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PBR Michigan Division 3 Team Of The Week - Blissfield

BLISSFIELD - Two wins over defending league champion Dundee has Blissfield at 11-1 on the season and with it the honor of being named the Prep Baseball Report Division 3 Team of the Week in Michigan.

“Offensively we had struggled but we picked it up this week,” explained long-time head coach Larry Tuttle, who enters this week’s action 19 victories away from 1,300 in his career.

The one-two punch of Division I recruits Gavin Ganun and Zack Horky (Video) lead the Royals. Both sophomores, Ganun is ranked 12th in the state’s 2021 class while Horky is rated 14th.

“Those two kids are men among boys,” Tuttle said of the duo, Ganun a center fielder who also plays shortstop when regular shortstop Ty Wyman pitches, and Horky a standout catcher who keys a defense that has been stellar to date.

“We’re still learning to play the game,” noted Tuttle, who starts a lineup featuring three juniors and four sophomores. “We’re struggling at times, but the biggest improvement we’ve made so far is our concentration level and doing the things we have to do. It really started showing this week.

“The thing that’s gotten us to where we’re at is defense,” continued Tuttle, whose team is ranked 19th in the state’s power poll. “Our goal is two errors or less every game and on Saturday we had one error in two games. This is one of the better fielding teams I’ve had the opportunity to work with, even though we’re so young. We’re at .960 on defense and I’m very proud with that.”

Horky’s ability as a catcher has been a gigantic key when it comes to team defense and shutting down the opposition.

“He has a chance to play at a very high level of ball,” Tuttle said of Horky, a .6-3 185-pounder averaging .324 thus far. “He makes us very solid behind the plate. I’d like to use him on the hill too, but we lose so much if he’s not behind the plate.”

Ganun, who tops the team in hitting right now at .390, helps make Blissfield strong up the middle with Wyman and senior second baseman Trent Vansteenkiste providing more strong defense. A sophomore cleanup batter averaging .353, Wyman is also one of the top pitchers for Blissfield with a 2-0 record and 2.49 ERA.

More solid defense comes from sophomore third baseman Noah Savage. Junior Ben Sullivan, who fits into the batting order between Ganun and Horky in the two-hole, brings talent to the outfield in left while hitting .355.

Two juniors have seen a lot of time on the mound in Noah Bowles and Dean Wyman. A five-hole hitter who plays outfield when not pitching, Bowles is currently 4-1 with a 1.85 ERA while batting .323. Wyman, a left-handed closer who also sees action in the outfield and at first base, has a 3-0 record.

“We don’t have that kid who can come out and throw it by you,” explained Tuttle, whose team started the season winning four games on a trip to Kentucky. “We have a tough part of our schedule coming up, so you better have good pitching or you’re not gonna win no matter what you do.”

A doubleheader with Hillsdale begins this week with Ottawa Hills next before bigger schools, Bedford and Northview close out the week on Friday and Saturday.

“We try to schedule up (in size) to help prepare us for a state tournament run,” said the 75-year-old coach, who first started coaching in 1967 at Bedford before coming over to Blissfield a year later.

Blissfield has been to the Final Four 11 times, winning seven state titles and finishing as runner-up twice since Tuttle has been in charge. The last state final berth came in 2009.

“We’ve hit a little dry spell,” Tuttle said.

With a strong youthful squad, the veteran mentor is looking for that trend to change.