The Suttons Bay Norsemen baseball team is sliding into the season with high hopes for a young team that has a new coach.
Suttons Bay graduate Kaleb Grant is the new skipper for the Norsemen baseball team for the 2025 spring season.
“I’m excited to have help out with the ball team over the last couple years. I’ve known a lot of these guys coming into it, which was good. I got a young team this year with a lot of growing to do,” Grant said.
Suttons Bay has two seniors and five juniors with plenty of underclassmen vying for starting positions.
The Norsemen are focused on the basics throughout the first few weeks with footwork and getting in shape as top priority before playing the first few games later this week and throughout next.
“We strive to push hard in practice and it definitely impacts how we’re gonna play. We are coming in here and working every day, which has been awesome. We are hoping to get everybody on the field,” Grant said. Former coach, Doug Periard, will remain around the program in a part time role to help out the Norsemen after he retired from the position last season with nearly 30 years of service to the program.
The Norsemen will be led by two seniors Ty Brenner and Gavin Schichtel.
“We have a really good team this year. Last year we struggled putting runs on the board, but I think we’re going to be pretty successful scoring this year,” Brenner said. “Last year there was a lot of struggling at the plate throughout the team. Then we just gotta keep pitching ... I think we can step up.”
Suttons Bay junior pitcher Gavin Schictel is looking to step into a leadership role as the Norsemen ace on the mound. The junior will also be a production hitter for the Norsemen offense.
“We need to focus on hitting because if you can read the pitch coming out of the pitcher’s hand, you’ll be fine all day. But personally, I’m working on arm slots and pitch command, and that’s been the main focus this start of the season,” Schichtel said.
What Schichtel loves most about baseball is the camaraderie.
“That’s the main thing for me because it’s a lot of fun to be able to be out there with eight other dudes and just be able to have some fun and win some games,” Schichtel said.
Suttons Bay lost in the district final last year to Glen Lake, which captured its 12th straight district championship (12-21 overall, 5-7 NWC).
The Norsemen will have to replace fellow seniors including Lucas Gordon, Tyler Porter, and Shane O’Boyle, to name a few.
