2007 Season: 15-11-1 (2-9-1 NEMC)

Coach: Jason Woelke

Returning Athletes: Chris Thoryk, sr., IF; Scott Krasinski, sr., C; Jared Coffin, sr., OF; Alex Verlac, sr., P/OF; Shaun Jordan, sr., OF; Justin Bielby, jr., P/IF; Jesse Siwek, so., IF/OF/P.

First time on varsity: Josh Waggoner, sr., IF; Aaron Pfeiffer, sr., IF/OF; Alex Dillon, sr., IF; Josh Durfee, sr., IF; Corey Morawa, sr., IF; River Peludat, jr., C/OF; D.J. Decker, so., P/IF

Outlook: Though the Braves struggled to compete in consistently in the upper echelon of the NEMC last year, they were still good enough to give unbeaten league champion Ogemaw Heights their toughest test and advanced to a the district title game before falling to eventual state quarterfinalist Standish-Sterling.

Five seniors and two others return to coach Jason Woelke an experienced lineup that he hopes will be ready to make a strong post-season run and improve on its sixth-place NEMC standing.

“We have a lot of returning players,” he says. “We're expecting an improvement in our record. Hopefully by the end of the year we should be ready to make a strong run in tournament play.”

The Braves have several of last year's key players returning to the field. First team all-leaguer Shaun Jordan, who batted .357 in league contests with four home runs, will anchor the outfield in center. Alex Verlac (.289 batting average), the team's top pitcher last year, also returns, while infielder Chris Thoryk and catcher Scott Krasinski are multi-year starters. Outfielder Jared Coffin, junior infielder/pitcher Justin Bielby (.388) and sophomore Jesse Siwek, who made an impact after being called up from the JV mid-season, also return.

The Braves may not have the depth to contend for a whole season in the NEMC, but if the pitching comes together and they get contributions from seven newcomers – including five first-time seniors – improving and perhaps playing the spoiler in the league chase are definite possibilities.