GAYLORD ― Another season of baseball has come and gone for the Gaylord area, an eventful 2026 that will, hopefully, be a season all three programs can build upon.
Gaylord (19-13) was a few plays away from a district title game upset against Petoskey, St. Mary (25-6) won a district title with a young, injured roster and JoBurg (1-19-1) showed flashes of what it could become down the road with some more experience. Now, the top players in the area receive recognition for their performances.
Meet the 2026 GHT Baseball All-Area team.
GHT Baseball Player of the Year: Cal Royce, Gaylord St. Mary
An injury may have limited what could’ve been a historic season on the mound for transfer sophomore Cal Royce, but the St. Mary star did more than enough in 2026 to earn the Gaylord Herald Times Baseball Player of the Year, the second-straight sophomore to win the award (Josias Ferrett, 2025).
Royce’s year on the mound ended on May 20, but he still put up some staggering numbers in his 10 appearances and nearly 34 innings of work. He had a 6-0 record and had a save, allowed no earned runs and just seven total hits while striking out 79 batters. He held opposing hitters to a .063 batting average and was nearly unhittable while still available,
He was undoubtedly the area’s top hitter statistically; Royce hit .576 with 53 total hits, 10 doubles, 5 triples and 4 home runs, 55 RBIs and 56 runs scored.
Just a sophomore, GSM’s three-sport star has proved himself as one of the area’s top athletes in his first full year as a Snowbird. If he can stay healthy, there is no telling where a player as talented as Royce may end up.
All-area first team
Pitcher: Tanner Basinski, JoBurg
Despite a 1-3 overall record on the mound, Basinski led the area with 101 total strikeouts. The JLHS senior leader had a 2.71 earned run average and hit .355 with 22 total hits.
Catcher: Zayden Mullins, Gaylord
A transfer catcher, Mullins hit .378 with 34 hits, 25 RBIs and 23 runs scored. He also caught 12 runners stealing.
First base: Josias Ferrett, Gaylord
Ferrett was Gaylord’s top hitter again, hitting .383 with 36 total hits, 8 doubles and 6 triples. He scored a team leading 40 runs and added 12 RBIs.
Second base: Jacob Jones, Gaylord
Jones played second, third and the outfield for Gaylord, hitting .279 with 24 hits, 24 runs scored and 19 RBIs.
Shortstop: Eli Switalski, Gaylord St. Mary
Switalski took a step up as an everyday shortstop, hitting .374 with 34 hits, 3 doubles and 2 triples with 49 runs scored and 21 RBIs.
Third base: Peyton Basinski, JoBurg
Mainly a catcher, Basinski spent some time at third base and deserves a spot on the first team, leading JL with a .358 batting average, adding 14 runs scored and 12 RBIs.
Outfield: Cal Royce, Gaylord St. Mary
The GHT Player of the Year hit .576 with 53 total hits, 10 doubles, 5 triples and 4 home runs, 55 RBIs and 56 runs scored.
Outfield: Brady Shepherd, Gaylord
Shepherd had a great senior season, hitting .379 with 36 hits, 8 doubles, 3 triples and a home run. He also split innings with Ferrett, going 5-3 overall with 58 strikeouts.
Outfield: Joe Jacobson, Gaylord St. Mary
A rising star atop the GSM lineup, Jacobson hit .354 with 28 hits, 27 RBIs and 47 runs scored.
Utility: Logan Greenier, Gaylord St. Mary
Greenier was yet again a threat in the middle of GSM’s lineup, hitting .464 with 32 hits, 9 doubles and 3 home runs. He added 39 RBIs and 30 runs scored as well.
Honorable mentions
Charlie Cameron, St. Mary
Lucas Greenier, St. Mary
Sam Kuznicki, St. Mary
Beau Boulter, Gaylord
Darius Ferrett, Gaylord
Finn Miller, Gaylord
Ben Wagner, JoBurg
Cash Cunningham, JoBurg
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: St. Mary’s Cal Royce wins Player of the Year, leads All Area baseball
Reporting by Dylan Jespersen, The Petoskey News-Review / The Petoskey News-Review
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Dylan Jespersen, The Petoskey News-Review | USA TODAY Network
