Whenever a Livingston County baseball player’s name is mentioned in the same breath as Drew Henson’s, he’s done something special.
Howell senior Danny Hampton has become the first player to make the all-Livingston County baseball first team four times since Henson starred for Brighton from 1995-98. Henson was a four-time Player of the Year who played briefly for the New York Yankees and was also an NFL quarterback.
Following is the 2026 all-county baseball team:
Michael Bernardi
► School: Hartland
► Class: Senior
► Position: Pitcher
► Accomplishments: Bernardi was as clutch an athlete as there’s been in recent years. After having several big moments during Hartland’s run to the state championship in 2025, he pitched a shutout against Novi in the KLAA championship game, had a walk-off single to beat Brighton in pre-districts and pitched a one-hitter to beat state-ranked Okemos in the district semifinals. He had a 1.50 ERA and 50 strikeouts, leading the county with seven victories.
Nick Brevik
► School: Brighton
► Class: Senior
► Position: Pitcher
► Accomplishments: Brevik didn’t allow a run in four of his nine starts, including in three straight starts against Plymouth, Novi and Northville. He had a 2.10 ERA, struck out 41 and allowed a batting average of .194.
Aden Bailey
► School: Brighton
► Class: Senior
► Position: Catcher
► Accomplishments: Bailey made first-team all-state in Division 1 after hitting .404 to rank fourth in the county. He was second in the area with 33 RBIs and tied for first with four triples.
Dylan Crowe
► School: Hartland
► Class: Junior
► Position: Infielder
► Accomplishments: Crowe made the Division 1 all-state first team one year after being a driving force behind Hartland’s state championship run. He ranked third in the county with a .418 average and led the area with 46 runs, 33 steals and a 0.98 ERA.
Brogan Forney
► School: Howell
► Class: Junior
► Position: Infielder
► Accomplishments: Forney hit .292 as Howell’s lead-off hitter, scoring 20 runs and driving in 15. His defense at third base set him apart from candidates with better offensive numbers.
Danny Hampton
► School: Howell
► Class: Senior
► Position: Infielder
► Accomplishments: Hampton became the county’s first Dream Team all-stater since 2019 and the first .500 hitter since 2011. He hit .500 exactly, going 53-for-106. Hampton also tied for first in the county with 15 doubles, four triples and five home runs. He was third with 28 runs batted in and 40 runs. Hampton was chosen the Most Valuable Player for the West team in the Michigan High School Baseball Coaches’ Association All-Star Game at Comerica Park.
Ben Holster
► School: Brighton
► Class: Senior
► Position: Infielder
► Accomplishments: Holster hit .353 and ranked fifth in the county with 27 RBIs. He hit seven doubles and two home runs, scoring 20 times.
Alex Larson
► School: Brighton
► Class: Junior
► Position: Outfielder
► Accomplishments: A three-year varsity starter, Larson tied for fourth in the county with a .404 batting average. He drove in 24 runs, scored 19 runs, and had eight doubles, two triples and 11 steals. He struck out 28 batters in 31 innings.
Preston Spisz
► School: Hartland
► Class: Senior
► Position: Outfielder
► Accomplishments: Spisz is the only athlete to make first-team all-county in football and baseball in 2025-26. He hit .370, was second in the county with 41 runs and tied for third with 24 steals.
Henry Taube
► School: Pinckney
► Class: Senior
► Position: Outfielder
► Accomplishments: Taube led the county with 42 RBIs and tied for first in homers (5), triples (4) and doubles (15). He hit .355 and scored 30 runs. Three of his home runs came in a doubleheader sweep of Ann Arbor Huron in which she had the game-winning triple in the eighth.
Brady Hamilton
► School: Howell
► Class: Senior
► Position: Utility
► Accomplishments: Coming off Tommy John surgery, Hamilton could only hit for Howell this season until taking the mound for the regional semifinals against Dexter. His bat proved to be valuable for the Highlanders. He was sixth in the county with a .389 average, tied for third with 28 RBIs and was second with 31 steals.
Second team
P, Owen Zylka, Pinckney, Sr.
P, Graysen Lesniak, Howell, Fr.
C, Easton McGlothin, Pinckney, Fr.
IF, Tyler Decheim, Hartland, Soph.
IF, Chase Inge, Brighton, Sr.
IF, Jax Raymond, Pinckney, Jr.
IF, Luke Ribble, Brighton, Sr.
OF, Ryan Cleary, Howell, Jr.
OF, Josh Metz, Brighton, Sr.
OF, Owen Putnam, Pinckney, Sr.
Honorable mention
Brighton: Shane Bittikofer (Jr.), Nick Farney (Soph.), Nate Houck (Fr.). Charyl Stockwell: Cole Dryer (Soph.), Ryan Eikey (Soph.). Fowlerville: Erik Helminen (Sr.), Dylan Soli (Sr.). Howell: Johnny Cove (Sr.), Nick Myers (Sr.). Pinckney: Aidan Furtak (Sr.).
Contact Bill Khan at wkhan@livingstondaily.com. Follow him on X @BillKhan
This article originally appeared on Livingston Daily: Meet the 2026 all-Livingston County baseball team
Reporting by Bill Khan, Livingston Daily / Livingston Daily
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By Bill Khan, Livingston Daily | USA TODAY Network
