Just like life, sometimes district pairings aren’t fair.
Such was the case when Orchard Lake St. Mary’s met Notre Dame Prep in Pontiac last spring. Ideally, a matchup of top-10 programs would at least be waiting in the wings of regionals. But St. Mary’s was No. 6 in the Division 2 polls when it had to tackle the eighth-ranked Irish on their turf last May. The Eaglets were victorious that Saturday afternoon, winning 3-0.
Unfortunately, disappointment for one is likely to come at the hand of the other again this year. Both are highly regarded and are on a collision course, which, whether or not the teams reach the district title game, would this time take place at Dan Petry Field in Orchard Lake.
Following a previous glance at the numerous D1 teams in Oakland County poised to be contenders this year, here’s a look some of the teams from the area from the other divisions who should be formidable opponents come postseason time.
Orchard Lake St. Mary’s (D2)
It’s saying something to be a Catholic League contender this season. Brother Rice, Detroit Catholic Central and Warren De La Salle are all inside the top-6 in the latest MHSBCA D1 Poll. Well, the top-ranked Eaglets absolutely belong in the conversation. Just like Brother Rice has been in recent years, St. Mary’s is a who’s who of college-bound talent that starts on the bump with senior Luke Creighton, an Indiana commit who had a 1.88 ERA with 85 Ks in 51 1/3 innings last season. He’s a menace with the stick, too, having hit .405 with 16 XBHs in 2025.
Though some of their other arms moved on, including Paul Toovalian, sophomore southpaw Jack Plachta already gave OLSM three quality innings in a 2-1 win over DCC, as did Anthony Abela (Southern Wesleyan) in that game. Zach Essig (Central Michigan) and Gaetano Di Ponio (Kalamazoo College) are among the featured arms, also.
As for the lineup, good luck pitching around anyone. Aside from Crighton near the top of the order, the infield alone is stacked with shortstop Hudson Brzustewicz (Notre Dame), who slugged nine homers as a junior, and Michigan State-bound third baseman Andrew Tribul (.331, 41 RBIs in 2025). Tyler Shubnell and Braiden Dershem appear set to split time behind the plate. It’s a collection of talent that goes on and will make almost every CHSL contest this season must-see ball.
Rochester Hills Lutheran Northwest (D3)
The Crusaders were almost too good for the competition last year when they went 25-8. As part of their 19-2 start, five went just three innings and another handful didn’t get past five frames. The losses they suffered were of good quality: Plymouth Christian Academy and Royal Oak Shrine accounted for half their losses and PCA beat the Knights in a regional final before reaching the D4 title game. Marine City, who eliminated the Crusaders in regionals, went on to make the state championship game.
Lutheran Northwest is off to a 5-1 start already and it’s easy to see why. Jake Kouba and Nick Oberdier, its go-to pitchers from last year, are both back, as are IF/OF Landon Lindhurst, catcher Brock Carpenter and OF Brennan Goebel, three of the top bats in the order. Both Jake and Josiah Kouba, along with Charlton, are hitting the cover off the ball so far for the Crusaders, whose only loss is a 2-1 defeat to Lutheran North. They should be district favorites again when the time comes and a date with (currently No.8-ranked) Algonac in regionals is probably worth penciling in.
Pontiac Notre Dame Prep (D2)
As previously said, it was almost unfair that it all came to an end in districts last May for the Irish, who won a program-best 29 games. The only thing that could’ve taken any sting off was that, like St. Mary’s, they bring back a hoard of top performers that boosted them to such a campaign.
Among them are ND Prep’s top pair of arms. Henry Ewles Miami (OH) signee Ewles accumulated a 1.29 ERA and allowed just 10 walks in 65 1/3 IP last year. He forms a tandem with Northwood commit Owen Fulsher, who went 8-0 in nine starts, that will carry take the stress off the offense. Starter Jack Fallon and elite reliever Drake Roa return to fill out the mound standouts.
Roa is also arguably the team’s premier talent at the plate. Inked to play at Michigan, Roa led the Irish in average (.464), runs (46), walks (23) and stolen bases (30) in 2025. Ewles isn’t too shabby, either, having hit .420 with three bombs (tying Roa) and a team-high 37 RBIs. If how the Irish perform at the plate is the concern after being shut out by St. Mary’s in last season’s elimination, it’s a good sign that guys like OF Josh Laura and IF Tomassino Offer have put together good at-bats early on as part of a 6-2 start for the No. 4 Irish.
Royal Oak Shrine infielder Caydin Barbato makes an off-balance throw during a 3-2 loss to Ann Arbor Greenhills in the CHSL Intersectional Championship held Thursday, May 22, 2025 in Detroit. (BRYAN EVERSON – MediaNews Group, file)
Royal Oak Shrine (D4)
Coming off a trip to a regional championship, Shrine has earned its place here. All-State senior 1B Jackson Poulton and Shrine won 21 games last year and went out to a Plymouth Christian team that was almost unbeatable last season to a Division 4 level.
On the bump, Michael McGavin has graduated, but the Knights bring back their other two key arms in Nate Alba and Sean Murphy. Early on, Alba has been nearly unhittable. Over three starts (all wins), he’s allowed just a combined four hits without giving up an earned run while fanning 43 batters in 19 frames. Caydin Barbato, Owen Bellows and Grant Poulton will see their share of work, too.
Barbato, a middle infielder, has been hot at the plate in Shrine’s 6-1 start. He’s hitting .571 (12/21) with nine runs and seven RBIs to set the tone from the leadoff spot. Alba and Murphy are also contributors in the heart of the lineup, and IF Luke Robinson, along with OF Blake Archibald, were big at the plate when Shrine scored a big 7-1 win recently over Waterford Our Lady of the Lakes, who the Knights, ranked No. 11 at the moment, beat in regionals last season.
Detroit Country Day (D2)
There’s probably a drop-off after the clear previous four, and some other teams that could probably slide into this fifth spot. But that uncertainty kind of fits the Yellowjackets.
Like you’d expect out of a Country Day team, there’s no shortage of athletes, it’s just that baseball isn’t their college sport of choice. And their schedule pitted the Yellowjackets against a litany of D1 sides like Brighton, Rochester, Divine Child and Ann Arbor Greenhills. But DCD proved it can hang with good teams last year as it went through the ringer and had wins that included Notre Dame Prep (who beat Country Day in districts), D4 quarterfinalist Marine City Cardinal Mooney and D3 semifinalist Dearborn Divine Child.
Infielder Jerry Dixon, catcher Kyler Marvin, and junior Connor Dienes, who will again split time on the mound and in both at IF and OF, were all top-of-the-order bats who are back for the Yellowjackets. Sophomore outfielder LJ Lanier is one to watch for, also. He’s been hitting in the cleanup spot and went 3-3 with a walk and an RBI in the 7-6 win over Oxford in Country Day’s season opener. The Yellowjackets tied Stoney Creek in a 10-inning game that ended in a tie, but their other two losses were both to OAA competition. At the least, they’ll again be a battle-tested team, and will avoid that stacked district they were in last season, but the winner of Notre Dame Prep and OLSM would await in regionals.