Bobby Griffon put up solid numbers as a hitter, but maybe not statistics that capture the attention of all-state baseball voters when sorting through the top Division 1 infielders in Michigan.
It was on defense that Griffon set himself apart.
Hartland won the state Division 1 championship in large part because of its ability to limit opposing offenses with its pitching and defense.
As the Eagles’ starting shortstop, Griffon was a major reason for that aspect of the Eagles’ success.
As a result, he is one of three Livingston County players to be chosen first-team all-state by the Michigan High School Baseball Coaches Association.
Griffon made only one error in 26 chances in seven postseason games and just two errors in 71 chances in his final 22 games. He was Hartland’s third-leading hitter with a .340 average, driving in 25 runs and scoring 25.
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He made seven errors all season, turned 13 double plays and had a .951 fielding percentage.
“At those state meetings, they’re looking at stats on paper and what coaches have seen,” said Hartland coach Brad Guenther, who was chosen the Division 1 Coach of the Year. “The one thing I mentioned to Bobby is he actually made a huge impact in actual play. He’s a special player, a special defender. His defense is something I’ll never forget. To me, it’s some of the best shortstop I’ve seen in my life.”
Also making the first team were Brighton senior pitcher Andrew Everson in Division 1 and Pinckney senior catcher Evan McGlothin in Division 2.
Everson posted an 8-1 record with a 1.55 earned run average as a senior, striking out 100 batters and walking only 15 in 72 ⅓ innings. In two varsity seasons, he was 15-3 with 169 strikeouts and 28 walks in 140 ⅓ innings.
He was also a regular in the batting lineup this season, hitting .333 with two homers and a team-high 34 RBIs. Everson will pitch for Michigan State University.
“Every time he was on the mound, we felt like he would give us a chance to win and he did,” Brighton coach Charlie Christner said. “He did that for two years, this year even more so in the batter’s box hitting fourth for us. I don’t want to say he was our team, but he was a huge part of it this year. It’s going to be a big loss we’ll have to fill for next year.”
McGlothin is the first Livingston County player to make first-team all-state twice since Hartland pitcher John Baker was a two-time Dream Team selection in 2015 and 2016. McGlothin and Baker are the county’s only two-time first-team all-staters in the past 35 seasons.
McGlothin was the second-leading hitter in the county with a .430 average. He finished in the top four in the county each of the past three seasons, taking first with a .396 average as a sophomore and fourth with a .398 average as a junior.
He hit two home runs and drove in 25 runs, striking out only five times in 118 plate appearances.
“He’s a four-year varsity guy who consistently hit in the mid-.400s for us,” Pinckney coach Bill Cortez said. “He hit for power, hit for average. Defensively, he won countless pitches for us. It’s hard to replace his leadership and his ability, but he had a great four years for us.”
Earning second-team all-state were Hartland senior outfielder Michael Zielinski and Howell senior catcher JT Thomas in Division 1.
Zielinski was 8-1 on the mound with a 1.44 ERA and hit .379 as Hartland’s lead-off hitter.
Thomas was third in the county and first among Division 1 players with a .429 batting average.
Contact Bill Khan at wkhan@gannett.com. Follow him on X @BillKhan
This article originally appeared on Livingston Daily: Three Livingston County baseball players make first-team all-state
Reporting by Bill Khan, Livingston Daily / Livingston Daily
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