This past weekend, we saw four coverage area teams claw their way out of the district round. Ludington won its first district since 2006, Fruitport won its second in four seasons, Hart advanced after being heavy underdogs, and West Michigan Christian upset top-ranked North Muskegon in the district final.
These ballclubs will take the field on Wednesday with hopes of continuing their runs throughout the MHSAA tournament, and we are here to break them down matchup by matchup.
Ludington vs. Standish-Sterling at Big Rapids High School, 5 PM
As exciting as it was to see Ludington win its first district title since 2006, they are running into a different kind of beast in Standish-Sterling. The Panthers are 33-4 this season and recently beat Clare (20-11) 1-0 on Saturday. The Orioles will likely see Standish-Sterling’s ace, Preston Kann, who tossed six scoreless innings, allowing just two hits and striking out 14 batters on Saturday. In the Panthers’ district final game against Ogemaw Heights, they tacked on 17 runs on 11 hits through the lineup. Ludington will need to rely on pitching and clean defense, as it will be tough to muster up any kind of offense. On the other side of the spectrum, however, nobody gave the Orioles much of a shot in the district round, and as a team, they are gelling well together and creating tons of momentum heading into the regional round.
Fruitport vs. Sparta at Fremont High School, 5 PM
The Trojans have been one of the best teams in Division Two since the start of the season, and quite frankly, it would be a letdown if they aren’t able to get past Sparta. Unfortunately for them, the Spartans are a sneaky team with some good ballplayers. In the district round, Sparta allowed just three earned runs among the two games played. Tyler Pangborn and Evan Alster lead the heart of the order for the Spartans. Wake Forest commit Ryan Bosch will likely take the hill for Fruitport. Against Oakridge in the district semifinal, Bosch went seven innings, allowing just one hit on zero earned runs while striking out 12 hitters. The Trojans’ lineup may also be one of the best in the state, with multiple guys having hit more than one home run on the season. Many will choose Fruitport to advance, as they should; however, Sparta is one of those teams that, if they can get hot, you better watch out.
Hart vs. Evart at Hart High School, 5 PM
After a sort of rocky start to the season, the Pirates have won four of their last five games, including two this past week in the district round against Hesperia and Mason County Central. Southpaw Ty Schlukebir has been a major part of the run, offensively and from the rubber. In his outing against Hesperia, Schlukebir tossed 6.1 innings, allowing one run on 10 strikeouts. Evart presents two solid arms that they rely on heavily in Brendan Magnusson and Aiden Anderson. The duo split seven innings in the semifinal game on Saturday, with neither giving up an earned run. At the end of the day, I would give the edge to Evart to advance purely on the fact that they are a better-hitting team. Though, if Schlukebir can deal like he has this season, Hart will be playing this Saturday at the regional final.
West Michigan Christian vs. Central Montcalm at Ravenna High School, 4 PM
Once West Michigan Christian defeated North Muskegon on Saturday, the Division Three state title favorites were once again bounced in the district finals. This time, however, North Muskegon’s loss doesn’t look too bad, and WMC is to thank because of it. This Warrior team may be one of the best in program history, with a notable win over Fruitport and now another district title in the trophy room. Ace and cleanup hitter Max Miller is a massive element to this club, with a .439 BA and has pitched 62 innings this season, posting a 2.23 ERA. Against North Muskegon, Miller went 3-4 with two RBIs at the dish and tossed 6.1 innings, allowing two runs while striking out nine batters. Central Montcalm has lost just five games this season, which makes this regional semifinal matchup THE best to attend out of the four in our coverage area.
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Erica Ream
June 4, 2025 at 1:44 pm
Catholic central is also a local team still playing. Not sure why you all never include them in anything!
Conner Raeth
June 4, 2025 at 4:12 pm
Muskegon Catholic was not in our grouping of added schools that we introduced into our, previously Western Michigan Conference Coverage area, earlier this past year. Thus the reason you don’t see them in our content.
Our coverage area currently includes.
– WMC Lakes
– WMC Rivers
– Spring Lake
– Fruitport
– Mona Shores
– Muskegon
– Reeths-Puffer
– Grand Haven
– Western Michigan Christian
As we transition into the new year, that coverage area may have some changes and we will take your feedback into account if we are to add/remove any schools heading into the 25/26 year.
Thanks! – Conner Raeth, Digital Content Lead