BELLAIRE ― The future is bright, Snowbird baseball fans.
The ceiling for the Gaylord St. Mary baseball program seemed to be rising after a late run in the 2025 season, taking an up-and-down team in the regular season all the way to the state quarterfinals in the Division 4 playoffs. That team, led mainly by freshmen and sophomores, gained valuable experience and confidence in high-stakes moments.
Now, they are starting to capitalize on that experience.
GSM (25-5) started its postseason journey off with two victories, defeating Bellaire 17-11 and Ellsworth 13-7 to secure the Snowbirds’ second consecutive district championship and its 12th in 22 years.
St. Mary trailed Bellaire 3-1 heading into the top of the fifth when their bats finally took over, using four hits, two errors and a hit by pitch to score eight runs, taking a 9-3 lead that they would never relinquish. Eli Switalski had four hits with a double, two RBIs and three runs scored for GSM, leading the offense.
The Snowbirds defeated Ellsworth for the second time in seven days in the championship game, taking a 4-0 lead in the first inning and never looking back. Joe Jacobson, Cal Royce and Logan Greenier had three hits apiece, with Greenier adding two doubles and three RBIs.
GSM will play Mio at 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday, June 3 at Craven Park in Bellaire, Mich. The winner of that game will face either Painesdale Jeffers or Felch North Dickinson for the regional championship, the Snowbirds hoping to win their second-straight regional title as well.
The Snowbirds’ softball team concluded its season on Friday, May 29, falling to Inland Lakes 11-1 in a district semifinal.
Gaylord softball wins a sixth-straight district title
SAULT STE MARIE ― Gaylord softball reigns again, winning its sixth straight district title with victories over Sault Ste Marie and Petoskey on Thursday, May 28.
Three players had three hits in the Blue Devils 19-3 victory over Sault Ste Marie in the district semifinals. Nora Bethuy had a double, three RBIS and four runs scored, Lily Ryckman-Hall homered and had three RBIs and four runs scored and Brooke Waren had a double, three RBIs and two runs scored. Makayla Kozlowski got the win in the circle while adding two hits, two RBIs and three runs of her own.
Bethuy pitched the title game against Petoskey, striking out nine Northmen batters in one of her best performances of the season. Kozlowski had a three-hit game in the final with a double, an RBI and two runs scored, and Ryckman-Hall homered again with two RBIs and three runs scored.
Gaylord will take on Shepherd in the regional semifinals at 11 a.m. on Saturday, June 6, with the winner to face either Ogemaw Heights or Negaunee in the finals.
Gaylord baseball falls in district finals thriller with Petoskey
GAYLORD ― In close baseball games, one or two plays can end up making an impact on the final score. In the end of the District 34 finals against Petoskey on Saturday, May 30, it was a lot of little things that led up to an eventful seventh inning and eventual 4-2 Northmen victory, ending the Blue Devils season.
Junior Josias Ferrett was elite in his five innings on the mound, allowing two earned runs while striking out eight Petoskey batters. Once he reached the 105 pitch limit, however, Petoskey’s offense took advantage, loading the bases in the seventh before back-to-back errors scored the go-ahead and game-sealing runs.
Senior Brady Shepherd led the GHS offense, going 3-for-3 with a double and an RBI in his final game as a Blue Devil.
Gaylord (19-13) wraps its season short of a district title while Petoskey (24-8) advances to a seventh-straight regional semifinal game.
JoBurg baseball, softball fall in district semis
HILLMAN ― The Johannesburg-Lewiston baseball and softball teams have been on different paths throughout 2026, with a young group of baseball players looking to gain valuable experience for the future while the softball team looked to compete for a conference and district title.
In the end, however, both teams’ seasons came to an end in the same round and same place, falling in district semifinal matchups in Hillman on Saturday, May 30, the softball team falling late to No. 2 Hillman and the baseball team being defeated by No. 9 Rogers City.
JL softball (24-9) was in a tie game in the fifth inning when an error opened the floodgates for Hillman, the Tigers scoring five runs to take a 5-1 lead. JoBurg countered with two runs in the top of the sixth, but Hillman pitcher Gretchen Weiland shut them down from there, finishing the game with 12 strikeouts as the Tigers finished off the 5-3 victory.
Junior Ashlynn Burke allowed no earned runs and held Hillman to three total hits, striking out four.
JL baseball (5-19-1), meanwhile, managed just two hits in five innings against Rogers City, falling 18-1 to conclude a rocky season. Tanner Basinski and Nick Theil had a hit apiece.
Contact GHT Sports Editor Dylan Jespersen at Djespersen@gaylordheraldtimes.com. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @dylanjespersen, and Instagram, @dylanjespersen
This article originally appeared on The Petoskey News-Review: Here’s how Gaylord area baseball and softball teams fared at districts
Reporting by Dylan Jespersen, The Petoskey News-Review / The Petoskey News-Review
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
