Like a lot of years, the baseball teams within the Northern Shores Conference went as their starting pitching took them.
And the top teams of the league had some great arms to lean on.
From Nick Lemieur on NSC champion Harbor Springs and Zach Porter from Kalkaska, to Kingsley’s Barrett Bielas and Boyne City’s Anderson Ward, each brought something that kept them in the NSC race this season.
Now, they all lead the way to all-conference honors from the Northern Shores coaches.
Harbor Springs picked up seven total honorees, while Boyne City had six and Charlevoix, three.
For the Rams, Lemieur led the way in votes, with senior Caiden Phillips and sophomore Thaddeus Cosens also earning first team.
Lemieur, only a junior, finished with 51.2 innings pitched and 10 starts, holding a 0.948 ERA with 63 strikeouts. Batters hit just .182 off him for the season.
He also got it done with the bat, hitting .333 with 26 RBIs and 27 runs scored, to go with 14 steals.
All-Northern Shores Softball:
Phillips was a strong bat in the lineup for the Rams, hitting .397 with seven doubles, 31 RBIs and 35 runs scored. He also drew a team-high 25 walks.
For Cosens, a big year across every sports season in Harbor was capped by a .408 average that also came with 27 RBIs. 32 runs and 19 stolen bases. He also made eight starts on the mound and held a 3.10 ERA.
Boyne City’s first team selections included Anderson Ward and Monte Eaton, both juniors for the Ramblers.
Ward was Boyne’s ace across 50 innings and 10 starts, in which he held together a 1.82 ERA and 54 strikeouts this season. He also batted .306 with 18 RBIs and 17 runs scored.
Eaton held a .270 average with 11 RBIs and 17 runs scored for Boyne.
Charlevoix’s first team selection was senior Max Batkoski Reynolds, who batted an impressive .524 with eight doubles, three triples and two home runs. He drove in 12 and scored 29 runs, while striking out just three times all season.
On second team for Harbor Springs were Ben McShannock and Ryan Novak, both seniors, along with sophomore JJ Spencer.
McShannock and Novak combined for nine starts and held impressive ERA’s on the hill, at 1.75 and 2.43, respectively. Batters also hit just .171 off McShannock.
At the plate, McShannock batted .420 with a team-high 42 hits, 31 RBIs and 38 runs scored, while Novak drove in 19 and scored 25 on a .221 average.
Spencer shined this season with a .350 average, 23 RBIs and 20 runs scored.
Boyne’s second team secretions included senior Jack Paquette and juniors Brayden Joyce and Sullivan Cadarette.
Paquette finished the year batting .283 with 16 RBIs and 19 runs, then Cadarette hit .235 and scored 16 runs. Joyce made five starts and held a 2.56 ERA with 29 strikeouts.
Bo Evans earned second team for Charlevoix as a freshman, batting .281 with 14 runs scored.
The complete list of NSC all-conference baseball players can be found below.
NSC FIRST TEAM
Nick Lemieur, Harbor Springs, Jr.
Caiden Phillips, Harbor Springs, Sr.
Thaddeus Cosens, Harbor Springs, Soph.
Hunter Wilkinson, Kalkaska, Sr.
Zach Porter, Kalkaska, Sr.
Jake Ingersoll, Kalkaksa, Jr.
Nolan Hodges, Kingsley, Jr.
Tyler Dontz, Kingsley, Sr.
Barrett Bielas, Kingsley, Jr.
Anderson Ward, Boyne City, Jr.
Monte Eaton, Boyne City, Jr.
Braden Fluty, Elk Rapids, Sr.
Jayden Hresko, Elk Rapids, Sr.
Nolan Schley, Cheboygan, Sr.
Josh Clark, Cheboygan, Sr.
Austin Schwartz, Grayling, Sr.
Max Huspen, Grayling, Jr.
Max Batkoski Reynolds, Charlevoix, Sr.
NSC SECOND TEAM
Ben McShannock, Harbor Springs, Sr.
Ryan Novak, Harbor Springs, Sr.
JJ Spencer, Harbor Springs, Soph.
Noah Patnode, Kalkaska, Jr.
Easton Stumm, Kalkaska, Soph.
Wyatt Ball, Kalkaska, Soph.
Eric Stark, Kingsley, Soph.
Braden Marsh, Kingsley, Sr.
Jack Paquette, Boyne City, Sr.
Brayden Joyce, Boyne City, Jr.
Sullivan Cadarette, Boyne City, Jr.
Nathan Barton, Elk Rapids, Sr.
Ethan Draper, Elk Rapids, Soph.
Eli Zbytowski, Elk Rapids, Jr.
Charlie Godfrey, Cheboygan, Sr.
Cooper Rutledge, Grayling, Fr.
Bo Evans, Charlevoix, Fr.
NSC HONORABLE MENTION
Greyson Rife, Harbor Springs, Sr.
Nolan Seidelman, Kalkaska, Jr.
Collin McCoy, Kingsley, Jr.
Coleman Paquette, Boyne City, Fr.
Colin McCormack, Elk Rapids, Soph.
Gage Miller, Grayling, Fr.
Brody McGovern, Cheboygan, Soph.
Kayleb McPherson, Charlevoix, Fr.
Reach Sports Editor Drew Kochanny at dkochanny@petoskeynews.com and follow him on X @DrewKochanny and Instagram @drewkochanny
This article originally appeared on The Petoskey News-Review: Aces lead the way in Northern Shores all-conference baseball honors
Reporting by Drew Kochanny, The Petoskey News-Review / The Petoskey News-Review
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Drew Kochanny, The Petoskey News-Review | USA TODAY Network
