LAST SEASON: 24-7 overall, 16-5 in O-K Green conference, finished in second place. Won the GMAA Tournament championship with victories over Muskegon Catholic, Mona Shores and North Muskegon. Beat Kenowa Hills in pre-districts, then lost to Mona Shores in districts.
RETURNING PLAYERS: Senior pitcher/shortstop Holden Earnest, senior catcher Quinn Alderink, senior pitcher/first baseman Brayden Mitchelson, senior outfielder Cade Paugh, senior outfielder/infielder Colton Bessinger, senior outfielder/infielder Lukas Johnson, senior pitcher/infielder Jayden Wiseman, senior pitcher Drew Brooks, junior infielder Ethan Frang and junior pitcher/outfielder Jack Yonkman.
COMING OFF GREAT SEASONS: Earnest hit .403 with four doubles, two triples and 10 stolen bases last year and earned All-Conference honors. Frang hit .344 while Paugh hit .423 in limited action due to an injury. Mitchelson had a very nice 2.44 earned run average on the mound. Alderink was a second-year starter at catcher who provided strong defense.
PROMISING NEWCOMERS: Sophomore pitcher/catcher Brendan Guikema, sophomore pitcher/infielder Connor McManus, freshman pitcher/infielder Paul Smith.
Last year's GMAA Tournament championship team.
ROSTER BREAKDOWN BY CLASS: Eight seniors, two juniors, two sophomores, one freshman.
CONFERENCE OUTLOOK: The O-K Green will be just as difficult this year with the addition of strong teams from Jenison (31-7 last season) and Byron Center (25-12). Rival Mona Shores, 16-8 last season, is always very good, as well.
OUTLOOK FOR SEASON: Experience has a lot of value in varsity sports, and gaining experience while winning is huge. The Rockets have a lot of that, with 10 players back, including eight seniors, who helped post a great team record last spring. The Rockets’ major strength may be on the mound, where eight players are listed as pitchers. Few varsity baseball teams have that many arms to utilize over the course of a season. The Rockets showed a lot of poise by winning the GMAA tournament title last year, squeaking by Mona Shores 3-2 in the semifinals and North Muskegon 8-7 in the championship game, and that sort of mentality will come in handy this year.
FIRST GAMES: Thursday at Muskegon Catholic Central, Monday at home against Oakridge.
COACH COMMENT: “With the new conference and the additions of Jenison, Byron Center and Caledonia, I believe the difficult conference and non-conference schedule will prepare us for the postseason.” - Butch Attig