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 fanning all three but it was too late as
the last three Mustang outs were recorded 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) plus a double to the centerfield fence, and
Trey Popp hit 2 singles, one featuring a head first diving 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 them to the State Quarterfinals.
5/31/2008 - DISTRICT CHAMPIONSHIP vs LOY NORRIX
Three innings and 46 pitches is all it took 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 runs to put the Maroon Giants
away 11-3. Michael Cooley was the closer in the final frame.
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. The Mustangs fans didn't
begin to relax until
the first pitch of the fifth inning when trailing 6-4, Gerrit Rauch ignited a four run
inning with a home run high over the
centerfield fence. The game featured another
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.