GAYLORD ― According to the schedule, we’re just days away from the beginning of the high school baseball season.
The weather may not be ready to comply with the spring sports season but, soon enough, teams around Otsego County will be hitting the diamonds to begin a highly anticipated 2025 season. After relatively successful seasons for all three area teams in 2024 and the amount of talented players returning has people excited for what could be in store this season.
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Who will be the top players from Gaylord, St. Mary and JoBurg to watch? Here’s our preseason list:
Brennan Radulski, Catcher, Gaylord
The catcher position was possibly the most loaded with talent for Gaylord-area teams last season, with each team having an all-conference caliber player starting behind the dish. Junior Brennan Radulski was a standout among those talented players in 2024, and enters as one of the top players returning for the Blue Devils this season.
He wrapped last season with a .414 batting average and 26 RBIs offensively while catching 11 runners stealing.
Daniel Jacobson, SS, Gaylord St. Mary
The Gaylord Herald Times Player of the Year for both football and basketball, St. Mary’s top male athlete is one of the top returning players in the Gaylord area. He hit for a .360 average, 28 runs scored and 7 RBIs.
Rylan Rosso, Infield, Johannesburg-Lewiston
Rosso broke onto the scene last season as one of the top hitters in the Ski Valley Conference last season, hitting for a .440 average with 33 hits, 33 RBIs and 20 runs scored.
Lucas Green, SS, Gaylord
An Albion College commit, senior Lucas Green was an All-Big North first-team selection in 2024 after hitting for a .333 average with 28 total hits, 20 runs scored and 7 stolen bases.
Collin Lake, Catcher, Johannesburg-Lewiston
Another talented catcher returning, JoBurg’s Collin Lake hit for a .398 average with a team-high 35 hits as well as 15 RBIs as a junior.
Noah Vanderveer, P/1B, Gaylord
One of the top pitchers returning to any area team this season, Vanderveer posted a 5-3 record with a 2.66 earned run average while striking out 49 batters in 50 innings pitched. He also hit .342 with 27 hits and 16 RBIs.
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: Who are the Gaylord-area baseball players to watch in 2025?
Reporting by Dylan Jespersen, The Petoskey News-Review / The Petoskey News-Review
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