PETOSKEY — It might be easy to believe that Petoskey senior Tyler Pool had a look around on day one of tryouts and wondered who everyone was.
The lone starter back from a team loaded with seniors and talent a year ago, Pool, however, didn’t have that thought.
Over the course of the offseason, so much work had been put in with guys that would become his new teammates that there was no need for introductions come March.
“Just working out all winter, I knew who I was going to be with,” Pool said. “Last year was definitely a heartbreaker in regionals. This year, the goal was to be the same confident team we are, with new guys.”
Despite turnover at every position and a new head coach and staff, Petoskey baseball has indeed been that same confident group.
It’s hard not to be with a 20-7 record and a team average north of .350 heading into the Division 2 postseason.
The season has come with challenges, of course, but Pool likes how the team has responded to them, overcome and continued to progress.
“We’ve had injuries, a lot of them, and we’re working through that and catching our stride,” he said. “When we have a good game, we have a great game.”
There were a pair of great games Thursday, May 21, as Pool and fellow PHS seniors wrapped up their final Big North games at Turcott Field with a sweep over Gaylord, winning 14-4 and 11-3.
It helped build a 9-3 record in the Big North for the season, along with those 20 wins overall.
Pool’s day came with a 5-for-8 line with a double, four runs scored, four RBIs, 2 1/3 shutout innings pitched, no hits allowed and two strikeouts.
It’s been a season where Pool has felt loose and relaxed on the field, hitting to the tune of a .434 average, with nine doubles, 24 RBIs and 16 runs scored. He’s also led in innings pitched with 31, held a 1.13 ERA and struck out 27.
“I’m just trying to stay consistent as possible,” Pool said. “I have good game, I have bad games, but the goal was to make sure I’m doing my best to make sure we win and I’m giving everything I’ve got.”
In a season that was expected to be a transition year for the program, it’s taken some pressure off on the field.
“Last season we were all really tight, we had to make every play and there was pressure,” Pool said. “But, we won. This year, we’re loose, we have fun, we chirp and we hit the ball.”
While there are a number of underclassmen excelling for the Northmen, from Tate Russell and Zach Wodek to Parker Ward and Brock Jeffers, there are also seniors stepping up all around Pool.
Many of the seniors entered the year unknown to most, having played JV just to see action as juniors.
“They took the opportunity to play and balled out,” Pool said. “I know they played summer ball. Like our catcher, Beckett (Blake), he took full advantage of it. He probably had one of the best starts to a summer ball season I’v ever seen. It’s the greatest thing in the world to have a catcher that can rip the ball.”
Blake has continued to hit over .300 this season with 20 RBIs, Jonah Mattingly has been dominant on the mound, then Elijah Young, Mateo Lange and Fred Hollerback all offer something to the lineup.
Petoskey will get in one final series before postseason play begins, welcoming Frankenmuth, Swan Valley and Standish-Sterling to Turcott Field for the annual Memorial Day tourney Saturday.
Then, it’s onto the best time of the year according to Pool.
The 2025 postseason brought another trip into regionals and even Pool’s first varsity homer during districts a year ago, to go with then five over the summer. But, that’s in the past for now.
“I’m not too worried about the long ball right now,” Pool said with a smile. “As long as I keep hitting gap shots and serving up infield base hits and hitting the holes, I’m plenty fine with that. We’ve got a great weekend tourney coming up and then playoffs and that’s the best part of the year.”
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: Petoskey’s Tyler Pool playing loose, letting it rip in final baseball run
Reporting by Drew Kochanny, The Petoskey News-Review / The Petoskey News-Review
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