Casey Goetz somehow went unnoticed.
While the rest of the Birmingham Seaholm baseball team jogged to center field to snap a photo in front of the scoreboard after an 8-1 win over rival Birmingham Groves on April 30, Goetz hung back in the dugout, waiting for the coast to clear.
The senior grabbed the Maples’ orange water bucket and crept toward the outfield, tiptoeing behind first-year coach Mike Nahtygal. Just as Nahtygal turned to face photographer Chris Vecchio, Goetz sprinted up and dumped what was left of the ice water all over his back.
Seaholm (9-10-2) was celebrating Nahtygal’s first series win over Groves, but the splash felt like a turning point.
Nahtygal is the program’s third coach in as many seasons as it searches for stability. Former coach John Toth Jr. led the Maples to their first Division 1 district title in 35 years in 2024 but stepped down after a regional final loss to eventual state runner-up Brother Rice.
It’s been an up-and-down start for Nahtygal on Cranbrook Road, including error-filled losses where the Maples couldn’t keep pace, like an 8-5 loss to Groves on April 27. But they’ve since responded, beating the Falcons in back-to-back games, including an 18-2 win on April 28, to knot the series.
Winning the deciding third game might prove that the future is bright.
“To really come back and make a statement after giving away Game 1, when a couple of errors didn’t go our way, and we make a couple of mistakes, we really showed everybody that we are here to play hard,” Nahtgyal said. “When we’re on our game, we’re a really hard team to beat.”
After allowing a run in the first inning of Game 3, Seaholm settled in and scored five runs in the second to take control.
And the big plays kept coming.
Ian Glass took the mound with the bases loaded in the fourth and escaped without allowing a run.
Ian Evert blasted a two-run home run to left-center in the bottom of the fourth, adding to the lead.
Then the defense handled the rest, holding Groves scoreless over the final three innings.
“We had a fire lit inside of us,” said Evert, a junior Orchard Lake St. Mary’s transfer who had two hits and three RBIs. “We really wanted to get that series. Went out there with some flame and some intent and were ready to play.”
Winning back-to-back against their rivals snapped a four-game losing streak and marked just the second time they’ve won two straight.
Some of that comes from adjusting to Nahtygal, who arrived from Grosse Pointe North and is still getting to know his new players.
But it also comes from the team settling into roles and starting to put it together. A month and a half into the season, the Maples finally look ready to compete every day.
“We’ve had a lot of ups and downs, a lot of Jekyll and Hyde,” Nahtygal said. “We’ve had days where we’ve put up 12 runs, and then there are other days where we’re going to have six errors. Once we start putting it all together by the end of the year when districts come up, it doesn’t matter what our record is. As long as you’re playing baseball at the right time, we’re going to go far.”
Seaholm wants to keep it going, especially with a doubleheader at Grosse Pointe South and Grosse Pointe North this weekend.
What better way to keep the streak alive than beating Nahtygal’s former team and rival in one trip to the east side?
“It’s a big weekend, and I’m really excited to get back after it with these guys,” Nahtygal said. “I want to show them where I came from, and I’m just excited to keep the energy and their buy-in going. For the seniors to come in with another new coach, their third in three years, and to buy in and listen to what I’ve been saying and get behind me and continue to push the team in the right direction, it’s been huge.”
Also helping close out the series was Aaron Van De Mark, who had two hits and an RBI, Casey Goetz, who drove in a run, Dylan Furlani, who had two hits and scored twice, and pitcher Liami McDonald, who struck out six and allowed one run on one hit in 3 1/3 innings.
“We’ve been pouring it on this week,” Evert said. “We had a fire lit inside of us and have been ready to play, ready to get this series. I think we’re going to carry the momentum through this weekend into the rest of the season. Everybody loves Nahty. He’s a great guy, a great coach and relatable. The guys love him, and we have no complaints at all.”
Brandon Folsom covers high school sports in metro Detroit for Hometown Life. Follow him on his new X.com account at @folsomwrites.
This article originally appeared on Hometownlife.com: Birmingham Seaholm baseball hits turning point with new coach
Reporting by Brandon Folsom, Hometownlife.com / Hometownlife.com
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
