Even if Oakland County didn’t produce this year’s Mr. Baseball winner, just about every other indicator proves how loaded the region was this spring.
Even better, depending who you ask, is that it appears that trend should carry over into 2027.
An overwhelming 13 of the 29 players selected to this year’s Michigan High School Baseball Coaches Association Dream Team originated from Oakland County.
But just as impressive is that half of the eight non-seniors picked among that elite company are from Oakland County: Brother Rice juniors Broder Katke and Mike Stanton, Rice sophomore Maksim Neshov, and Rochester Adams sophomore Koltyn “Flip” Watters. That depth level is what’s allowed teams like the Highlanders and Warriors to graduate top producers and continue to validate their top-10 (or better) status in the polls year after year.
Watters, an outfielder, has two years left, but has already become a commodity at the national level. After being thwarted earlier in the playoffs in 2025, Watters was paramount to this year’s success that landed the Highlanders in the Division 1 final, where they fell short to Detroit Catholic Central. In total, the star sophomore batted .408 with 25 RBIs and swiped 37 bags, and he’s only getting better.
That aforementioned underclassman trio was a big part of Brother Rice’s ability to get all the way to the D1 regional finals, where the Warriors lost just 4-3 to Brownstown Woodhaven, an eventual semifinalist. Katke, a catcher who committed to Vanderbilt last October, led Rice (per the team’s GameChanger stats) in average (.438), runs (36), home runs (four) and walks (24) this spring, and like Watters, it was his second time being named to the Dream Team.
Pontiac Notre Dame Prep’s Drake Roa, picked to this year’s MHSBCA Dream Team alongside teammate Henry Ewles, throws in relief during a 3-2 win over Troy on Friday, May 9, 2025. (BRYAN EVERSON – MediaNews Group, file)
Like the others, Neshov has also played beyond his years. He sported a .350 average with 22 RBIs, and the switch hitter also stole a team-high 29 bases. Meanwhile, Stanton, picked as a first baseman, finished second on the Warriors in average, hitting at a .405 clip. He ended with a pair of homers and 24 RBIs as well.
That wasn’t it for Rice, either, who placed five players on the Dream Team, more than any other program. Joining the other three were seniors Tristan Turner and Cole Duhaime. Committed to Virginia since early in his junior year, Duhaime had a 0.69 ERA, paired with a .205 BAA and a 1.08 WHIP to go along with 43 Ks in 30 2/3 IP. At the plate, Turner, an infielder, hit .395 with nine doubles, three HRs and 26 RBIs.
Both Orchard Lake St. Mary’s players picked are also no strangers to the Dream Team. Infielder Hudson Brzustewicz, committed to Notre Dame, was a two-way monster for the Eaglets, who won the CHSL Tournament, then eventually the D2 state title. He hit at an impressive .490 clip in addition to 37 RBIs and 57 runs scored, and on the bump finished with a 1.70 ERA with 52 strikeouts (36 IP).
It helped compliment OLSM’s other ace, Luke Creighton, who will continue his career at Indiana. Another second-time Dream Team selection, Creighton was unbeaten with a 1.20 ERA and 83 Ks for the state champs, then also provided for himself and other pitchers in the box by hitting .464 with 43 RBIs and 20 steals. He had a game-high three hits and drove in a run for the Eaglets in the title game.
The D1 state champs, Detroit Catholic Central, didn’t go unrepresented. Staff ace Andrew Mahoney, committed to Cincinnati, dominated to get his team there, fanning 15 batters in CC’s 6-1 semifinal victory over Mattawan. Altogether, he put together a 1.04 ERA with 102 strikeouts over 60 IP. Teammate and infielder Dylan Fairchild also delivered on the biggest stage — he had two hits in the semifinal, then two hits and three runs driven in against Adams in the championship — and will join Mahoney at the collegiate level with the Bearcats.
Pontiac Notre Dame Prep fell short in a loaded district that included Lutheran North and St. Mary’s, but still enjoyed a 34-4 year, enough to get two players on the Dream Team. Roa, a middle infielder picked for the second consecutive year, finished his career with a .403 average, 23 RBIs and 42 steals. He’s a future Miami (OH) player.
Also set to be a RedHawk alongside Roa, Ewles hit .446 with seven homers and 54 RBIs, and again provided for the Irish in a big way on the mound with a 1.78 ERA and 61 Ks.
Headed to University of Michigan, Garden City’s Ethan Armstrong, also named the state’s Gatorade Player of the Year, won Mr. Baseball for allowing just one earned run all season over nearly 50 IP.
Mount Pleasant Sacred Heart’s Earl Hartman, whose team finished 38-4 and won the D4 state championship by beating Marcellus 10-0, was named MHSBCA Coach of the Year.