For the final time for the 2025-26 school year, we’ve reached the postseason for Michigan High School Sports.
Districts begin next week for baseball and softball teams across the state, with first round games scheduled for Tuesday, May 26 and finals being held from Thursday, May 28 to Saturday, May 30. Gaylord, Gaylord St. Mary and Johannesburg-Lewiston baseball all have district title hopes, but each has a unique path to take towards a title.
Who has the best chance to claim a trophy this week? Check out our breakdowns of MHSAA baseball districts for Gaylord-area squads this week.
Gaylord, Division 2, District 34 (Gaylord Host)
First round, Tuesday, May 26: Petoskey vs. Sault Ste. Marie, 4 p.m.
Semifinals-Finals, Saturday, May 30: Sault/Petoskey vs. Cheboygan, 11 a.m.; Gaylord vs, Grayling, 1:30 p.m.
Outlook: Like most years, all eyes are on the Blue Devils and the Northmen in this district bracket.
Gaylord (17-11) and Petoskey (21-7) are the favorites to make it to Saturday’s title game, going up collectively against three teams in Grayling (9-17), Sault (13-17) and Cheboygan (5-19) that have struggled to stay above the .500 mark throughout the 2026 season.
Now, who will have the advantage in a classic rivalry matchup on the diamond?
History points to the Northmen, both in recent history (Petoskey swept Gaylord on May 21) and over the past few years. However, neither team threw the player they would likely throw in a winner-take-all, championship matchup, meaning we still haven’t seen what this matchup will look like on Saturday, May 30.
If Gaylord can save ace junior Josias Ferrett for the title game, it certainly has to feel better about its chances. Its No. 1 has been doing well over the past month, striking out 10+ batters in his last four starts.
Still, this feels like Petoskey’s bracket to lose, even with Gaylord’s home-field advantage.
Prediction: Petoskey def. Gaylord in final, 5-2.
Gaylord St. Mary baseball, Division 4, District 103 (Bellaire host)
First round, Tuesday, May 26: Ellsworth vs. Central Lake, 4 p.m.; Bellaire vs. East Jordan, 5:30 p.m.
Semifinals-Finals, Saturday, May 30: Ellsworth/Central Lake vs. Boyne Falls, 4 p.m.; Gaylord St. Mary vs. Bellaire/East Jordan, 12 p.m.
Outlook: No. 18 Gaylord St. Mary is finally receiving recognition for what has been an outstanding regular season, sitting at 20-3 overall heading into a doubleheader on Tuesday, May 26, that will decide the fate of the Ski Valley Conference.
This should be GSM’s district to lose, but the spring postseason can throw any number of curveballs at even the most experienced of coaches.
GSM already has sweeps of Bellaire and East Jordan on its résumé and, at full-strength, would be considered the favorite against Ellsworth, Central Lake or Boyne Falls. We will see if the Snowbirds can get to Saturday at full-strength.
Prediction: St. Mary def. Ellsworth in final, 10-0.
Johannesburg-Lewiston baseball, Division 4, District 101 (Hillman host)
First round, Tuesday, May 26: Onaway vs. Posen, 3 p.m.; JoBurg vs. Atlanta, 5 p.m.
Semifinals-Finals, Saturday, May 30: Onaway/Posen vs. Hillman, 10 a.m.; JoBurg/Atlanta vs. Rogers City, 12 p.m.
Outlook: It has been a rebuilding year for Johannesburg-Lewiston baseball.
Sporting a young roster, JoBurg (3-18-1, 3-13 SVC) has struggled in Ski Valley Conference play this season and heads into a very tough district bracket that includes a Division 4 state title contender in No. 8 Rogers City (23-7) and a consistently tough program in Hillman (18-9).
The Cardinals have a winnable game against Atlanta in round one, but whoever wins that matchup will have an uphill battle against Rogers City in the semifinals.
Prediction: Rogers City def. Hillman in final, 7-1.
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: Breakdowns, predictions for Gaylord-area baseball districts
Reporting by Dylan Jespersen, The Petoskey News-Review / The Petoskey News-Review
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