PCHS Baseball 2008 Season Wrap Up

2008 Season Blog

These updates appeared on the website Home Page during the 2008 season.

MUSTANGS CAP 2008 SEASON WITH 29 AWARDS

KALAMAZOO GAZETTE DIV. 1-2 ALL-AREA TEAM
Player of the Year: Jared Hook
Pitcher: Kyle Clark
Utility: Trey Popp
Infield: Gerrit Rauch
Honorable Mention: Brad Beauregard, Kyle Kleiman
Coach of the Year: Paul Schneider

ALL-STATE
All-Star: Jared Hook
Dream Team: Jared Hook
Div. 1 All-State First Team: Jared Hook
Div. 1 All-State Second Team: Trey Popp
Div. 1 All-Region (All-State Honorable Mention): Kyle Kleiman, Gerrit Rauch

ALL-DISTRICT
Kyle Clark, Jared Hook, Kyle Kleiman, Trey Popp, Gerrit Rauch

ALL-CONFERENCE
Brad Beauregard, Kyle Clark, Mike Cooley, Jared Hook, Kyle Kleiman, Austin McCollum, Trey Popp, Gerrit Rauch
Honorable Mention: Nevin Covey, Matt Perry, Monty Porter

6/7/2008 - REGIONAL SEMIFINAL vs GRAND LEDGE
The Mustangs jumped out to a 3-0 lead after 1/2 inning of play but beyond that there was little for Mustangs fans to cheer about. Sloppy defense including four infield miscues in the first two innings, ineffective pitching, poor base running, and untimely hitting conspired to bury the Mustangs in an 8-5 hole. Kyle Clark pitched relief in the bottom of the sixth inning and fanned all three, but it was too late as the last three Mustang batters went down 1-2-3, ending the season for this talent-loaded team at 33 wins and 4 losses. Kyle Clark hit three singles, Gerrit Rauch smashed a first-pitch two-run dinger (his 6th home run) and added a double to the centerfield fence, and Trey Popp hit 2 singles, one featuring a diving head-first slide. Brad Beuregard, Jared Hook, Kyle Kleiman, and Matt Perry all added singles. Grand Ledge went on to defeat South Lyon in the Regional Final, advancing to the State Quarterfinals.

5/31/2008 - DISTRICT CHAMPIONSHIP vs LOY NORRIX
It took only three innings and 46 pitches for Mustangs junior pitcher Kyle Clark to get the 16-0 no-hitter over Loy Norrix. Twelve Mustangs hits, led by Brad Beauregard's three, secured the District Title. The win moves the Mustangs to 33-3 and advances them to Regional play vs. Grand Ledge on Saturday June 7.

5/31/2008 - DISTRICT SEMIFINAL vs K. CENTRAL
Trey Popp struck out 10 batters in 6 innings with no earned runs while the Mustangs bats provided the pop to put the Maroon Giants away 11-3. Senior pitcher Michael Cooley came in the final frame to close. Gerrit Rauch led the Mustangs with 3 hits, with Jared Hook and Kyle Kleiman each contributing two hits for the win.

5/28/2008 - #4 PC vs THREE RIVERS
In Game 1 it was Mustangs all over the Wildcats of Three Rivers 17-2. Kyle Clark cruises to the PC win with Trey Popp and Michael Cooley pitching relief.

Game 2 was very different. Mustangs fans didn't relax until the first pitch of the fifth inning when trailing 6-4, Gerrit Rauch ignited a four run frame with a home run high over the centerfield fence. The game featured a second homer to left-center by Trey Popp, an acrobatic 4-6-3 double play, and a fantastic catch in foul territory by infielder Brad Beauregard. Mustang hurlers seeing action were sophomore Monty Porter, junior Nevin Covey, and junior "Patty" Oppel. The win moves the Mustangs to 31-3, keeping them focused for the District playoff game at 10:00 a.m. Saturday at Mustangs Field. The Mustangs are on a roll, winning eleven straight while outscoring opponents 98-19 in that stint.

5/27/2008 - ELEVEN MUSTANGS EARN ALL-CONFERENCE
Senior Mustang Jared Hook topped the elite group earning SMAC Player of the Year followed by Brad Beauregard, Kyle Clark, Mike Cooley, Kyle Kleiman, Austin McCollum, Trey Popp, and Gerrit Rauch all earning SMAC Central First Team All-Conference recognition. Nevin Covey, Matt Perry, and Monty Porter filled out the Mustangs-laden list with Honorable Mention Awards.

5/24/2008 - MUSTANGS STRIKE GOLD
Still hungry from last year's Greater Kalamazoo (G-K) Gold Championship rainout, this Memorial Weekend it was all Mustangs at WMU Hyames Field. Senior captain and pitcher Trey Popp (6-0) posted a 2-hit 10-0 shutout in 5 innings with 7 strikeouts on tough cross-town rival Portage Northern, moving the Mustangs to a 29-3 record. The Mustangs are getting hot exactly at the right time with District playoffs just three days off, riding a nine game win streak and outscoring opponents 74-10 in the last seven outings. "This team has something special. We are all friends", said Gerrit Rauch. The contest was witnessed by a paid attendance of 359.

5/22/2008 - #4 PC vs B.C. LAKEVIEW
In Game 1 senior pitcher Michael Cooley kept a very good Lakeview team off balance while the Mustang bats went supercritical. Senior captain Jared Hook joind the Dinger Club by pegging the first run with a solo blast into the pine trees beyond left field. Following a loudly contested decision at 3rd base that resulted in a Mustang baserunner being called out, junior Gerrit Rauch answered with a 3 run round-tripper. Freshman Ryan Krill sealed the deal with a late-inning bomb of his own. Hook pitched relief and the Mustangs cruised to a 13-3 win over the Spartans.

Thanks to hot Mustangs bats, game 2 was all but over before the Mustangs defense could take the field. Starting with five consecutive hits, the scoreboard showed twelve runs when sophomore Mustang pitcher Monty Porter took the hill in the botton of the first inning. Junior pitcher Nevin Covey came in to close and the Mustangs win 14-3, sweeping the Spartans and move to 28-3 on the season.

5/21/2008 - MUSTANGS MOVE UP TO #4
The Michigan Coach's Poll has the Portage Central Mustangs moving up a spot this week to #4 in Division 1 with a 26-3 record. The MHSBCA poll is released weekly on Wednesday for games played through Sunday.

5/20/2008 - GAZETTE SMAC CENTRAL STAT LEADERS
Portage Central continues to lead the league in both pitching and hitting. Southpaw pitcher Trey Popp commands the top position baffling the opposition with a nearly unhittable 1.40 ERA, 5-0 record, and 50 strikeouts in 30 innings. Kyle Clark is close behind with a 2.91 ERA, 6-0 record, and 39 strikeouts in 33 2/3 innings. In hitting, Jared Hook leads with a eye-popping .468 batting average. Gerrit Rauch comes in 3rd with .407 followed closely by 7th-place Popp batting an even .400. Hook and Rauch lead RBI's (34 and 33 respectively) and Popp is the sole contender for triples with 7.

5/17/2008 - G-K TOURNAMENT
Game 1 saw a gritty Plainwell team keep pace with the Mustangs for most of the game. Pitching ace Kyle Clark (6-0) got the start for the Mustangs with Michael Cooley coming in to close. But the Mustangs bats, solid defense and aggressive base running proved too much for the Trojans, landing the Mustangs a 4-2 win, their 25th this year, and onto K-Central for Game 2.

Awaiting the Mustangs at Giants field was Kalamazoo Christian sporting a #4 state ranking in Div. 3 and fresh off defeating a good Maroon Giants team. Comets pitcher Mark Onderlinde got things rolling with a towering homerun over the centerfield fence. Mustang Gerrit Rauch answered with a two-run bomb over both fences landing in a residential backyard, serving the Comets a double dose of Mustangs Division 1 baseball. Lefty pitcher Trey Popp (5-0) gets the win for the Mustangs and Mike Cooley made yet another successful relief appearance. The Mustangs 12-1 win takes them to 26-3 and into the G-K Gold Championship next Saturday at 1:00 p.m. vs rival Portage Northern.

5/13/2008 - #5 PC vs BATTLE CREEK CENTRAL
Tuesday afternoon the Portage Central Mustangs pounded out 27 hits in a doubleheader sweep of the Battle Creek Central Bearcats at Bailey Park. The Mustangs took game one 16 to 1 with Kyle Clark picking up the win on the mound running his record to 5 and 0. Mike Cooley, now 3 and 0, earned the victory in game two with the Mustangs prevailing 15 to 0. Junior Conner Byrd led the bat brigade with 5 hits including 3 doubles. Byrd drove in 7 runs in the twin bill. Senior Captains Trey Popp and Jared Hook each had four hits. Popp legged out three triples while Hook tripled and drove in four. Senior Catcher/DH Kyle Kleiman had two hits and two RBI while Freshman first baseman Ryan Krill made his varsity debut with a bang, pounding out 4 hits. Gerrit Rauch and Austin McCollum each had two hits and two RBI in game two. Nick Wright made his first start of the year and knocked in two runs in game one. Chad Werner saw action in game two for the Mustangs and picked up his first hit of the season. Sophomore Monty Porter made his first start at 3rd base in game two and doubled down the left field line for his first varsity hit. Led by Rauch and Brad Beauregard's solid performance in the middle infield, the Mustangs played error free baseball while running their record to 24 and 3 with an unblemished 8 and 0 first place finish in the SMAC Central.

5/13/2008 - GAZETTE SMAC CENTRAL STAT LEADERS
Once again Portage Central leads all teams in both pitching and hitting. Four of the top ten conference players in each group are Mustangs. Click here for details.

5/12/2008 - #5 PC VS. P-NORTHERN
The 4/22/08 game with Portage Northern that was postponed due to darkness resumed today in the top of the fifth inning and lasted only about 30 minutes. The game ended with no further scoring by either team. Pitcher Trey Popp struck out 12 batters for the 4-3 Portage Central win.

5/8/2008 - #5 PC VS. #7 LAKESHORE
In game 1 it was Lakeshore 4 and PC 2. The Mustangs lone hit came from Kyle Kleiman who drove in the first PC run. The Mustangs second run scored on a throwing error by Lakeshore. Lakeshore scored two in the bottom of the sixth to snap a 2 all tie. The Mustangs went down in order in the 7th suffering just their 3rd setback of the season. Juniors Josh Folk and Nevin Covey pitched well in the loss for the Mustangs.

In game 2 Sophomore starter Monty Porter held Lakeshore to just three runs through 6 innings. The Mustangs got two hits apiece from Gerrit Rauch and Brad Beauregard who delivered a run scoring double. Jared Hook came up with a big two run single to put the Mustangs up 5 to 1. With the Mustangs up 5 to 3 in the 7th, Lakeshore scored two unearned runs off Rauch to send the game into the 8th. Kyle Clark singled and advanced to second on a sac bunt and came around to score on a throwing error by Lakeshore. With one out and two on in the bottom of the 8th for Lakeshore, Brad Beauregard turned a double play on a ground ball to short to end the game. Rauch picked up the win in relief as the Mustangs gained a split in the twin bill with the Lancers to go to 21-3 on the season.

5/8/2008 - MUSTANGS MOVE UP TO #5 STATE RANKING
The Michigan Coach's Poll has the Portage Central Mustangs moving up a spot this week to #5 in Division 1 with a 18-2 record. The MHSBCA poll is released weekly on Wednesday for games played through Sunday.

5/6/2008 GAZETTE SMAC CENTRAL STAT LEADERS
Portage Central leads all teams in both pitching and hitting, with the top three players in each group belonging to the Mustangs team. The three Mustangs pitchers combined for a 9-0 record, while the top three hitters from Portage Central collectively hit 76 times in 147 plate appearances for a combined .520 batting average. Click here for details.

5/6/2008 - #6 PC VS. K. CENTRAL
The Mustangs battled a well disciplined K. Central team for two hard fought victories. Kyle Clark pitched the first game while Trey Popp commanded the hill in game 2. Jared Hook was the closer both games. Mustangs bats (and legs) produced five triples on the day. In game 2, the Maroon Giants tied the score in the final inning, then the Mustangs answered with the top of their lineup. Leadoff hitter Brad Beauregard hit a line drive too hot for the KC shortstop to handle. With the bunt sign on and the 1st and 3rd basemen charging in, Gerrit Rauch did his José Reyes impression and reached base safely by pushing the bunt to the shortstop. Up next, slugger Jared Hook walked to load the bases with no outs. Cleanup hitter Trey Popp then walked to score the winning run for an anti-climatic finish. Junior lefty Tommie Roe went the distance for KC. As Yogi Berra once said, "The game isn't over until it's over", which pretty much sums up these two gems.

Updated: 03/15/10