mark and a perfect 11-0 record in the OAA White.

Five of Lathrup's seniors have been part of all three league title teams. Leading the Chargers in the dugout is head coach Darren Mosley, in his ninth year at the helm.

Sophomore hurler Johnny Slater picked up the win on the mound for Lathrup against Berkley, the favorite to take the league when the season started. Senior Darius Woods, the Chargers' starting second baseman, came into the game in the sixth and pitched 1 2/3 innings to close things out.

Loaded with speed, Lathrup's strength is its potent offense, which has been averaging over six runs per game. Leadoff hitter Thurman Hall is a terror from the plate and on the base paths. Shortstop Robert Bell, catcher Darian Luttrell, first baseman Will Boyd and third baseman Anthony Whitaker, all seniors, do most of the squad's heavy lifting offensively. Slater, also a standout basketball player, and junior outfielder, John Hall, headline the Chargers' youth brigade.

Unfortunately, Lathrup will encounter quite a tall hurdle to leap if it intends to extend its trophy parade deep into the postseason; when the state tournament kicks off next week -
as has been standard the last decade or so - the Chargers will be in the same district as perennial state juggernaut Birmingham Brother Rice.

Two years ago, Lathrup pulled the upset over Birmingham Groves in the district semifinals before falling to Brother Rice in the district finals

In the 1970s and 80s, Lathrup had a successful baseball program before hitting some hard times in the 1990s and into the early and mid-2000s. Mosely's ballclub will finish with a record above the .500 plateau for the fourth straight season, the most proficient the Chargers have been since under the guidance of longtime skipper Bob Marten.

No matter what happens next week, Coach Mosely and his seniors have a lot to be proud in what they accomplished by putting Chargers baseball back on the map.

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