The East Grand Rapids Boys Baseball team is back after coming off a strong season last year. The team finished off their season strong, winning the district title. However, the boys have lost a lot of seniors since last season. They lost Tommy Cavanaugh, Luke Bertke, JT Lamange, Scotty Millman, Peter Heintz, and Ben Billo, six of them being starters. Despite this loss, they are still feeling confident about the upcoming season.

“We had a lot of seniors last year, losing seven seniors,” Josh McCune ‘26 said, “but we also have a lot of new talent coming in.”

McCune is a first baseman, who has been on the varsity team since his freshman year.

McCune believes that they will combat their loss of the seniors with their “really good pitching rotation.” Especially with Ryer Olsson ‘26 as starting pitcher, the team is in good shape for another regional title. In practice they have been mostly focusing on their hitting, trying to make sure they have a consistent batting rotation.

“We have a lot of depth this year, along with really good players,” Olsson said.

The difference from last year is that the team is collectively stronger. The team has several good outfield players and an unstoppable infield lineup.

The team is coached by Matt Klein who has been the Assistant Coach for the past four years, and Rob Murray who is the Head Coach and will continue on his second year with the team. Klein played at Hope College and all four years at DeWitt High School. Along with Rob Murrary who played played at Aquinas after his four years of high school baseball.

Some of the team’s notable players include McCune, Daniel Klein ‘25, and Olsson. In fact, amongst the team, a few are taking their talents to the college level. Callan Royce ‘25 is going to play at Kalamazoo Valley Community College next year. Will Hoefer ‘25 will also be bringing his talent to Rollins College in Winter Park, Florida. With this level of depth, the boys are optimistic about making another run at districts.

The boys love their seeds, specifically ranch flavored SMACKIN’ Seeds. Although they do come in a variety pack.

“We definitely have a good shot of making it past districts,” Olsson said.

According to McCune, all the boys need to do is focus on their hitting and embrace their strengths like pitching, and they’ll be golden.

With their first rival game against GRC on April 14, the boys are hard at work as they are looking forward to a great season of wins and bonding.

“I’m looking forward to being around my teammates,” McCune said.

The team is on the right track towards having a successful season. Despite losing a lot of great seniors from last season, the team still has a lot of talent. Going forward into the season, the team is looking forward to another district title.