RAVENNA – The Bulldogs hovered around .500 for most of the season last year and found spurts of winning streaks but failed to break the 20-win mark. Now, with some key bats returning as well as junior ace Dylan May on the rubber, Ravenna is gearing up to contend for a conference title.
The 2024 season ended with a district loss to the eventual district champion, Montague.
The district last season for the Bulldogs was extremely tough, with North Muskegon and Montague as the frontrunners. The three will remain in that bracket for the 2025 season, making the regular season games between the teams a good evaluation of where the clubs stand heading into the playoffs.
Ravenna is led by manager Andrew May, who is in his third season leading the charge.
“I am very excited to see the growth this team makes every game. We are somewhat young and not very experienced at pitching, and we will be relying on some guys to make huge jumps this year,” Coach May said.
2024 Season
16-14 record
Lost in the district semifinal
Five all-conference players
2nd in WMC-Rivers
Batting
West Michigan Conference first-teamer Brody Anderson is back for his junior season after solidifying his name as one of the conference’s best last season. Anderson was named an all-conference outfielder a season ago but can play second base well, adding versatility in the starting nine. As a sophomore, Anderson hit .360 and closed the season with a .476 on-base percentage.
“Brody is a gamer who plays extremely hard,” said Coach May.
Backstop Zeke Erler is another bat the Bulldogs will rely on to repeat his all-conference HM production from a year ago. Erler ripped a .300 average and tallied 24 RBIs, as well as playing solid defensively behind the dish.
The Bulldogs will have some fresh faces in the lineup to complement Erler and Anderson.
Pitching
Potentially the best pitcher in the conference and junior flamethrower, Dylan May, returns to be the ace of the staff yet again this season. In 55 innings last season, the righty posted a 1.01 ERA with 91 strikeouts and just 21 walks.
“Dylan will anchor the pitching staff,” Coach May said.
The junior Erler is expected to log many innings this season when he’s not behind the plate. Sophomore Ryley Krepps will be an emerging arm as well off the mound.
“I expect Ryley and Zeke to be key players for us,” said Coach May.
The Bottom Line
After a solid season last year, coach May and his guys will be looking to compete for a conference title. They will need some up-and-coming bats to step up this season, as there are many questions in the lineup leading up to opening day. With May leading the staff, as well as some promising arms in the holster, the staff should be able to play with some of the best.
“We are hoping to compete for a Rivers Conference championship. We also want to keep improving and be playing our best baseball at the end of the season. We have an extremely tough district, and we want to be playing good baseball to be able to compete with the teams in it for the championship,” said Coach May.
2025 Tentative Schedule
3/25 – Vs. Newaygo DH
3/27 – Vs. West Michigan Aviation Academy DH
3/29 – Vs. Zion Christian 4/2 – @ Montague DH
4/16 – Vs. Hart DH
4/18 – @ Muskegon
4/22 – @ Mason County Central DH
4/25 – Vs. Union (Grand Rapids) DH 4/29 – @ Hesperia DH
5/1 – Vs. Western Michigan Christian DH
5/6 – @ North Muskegon DH
5/6 – Vs. North Muskegon DH
5/9 – Vs. Tri-County DH 5/13 – Vs. Shelby DH
5/15 – @ Newaygo DH
5/16 – Vs. Kent City DH
5/20 – Vs. Holton DH
Interested in more content from us? Check out our website catchmarksports.com, our Facebook page, or our YouTube page!
