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Division 4 Team Of The Week: Week 4 - Lutheran Northwest

April 29, 2022
Bruce Hefflinger and Dylan Hefflinger
PBR Michigan Senior Writer and Editor in Chief/Scout

 

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Division 4 Team Of The Week: Week 4 - Lutheran Northwest

ROCHESTER HILLS - No seniors on last year’s team has proven beneficial this season for Lutheran Northwest, the Prep Baseball Report Division 4 Team of the Week.

“Last year really contributed to our successes this year,” noted head coach Nick Capoferi. “We had zero seniors, so all of the guys gained valuable experience. We are returning our entire team, plus a couple of JV guys from last year.”

A senior-heavy team with nine soon to graduate, Lutheran Northwest is off to a 6-1 start including a 14-2 win over Ferndale and 11-0, 11-1 wins over Ann Arbor Greenhills this past week, with the lone loss coming to Algonac.

“Our pitching has been great,” pointed out Capoferi. “Our top four arms are seniors, so I knew it would  be a strength of our team, but I didn’t realize it would be this strong.”

Senior Trevor Capoferi, a St. Clair County Community College commit and the son of the head coach, had his third straight great start on the mound with five one-hit shutout innings against Greenhills with 11 strikeouts and two walks. For the season, the 20th-rated 2022 right-handed pitcher in Michigan has not permitted an earned run while fanning 21 and walking four, allowing six hits in 14 innings.

Another senior, Ryan Toss, had a big weekend going 5-7 with a triple and driving in three to push his season batting average to .400. Sophomore Danny Black sparked the offense in the first game against Greenhills with his first varsity home run.

The top hitter on the team is Eric Helmer, a senior nine-hole hitter averaging .583, with senior Jett Breithaupt hitting .429 in the two-hole.

“Our line up top to bottom has produced,” Capoferi noted. “There is some depth there that has allowed me to play everyone a fair amount. I have confidence in every guy that gets the call for us that day.”

League games against Livonia Clarenceville are on tap this week followed by a game with Marine City Friday and a doubleheader on Saturday at Cranbrook.

“A couple things are keys to continued success,” Capoferi said. “Number one, defensively we have to pick up the ball more consistently. The games we have struggled, it has been on the defensive end.

Number two, we have to continue to throw strikes. We have allowed only 14 walks in 37 innings pitched.

If we can do those two things, we will be tough to beat.”

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