Future is Bright for ACC Baseball

Step one – add baseball as a sport at Alpena Community College for the first time in 50 years. Check.

Step two – hire a coach. Check.

Step three – have that coach find a coaching staff and a roster of players in two months. Check.

Step four – build toward respectability as a program. Check.

Now in season two, ACC Coach Rob Enslen and his Lumberjacks look to take the next step.

"Our goal as a team this year is to put ACC baseball on the map, complete in the MCCAA Northern Division with hopes of making it to the playoffs," Enslen said.

Matt Thompson (Alpena) hit .333 last season and earned all-conference honorable mention honors. He returns as the team's starting rightfielder.

Caleb Stuck (Charlevoix) hit .308 and earned conference player of the week honors last season and will be the squad's primary catcher.

Other key position players returning from last season's squad that finished 5-31 overall and 4-21 conference are centerfielder Kaleb Blaskowski (Cheboygan), infielder Nathan Valdivia (Montrose), 1B/DH Gage Kangas (Hale) and catcher Eric Rogers (Armada).

Freshmen with a chance to make an immediate impact as position players are Mitchell Walters (Shepherd) at shortstop, Evan Fairbanks (Rogers City) at first base, Anthony Filippis (Auburn Hills) in the outfield and Nate Koster (Mt. Pleasant) at second base. Both Walters and Fairbanks earned All-State honors while in high school.

Brett Moroschan (Rochester) and Charles Swanson (South Lyon) will also get their reps at catcher and middle infield respectively.

Two-way players Hunter Kosmerick (Sturgis, 3B/RHP), Brock Wing (Auburn Hills, OF/LHP) and Brendan DiBartolomeo (Rochester, 1B/3B/RHP) will gain valuable playing time. Kosmerick and Wing figure to feature in the pitching rotation and Spring Arbor transfer DiBartolomeo will pitch in middle relief to start the season.

The starting rotation is anchored by Delta College transfer Max Coughlin (Midland), returning starter Luke Gifford (Macomb), Kosmerick, Wing and freshman Grant Slater (Petoskey).

The bullpen will be deep with returnees Aaron Guitar (Utica), Wyatt Crawford (Custer), Mason Blumke (Indian River), Nik Tulgestka (Rogers City), Logan Geitman (Frankenmuth), Brandon Maddox (Hale), joined by transfer DiBartolomeo and freshman Tristan Simrau (Traverse City).

"I'm extremely excited with the group we have this year," Enslen commented. "These guys have been working extremely hard since they have shown up on campus at the end of August. We have a great balance of returnees from last year, and a bunch of newcomers who have bought in to what it means to be a baseball player here at ACC."

The Lumberjacks open the 2024 season on Friday, Mar. 15 at Owens Community College.