BATTLE CREEK – Lakeview is one of the few teams in the area to have won three state championships in baseball.
And, that seems like something to celebrate.
The Spartans will do just that by honoring those three state title teams at the Lakeview Invitational on Saturday, April 25 at Lakeview High School.
“It’s pretty cool that we are a school that has three of those, not many schools can say that,” said Lakeview baseball coach Kyle Kracht.
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Lakeview will be celebrating the 40th anniversary of the 1986 state championship team. It has been 26 years since the Spartans won the state title in 2000 and it is the 20th anniversary of the 2006 championship squad. Lakeview is inviting members of all three of those teams back for the Lakeview Invitational this weekend, along with any other baseball alumni wanting to return for the celebration.
Kracht was an assistant coach on the 2006 team and as a 1998 graduate of Lakeview, he played with several of the members of the 2000 team.
“It’s hard to wrap your head around the fact that it’s been that long for some of those teams. Seems like it just happened,” Kracht said.
Butch Perry, who along with longtime assistant Tom Bommersbach, led those earlier Lakeview teams is excited for the reunion and hopes that any former Spartan player shows up, not just the ones on those state title teams.
“When we won that first state title that was a big step forward for us. After that we were pretty good every year and expected to be and most of the time we were,” Perry said. “Coming back to celebrate those teams is something very special. It’s not something we every thought we’d be doing when we first started, but that’s how it happened.
“Just looking forward to seeing all of those players come back. It will be a good time.”
There is a spaghetti dinner fundraiser scheduled for Friday night. The games on Saturday will also include Marshall and Olivet, starting at 10 a.m. There is also a plan for a golf outing, or to have a get together on the field on Sunday for anyone who wants to throw a baseball around or share some old stories.
“My favorite part of being the head coach now is when former players come back and say hi, or maybe come out to help us out,” Kracht said. “In the end, that’s why we do it. It’s nice to win, and to win state championships, but it is mostly about relationships and being part of this program, being part of something we all love.”
Contact Bill Broderick at bbroderi@battlecreekenquirer.com. Follow him on X/Twitter @billbroderick.
This article originally appeared on Battle Creek Enquirer: Lakeview baseball celebrating state titles, including 40th anniversary of 1986 squad
Reporting by Bill Broderick, Battle Creek Enquirer / Battle Creek Enquirer
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