ONSTED — Detroit Edison baseball is no stranger to making playoff runs into June.
Edison has made two runs to the Division 3 state semifinals since 2022, including a trip two years ago.
But most of these 2026 Pioneers are experiencing firsts together – 11 of the 15 current Pioneers were not on the roster then, due to a young roster makeup and a few players who sat out in 2025 after transferring.
“For 11 of our guys, this was their first district championship we won,” Edison baseball coach Mark Brown said. “This is a relatively new group. Five freshmen, three juniors, seven seniors. It’s relatively new for most of them.”
The young group has started to mesh at the right time. Edison (21-9) sits two wins away from their third trip to East Lansing in five seasons, after beating Onsted 7-1 in a Division 3 regional semifinal on Wednesday, June 3. They will face Jonesville on Saturday (10 a.m.) in the Division 3 regional final at Plymouth Christian Academy.
Edison cruised to victory with some of its core tenets flourishing late in the season. Eight players recorded a hit, and every player who had a plate appearance reached base in a well-balanced effort. Senior righty Jamir Campbell, a Southern University commit, was efficient and dominant across 5⅔ innings.
Campbell struck out 10 batters while allowing one unearned run before departing to prepare for another outing on Saturday. He recorded at least two strikeouts in four innings, relying on a heavy diet of sharp fastballs for outs.
“The fastball was hitting the zone consistently, blowing past hitters,” Campbell said. “Curveball was also working to keep hitters off balance. I felt great today. It was a great day for baseball. The arm felt great and everything was moving fluently.”
He also produced the longest hit of the day. Campbell led off the third inning with a laser down the left field line. The ball hit the top of the fence next to the foul pole for a double. He scored two batters later.
“I thought I got [a home run],” Campbell said.
While he carved up Onsted’s hitters, Edison’s lineup found success from top to bottom. In addition to at least one hit apiece from eight players, the Pioneers worked seven walks to keep up a constant pressure on the basepaths.
“In state championship baseball, the team that hits the baseball is gonna be the team that wins,” Brown said. “We want to get in the box and be aggressive.”
Campbell and lefty senior David Hemphill have been a stellar combination at the top of Edison’s rotation against a tough schedule. The two make up half of the Edison players who partook in the 2024 run to the state semis.
Campbell, Hemphill, first baseman JonTae Wright and second baseman Jerrell Crosson are the veterans who have established a winning identity over the back half of the season. Edison is 10-3 over the past three weeks, including a current four-game winning streak.
“As the season progressed, we’ve gotten closer and closer,” Brown said. “They are working together and playing for each other. We are playing our best baseball at the right time.”
There will be a quick turnaround Saturday. If Edison wins, the Pioneers would advance to the Division 3 quarterfinals later that day against the winner of Jackson Lumen Christi and Plymouth Christian Academy. Lumen Christi reached the semifinals in 2024 and Plymouth Christian reached the Division 4 state championship game in 2025.
“It’s gonna be tough on Saturday, but we have our two big guys [Campbell and Hemphill] going, so we feel pretty good,” Brown said. “But we have to take it one game at a time.”
Edison sits four wins away from an elusive goal. No public school from Detroit has ever won a state baseball title. Edison was one win away in 2022 and two in 2024. They are confident about another trip with this group.
“It will take all of us to get where we want to be,” Campbell said.
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Jared Ramsey covers high school sports for the Detroit Free Press. Contact him at jramsey@freepress.com.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Jamir Campbell provides veteran presence for surging Detroit Edison baseball
Reporting by Jared Ramsey, Detroit Free Press / Detroit Free Press
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By Jared Ramsey, Detroit Free Press | USA TODAY Network
