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Holland Christian
950 Ottawa Ave.
Holland, Michigan
49423
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 2008 Season |
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 | | Beelen will become the shortstop for the Yellow Jackets in 2008 | |
Monday, November 19
Beelen Inks with Yellow Jackets
|  | | Beelen laces one of his 52 hits in the '07 season. | |
Senior shortstop and captain Alex Beelen will no longer need to take a college visit as he finalized his decision late Monday evening. Despite having six offers on the table, and the potential of two more with visits in the future, Beelen announced his decision to attend Cedarville University, located in Cedarville, Ohio, and accept their generous scholarship package. Cedarville is a member of the NAIA and the NCCAA and participates in the American Mideast Conference. They also are embarking upon a new adventure with a proven coach as Mike Manes was selected as the new head coach. Coach Manes is a proven rebuilder as he turned around his former school, Trinity International, from a four win school to a three time World Series participant.
"This is the day I have been waiting for since he stepped into the program" said varsity head coach Mike Ott. "B has been very fortunate to have a number of schools looking at him and he had plenty of great offers to play and get an education with some good scholarship packages but he was pulled toward Cedarville." Beelen will inherit an open shortstop position and one that he will be able to stake claim to immediately. "We plan for him to take the job as a freshmen and why we went after him so hard" said head coach Mike Manes. "We really wanted Alex down here and it is a great day for Yellow Jackets baseball to get a player his caliber signed and we are looking forward to his four years as our guy in the middle."
Beelen is very familiar with the notion of a four year starting gig as he has been the Maroons starting shortstop since his first day in the program. "It's rare to find a player with not only his talent, but his instincts and understanding of the game" said Ott. "Not many people graduate without ever playing at a lower level, and even fewer start from the very first day. B is the exception to the rule and we are going to miss him."
With the shortstop position being shorn up, the Maroons have gone onto their finest seasons in school history behind Beelen's contributions. In 2006, Holland Christian won its first Regional Championship and advanced to the Quarterfinals losing to eventual state champion Battle Creek Lakeview. Then in 2007, they set a school record for regular season wins with 24. On an individual note, Beelen has steadily improved each season as a Maroons twice earning All-Conference Honors, as well as All-District. Last season, he was also named to the inaugural Holland Sentinel All-Area team, Zeeland Record All-Area team and MHSAA All-Region.
Last season, Beelen was third on the team with a .432 average with 7 doubles, 2 triples and 28 RBI's. Assisting the running game, he went 28-29 in stolen bases as he started 30 games. He was second on the team with a .547 on base percentage and in the field strengthened the left side with only 4 fielding errors all season. For his career, Beelen is a .417 hitter in his three seasons as he has been anchored in the Maroons two slot. This coming season, he will be moved to third to shore up HC's middle of the lineup. "We are all very proud of B with all the work he has put forth" added Ott. "We pride ourselves on getting our guys ready for the next level and have had success doing that the past 4 years and I know Beelen is ready and will make Cedarville much better."
"Cedarville was a great fit for me both academically and athletically and I am really looking forward to it" added a jubilant Beelen. Cedarville is also an academic hotbed that Beelen will fit right into with his 3.9 GPA. In 2007, the editors of U.S.News & World Report ranked the University third in the Midwest region. He will sign his NLI (National Letter of Intent) after the Holiday weekend.
 | | VanAlten's speed on the basepaths have brought on 45 stolen bases. | |
Wednesday, December 5
VanAlten Knighted
|  | | Jake VanAlten lines a ball in 2007 | |
Senior captain Jake VanAlten has officially been Knighted. After a long off-season of college visits, showcases and camps, VanAlten has waded through various offers from multiple colleges and committed to Calvin College. The commitment is one of John Sparks, Calvin's head coach, first members of his initial recruiting class as the 2008 season marks his first season leading the Knights. "I am absolutely thrilled that we got a talent like Jake and to have him now a member of this program" noted Sparks upon the notification that VanAlten would be attending Calvin.
A three year starter for the Maroons, VanAlten has held down the centerfield position and lent himself to two of the finest seasons the Maroons have ever had. "He has started every game since his sophomore year and brought a level of speed and athleticism to not only our lineup, but our defensive alignment" said head coach Mike Ott. "He is by far the best defensive centerfielder I have seen in my four years here as his footwork, speed and instincts really separate him."
In 2007, VanAlten led the team with 31 game started as HC went 24-8. Along with that he aided the Maroons offense hitting .330 and scoring 18 runs. He also chipped in with 7 doubles, 2 triples, 1 homerun and 18 RBI. The Maroons running game has been a force the past two years and VanAlten has brought 45 steals the past two seasons. For his career, he is a .340 hitter. More impressive than his offensive numbers were his defensive attributes. Leading the HC outfielders last season with 55 chances, 54 of them were putouts while 1 was an assist. For his career in centerfield, VanAlten maintains a 1.000 fielding percentage.
"We are very proud of Jake because he is going to get the chance to make an impact right away at Calvin" said Ott. "I think he will bring them a great deal of versatility and instantly make their outfield much better." VanAlten, who has been a fixture in the Maroons lineup at the nine spot, will move to the top portion in the order to spark the offense in 2008. "He's been our 9 hitter for two years, not because of talent but because of his ability to turn over our lineup and provide us a second leadoff. This year he is going to be a big contributor offensively as we will move him up." The Maroons first pitch of the season is March 25 when they host Wyoming Park. VanAlten becomes the second Maroon within a two week time period to commit to play baseball in college as his teammate, and fellow captain Alex Beelen, committed two weeks earlier.
 | | A three year starter in centerfield, he will now make an impact for Calvin. |
 | | Beelen signs his National Letter of Intent to Cedarville | |
Monday, December 29
Cedarville Signs Blue Chip Recruit
|  | | Head Coach Mike Manes & Alex Beelen | |
Webster's Dictionary refers to a blue-chip athlete as "players that have proven themselves to be amongst the best at their respective positions in their sports and are more sought after by collegiate teams than other players." This term is now used to describe Maroons senior captain Alex Beelen after signing his National Letter of Intent and Scholarship to play at Cedarville University (right). According to head coach, Mike Manes, Cedarville gives an elite scholarship to one blue-chip athlete per year in each sport and Beelen was Cedarville's blue-chip recruit for the 2008-2009 season. Beelen will inherit the starting shortstop position for the Yellow Jackets under their new head coach. Manes (below, with Beelen) is known for his intense rebuilding of collegiate baseball program as Coach Manes turned around his former school, Trinity International, from a four win school to a three time World Series participant. Manes looks to do the same for Cedarville and his recruiting class, headlined by Beelen, is receiving attention and looks to be a solid base for the future of Yellow Jackets baseball. Beelen has steadily improved each season as a Maroons twice earning All-Conference Honors, as well as All-District. Last season, Beelen was third on the team with a .432 average with 7 doubles, 2 triples and 28 RBI's. Assisting the running game, he went 28-29 in stolen bases as he started 30 games. He was second on the team with a .547 on base percentage and in the field strengthened the left side with only 4 fielding errors all season. For his career, Beelen is a .417 hitter in his three seasons as he has been anchored in the Maroons two slot. "They are getting a good one" said Maroons head coach Mike Ott. Manes agreed, "we know what type of player we are getting in Alex and we are very excited to get him on campus and start working him into our system and for him to be at the shortstop position." Beelen will anchor the Maroons infield for the fourth straight year as Holland Christian's starting shortstop who will double as one of the Maroons top pitchers during the 2008 season. "I am very proud of him" added Ott. "This is a great thing for B and now we can concentrate on sending he and the other seniors out the right way this coming season." HC opens their season at Maroons Field on March 24 at 4:15 p.m. when they host Wyoming Park.
Tuesday, February 5
Maroons District Pairings Announced
With the baseball season only 5 weeks away, the 2008 District for the Holland Christian Maroons has been announced by the MHSAA. The Maroons move to District 46, formerly in District 47, and it will be hosted by Hamilton High School. In the district, along with HC, is Hamilton, Unity Christian, Zeeland East and Zeeland West. The Pre-District game will be played on May 27 with the District Finals coming on Saturday, May 31. More information regarding the draw will come in early May.
Monday, March 24
Wyoming Park Games Cancelled
The Maroons opening day will have to wait another few days as the varsity and JV contests against Wyoming Park have been cancelled for Tuesday. The winter weather has forced all of West Michigan Spring sports to be pushed back. The varsity will now open at home against Greenville with the first pitch slated for 4:15 p.m. The JV will wait until Friday when they will travel to Hamilton for their first contest. Stay tuned for all the schedule changes that occur during the spring.
Thursday, March 27
Strike Two on the Schedule
After losing their Opening Day on Tuesday, the Maroons varsity team lost their second game of the season. Their Thursday game hosting Greenville has been cancelled due to wet field conditions. There has been no makeup date set as of yet. Now up for both teams will be the hope of playing Friday. The varsity will host Hamilton at 4:15 p.m., while the JV will travel to Hamilton. Stay tuned for any schedule news on the game status for tomorrow. With the forecast beginning to dry up, Maroons baseball is just around the corner.
Friday, March 28
Another Game Falls to the Weather
The third game this week for the Maroons Baseball Program has fallen by the wayside due to the snowfall and wet field conditions at Maroons Field. The games against Hamilton have been cancelled with no makeup date in site. Just when the forecast looked good for the weekend into next week it took a drastic change Thursday evening and now it seems the wet conditions will continue. The varsity is scheduled to play Saugatuck in a doubleheader Saturday starting at 1:00 p.m. The JV are scheduled to be back in action on Monday when they travel down M-40 to play Allegan. Stay tuned for the latest information.
Saturday, March 29
Maroons Froze Out
After the field conditions looked promising Mother Nature again swiped a game right out from under the Maroons. The varsity was scheduled to play Saugatuck at 1:00 p.m. but the freezing temperatures the night before froze the field. After the sun rose, the field quickly thawed bringing a tremendous amount of moisture to the surface flooding the infield. The soupy conditions forced the cancellation. Next up the Maroons will attempt to play on Tuesday with the JV hosting Covenant Christian and the varsity will travel to Grand Rapids to face Covenant at 4:15 p.m. The Monday games with Allegan have already been cancelled due to field conditions at Allegan and the wish to play both varsity and JV on the same day. No makeup date has been set yet.
Sunday, March 30
Varsity Adds Game
With Spring Break coming upon Holland Christian quickly, the Maroons have added a last minute game in hopes to play prior to the week and a half layoff. After Allegan high school pulled out of Monday's game, Saugatuck jumped in for a single game. The teams lost their doubleheader due to field conditions on Saturday and will make one of the two games up. The game will be played at 4:15 p.m. at Maroons Field and will be the season opener for both teams.
Monday, March 31
Schedules "March" On, JV Cancelled
The month of March has now come and gone and still no baseball has been seen out of the Maroons Baseball program. The last chance to play in March fell to the thunderstorms as the single game against Saugatuck was called due to unplayable field conditions. Now up is hopefully a much better month for HC as the varsity travels to Covenant Christian tomorrow to open the month of April and their season. The JV's home opener at 4:15 p.m against Covenant Christian has been cancelled. Immediately after Spring Break, the Maroons launch right into the important OK-Green conference games starting with Zeeland West.
Tuesday, April 1
Schedule Throws Shutout
Here is to hoping the Maroons pitching staff can throw up as many shutouts as the West Michigan weather has this Spring. Already losing six games due to weather, the varsity's last chance to play prior to Break was Tuesday against Covenant Christian on the road. The heavy rains the area received yesterday made the field unplayable and the game was called. No rescheduled date has been announced. Now with Spring Break upon Holland Christian, the varsity and JV will be forced to open after break with an OK-Green conference date against Zeeland West. The varsity will travel to Dux Field, while the Maroons host the JV Dux at 4:15 on Monday, April 14.
 | | VanAlten's five RBI, and 3 hits, helped to carry the Maroons | |
Monday, April 14
Ugly Opener Goes Maroons Way
|  | | Alex Beelen lines one of his three hits | |
After waiting over a month and missing out on seven scheduled games prior to Spring Break, the Maroons varsity baseball team took the field for their season opener against OK-Green rival Zeeland West. The Dux had been able to give HC a tough time over the past two seasons as the two schools split their matchups the previous two years. The first game jitters were definitely in effect for the Maroons as they were quickly put down in the first inning and found themselves down 3-0 after the Dux turn at bat. The team remained calm and used a pair of walks and a Dux error to load the bases with two outs. A Jeff Victor walk brought home the first run and the game was tied on Jake VanAlten’s single. Dan Kortering then brought two men in with a single of his own and a hustling Alex Beelen scored on the third Dux error of the game. Tom Baillargeon knocked home Kortering with a single to left field and HC led 7-3. The Dux would not go away as they made Victor work on the mound. West cut the score to 7-5 on a double and the Maroons avoided further harm when Victor froze the ZW cleanup hitter with a curveball to strike him out with two men in scoring position. Jon Kloosterman stroked a triple to begin the third inning. The West pitchers struggled to find the plate and walked the next four men to aid HC’s cause. Beelen knocked home another run with a single and came around to score on Ryan Dykstra’s first hit of the season. Dykstra stole second and then advanced to third on a wild pitch to score the very next pitch on another wild pitch. After the Maroons batted it was now 14-5. Victor completed his third inning of work giving up on unearned run and his day was finished. He departed the game with HC leading 14-6. Holland Christian used a single by Kloosterman, a two RBI single by VanAlten, an RBI single by Beelen, a RBI single from Ben O’Neal, another two RBI single by VanAlten and another RBI single from Beelen to plate seven runs again as they led 21-6. Nic Kiekover got his first varsity pitching work in on the mound in the fourth and allowed two runs to score to push the score to 21-8. Behind three Dux errors and a Monty Vanderwall single, HC scored two in the fifth and led 23-8. Josh Garvelink pitched the fifth inning to close the game giving up two more runs to close the game out at 23-10. Jake VanAlten highlighted HC’s offense picking up three hits and five RBI in a 3-4 day. Beelen notched 3 hits and 3 RBI along with Jon Kloosterman going 2-4 on the afternoon. Victor picked up the victory to move him to 1-0 on the season behind the shortened game decision. He went three innings striking out 5, but walking 4. “We will definitely take the win but it not pretty whatsoever” said varsity head coach Mike Ott. “We are known for our pitching and I felt we disappointed tonight not being able to get ahead or throw strikes. We have some work to do in all facets.” The Maroons were able to swipe 9 bags on the day. HC will now travel to Mona Shores on Wednesday for another OK-Green contest with the first pitch slated for 4:15 p.m. G.R. PRESS / PHOTOS
 | | Senior Jon Kloosterman drives a triple into the RF gap |
 | | Freshmen Jake Bruns sparked the 3rd inning rally, and earned a save. | |
Monday, April 14
3rd Inning Aids JV Victory
The JV baseball field christened Maroons Field against Zeeland West in their season opener for the 2008 season. This will be the final season that Maroons Field will be used as HC will only use it until May 3 and it will be demolished to begin the construction of their new baseball diamond. HC hosted the Dux and saw sophomore David Blystra take the mound for the opening day start. Blystra went three innings as we was on a strict pitch count and did not factor into the decision as he had to pitch four innings to receive the win or loss. The game began slowly but a third inning explosion saw HC plate six runs. Freshmen Jake Bruns led the inning off with a beautiful base hit bunt to jump start the Maroons offense. The six runs gave Peter Cupery a cushion as he was the second pitcher in line. Cupery pitched two innings before the Bruns connection hooked up to complete the contest. With Jake Bruns on the hill, his older brother Sam was behind the plate. The familiarity of the two was beneficial to the Maroons as Bruns closed the door on any hope of a Zeeland West comeback. HC outlasted ZW winning 10-7. Cupery earned the victory in relief to go to 1-0 on the season and Bruns was credited with the save. Six Maroons earned hits as they are now 1-0 on the early season. HC will once again play at home on Wednesday at 4:15 p.m. when they host the Sailors of Mona Shores. PHOTOS
 | | The JV celebrate their season opening victory. |
 | | Dan Kortering fires a pitch in the third inning. | |
Wednesday, April 16
Sailors Sink Maroons Late
| |  | | Dan Kortering helped his own cause by driving in 1 of the 2 Maroons runs. |
Execution in key situations is what tight games always come down to and the Maroons found that to be true as they were deadlocked in a pitching dual with Mona Shores. Two seniors took the hill with HC sending ace Dan Kortering to the mound while Mona Shores sent their senior ace Kyle Mattson. Both pitchers did not disappoint. The Maroons jumped on the scoreboard to start the game as Alex Beelen drew a walk and then proceeded to steal second base. Kortering helped his own cause by knocking Beelen in for the 1-0 lead. The Sailors answered quickly scoring in the bottom of the first. Mona capitalized on a two base error in the outfield to score the unearned run. HC once again grabbed the lead in the third as Jake VanAlten was hit by a pitch and then stole second. He advanced to third and scored on a passed ball. Once again Mona came back in the bottom half of the inning and used a two base throwing error to score another unearned run. The game came down to the bottom of the fifth. A leadoff walk gave Mona a base runner and they soon were at first and second after a single. Kortering bore down and struck out the next batter to set up the Maroons. HC elected to intentionally walk Monas potent third hitter and load the bases setting up a double play situation.Kortering left the game and Beelen came in to face Shores cleanup hitter. With a 1-2 count, Beelen painted the black of the plate with a fastball and the groundball HC was looking for came to fruition. The ball bounded to second but the turn was not quick enough and all runners were safe as Mona ran home for the go ahead run. Beelen made another fantastic pitch getting another grounder to second but only 1 out could be recorded and HC trailed 4-2. The Maroons would get a runner in scoring position in the sixth but stranded him. Kortering re-entered the game and pitched a scoreless sixth. The seventh went quickly as Mona closed shop on the 4-2 OK-Green victory. Holland Christian managed only 3 hits on the day as Tom Baillargeon and Jeff Victor each singled. Kortering was saddled with the tough luck loss pitching 5 1/3 innings giving up only 2 earned runs. Both runs scored in the fifth inning. He walked 1 and struck out 3. Kort pitched extremely well tonight said head coach Mike Ott. Mona is a good team and if you give good teams extra chances, which we did, they will hurt us. All 3 errors we made ended up scoring for them and we put ourselves in a position to get out of it but could not take advantage of the opportunity. All you can ask is for the opportunity and we were right there but just could not finish it The great thing about the spring season is there is not long to wait for retribution and HC will seek that as they host Unity Christian in their home opener at 4:15 p.m.
Wednesday, April 16
Mona Blows by HC
|  | | Sam Bruns lines the lone RBI single. | |
The windy conditions at Maroons Field did not lend themselves conducive to Holland Christian’s gameplan. The Sailors of Mona Shores however enjoyed the weather conditions as they quickly jumped on the JV and put the game to rest early. The HC JV teams consists of 13 freshmen who are putting their nose to the grindstone against other team’s sophomore players and the Sailors took full advantage of this early. Grant VanPutten made his Maroons pitching debut as one of the three Holland Christian pitchers that saw time on the mound. Mona Shores jumped out to a 7-0 lead hitting the ball all over the field. The Maroons came back and scored 1 in the bottom half of the first on a Sam Bruns RBI single but that would be the lone time they would push a run across. Mona quickly plated four in the second inning and six in the third to earn the mercy rule shortened game, 17-1. Mitch Sytsma also made his pitching debut for the team. The JV managed only three hits in their first defeat of the season. “We couldn’t get the ball down and that hurt us” said head coach Walter Lamb. “We have a game tomorrow and will look to jump right back on the horse.” The JV will travel to Unity Christian for their first road game of the year.
 | | Steve Lynch rips an RBI single in the fifth inning; HC had 13 hits. | |
Thursday, April 17
Home Opener Highlighted with Two Out Hitting; Beelen pitching
|  | | Alex Beelen delivers a pitch in his complete game gem. | |
Maroons Field provided the backdrop for a big OK-Green game early in the season between longtime rivals Holland Christian and Unity Christian. The sun was out and warm temperatures greeted the Maroons in their home opener and they wasted little time in getting comfortable. Senior captain Alex Beelen toed the rubber for HC and sent Unity down in the first. The Maroons vaulted ahead 1-0 after Jake VanAlten walked and then proceeded to steal second. He then was plated on a double by Beelen that shot past the third baseman. Beelen remained perfect through four innings on the hill not allowing a UC baserunner. Meanwhile HC again pushed a run across in the third inning when VanAlten came home for his second run on the day. VanAlten moved to third base on a perfectly executed hit and run by Beelen. Beelen then promptly stole second base. VanAlten came home courtesy of a wild pitch but no other damage could be done. Beelen’s perfect game was lost in the fifth when the Crusaders used two Maroons errors to score 4 runs and take the 4-2 lead. “We made a physical and mental mistake in the fifth and gave them the opportunity to get some momentum going” said head coach Mike Ott. Beelen bore down and battled through the errors and two well placed Texas league singles before ending the fifth. HC showed their intestinal fortitude by not letting the half inning faze them and responded right away. Ryan Dykstra smoked a ball to the right field fence and used his speed to start the inning off with a triple. Beelen stepped to the plate again and ripped his third hit of the night, an RBI double. After a Dan Kortering single and Tom Baillargeon walk, Steve Lynch lined a single up the middle to tie the game. Another UC passed ball gave HC the 5-4 lead. Monty Vanderwall was intentionally walked and Jeff Victor worked a walk to bring home another run. At the end of five, HC matched the Crusaders four runs and led 6-4. Beelen clamped down on the mound and sent the visitors down 1-2-3 and then the bats came alive. Using great two strike and two out hitting, the Maroons knocked home four more runs to provide them the necessary cushion. Beelen achieved his fourth hit on the night when he singled to right and came to third on a Dan Kortering double. Lynch then brought both of them home with a two strike, two out opposite field double. He scored on Jon Kloosterman’s two strike, two out double. Continuing the theme, Kloosterman came home on a two strike, two out single by Vanderwall. At the end of six, HC led 10-4. Beelen completed his impressive afternoon going 1-2-3 to put the finishing touches on his complete game. It moves the Maroons record to 2-1 overall and 2-1 in the OK-Green. Beelen went all 7 innings striking out six and walking none. All four runs were unearned. Beelen led the 13 hit attack going 4-4 with two doubles. Dykstra added two hits, as did Kortering and Lynch. Jeff Victor also chipped in with a single. “We made some great adjustments throwing the barrel and putting the ball in play” added Ott. “We made that our focus today and our guys responded. To come back like that says a lot about us never getting down on ourselves and making the necessary adjustments. Plus B was phenomenal today.” Holland Christian will once again take the field at home when they host Calvary Baptist tomorrow at 4:15 p.m. Sophomore Nic Kiekover will earn his first start of the season on the mound. PHOTOS
 | | Dykstra unloads on his big triple in the fifth inning. |
Friday, April 18
Crusaders Cruise by Maroons
Coming off of a three inning mercy, the Maroons were hoping to fair better in their first road contest of the season. Things looked up when the Maroons sent the first two Unity Christian hitters down in the first inning and then the bottom fell out. Needing only one out, HC ran into walks, hit batters and errors. Along with that lethal combination, Unity began to hit the ball and the two out rally plated 5 runs. Not the start head coach Walter Lamb was looking for out of his young team. Unity knocked home a couple more runs off of a pair of HC errors and after three innings, the host Crusaders led 8-0. Grant VanPutten (right) came in and threw a scoreless inning of relief to bandage the open wound. VanPutten also was aiding the HC offensive cause getting back to back singles in his two plate appearances. He also stole second base on the afternoon. Ben Attema also earned a single as those were the lone Maroons hit. Unity closed out the fifth inning scoring two runs to grab the five inning mercy rule victory 10-0. The defeat went to Trevor Brewer on the mound and the team falls to 1-2 on the year and 1-2 in the OK-Green. “We just beat ourselves tonight” said Lamb. “We made some mistakes and did not put the ball in play and that hurt us.” Of the 15 outs Unity gathered, 10 were on strikeouts. HC will now play host to South Christian on Saturday at 10:00 a.m. in a doubleheader at Maroons Field.
 | | Josh Arendsen lines one of his three singles on the day. | |
Friday, April 18
20 Hits Pace DH Win
|  | | Alden Boven picked up a win in game 2 pitching three innings on the day. | |
The Maroons showed up at Maroons Field looking to play one game against Calvary Baptist and got two. With the young Calvary team in need of games and repetitions, the teams agreed to split the Maroons score in the first game, after the mercy shortened first contest, and allow Calvary to hit in the second portion. In the first portion, HC jumped out and left no doubt. Nic Kiekover pitched the first two innings giving up no runs and striking out three for his first win of the season. The Maroons erupted for fourteen runs as everyone who suited up got a hit. Nic Kiekover also starred at the plate going 4-4 with two triples. Kevin Kloosterman also went 4-4 with three singles and a double. Jeff Victor went 3-4, even switch hitting and singling from the left side of the plate. Josh Arendsen went a perfect 3-3 at the plate and Alden Boven added two hits, including a double. Ben O’Neal singled, Josh Garvelink doubled, Sam Bruns and David Blystra each singled to round out HC’s twenty hits on the afternoon. Alden Boven made his pitching debut closing out the first game and starting the second. He worked the first two innings of the second game, giving up 1 run and was relieved by Arendsen. Both were making their pitching debuts and Arendsen proceeded to strike out five batters in three innings. Boven picked up the win in game two as the Maroons are now 4-1 on the season after winning 8-0, 6-1. “It was nice that both teams got to get some guys some playing time and repetitions as the weather has reeked havoc with everyone’s schedule so we were both more than happy to extend this” said head coach Mike Ott. "We got some guys some time at a variety of spots and worked everyone in and had some fun." They will be back in action after the JV Saturday afternoon when they host Tri-Unity Christian at 2:00 p.m. at Maroons Field. PHOTOS
 | | Jon Kloosterman hits his second triple of the year, just missing a HR. | |
Saturday, April 19
Maroons Claim Two Lackluster Victories
|  | | Monty Vanderwall delivers a pitch in his two shutout innings. | |
The Maroons hosted Tri-Unity Christian in a pair of games that were picked up late to substitute for games previously cancelled due to the weather prior to Spring Break. Holland Christian was looking to close out a solid first week of the season and they did just that sweeping both ends of the doubleheader, 15-1, 19-5. Jeff Victor picked up the win in game one throwing three innings giving up the lone run in the top of the first inning. He struck out 5 and walked two. “Vic is still not where we need him to be” said head coach Mike Ott. “He has all the tools, he just needs to start harnessing them when he takes the mound. He improved over his last start and we really need him to continue to improve.” The Maroons backed Victor with stellar run support which began with the poor Tri-Unity pitching. With the wild pitches piling into double digits, HC easily maneuvered the bases to score 7 in the first inning. They added four in the second and four in the third for the five inning mercy rule victory. Monty Vanderwall dealt two scoreless innings out of the bullpen to close the game. Jon Kloosterman had two hits and just missed a homerun driving a triple off the top of the right field wall. Alex Beelen added a double and HC got singles from Josh Arendsen, Tom Baillargeon, Alden Boven, Josh Garvelink, Nic Kiekover, Kevin Kloosterman, Dan Kortering and Jeff Victor. In game two, Ryan Dykstra earned the start and got the win in a game that got out of hand early. Again the Maroons capitalized on their running ability and poor opposing pitching. Dykstra worked two innings picking up the win to move to 1-0. He struck out 2 and walked one. Jake VanAlten and Jon Kloosterman combined to work the final three innings. Dykstra helped his own cause going 2-2 on the day with a single and double. Beelen added two hits, one of which was a double. Josh Arendsen and Ben O’Neal also added doubles. Boven, K. Kloosterman and Steve Lynch also had a single on the day. The two wins move the Maroons record to 6-1, 2-1 in the OK-Green. “It’s nice to win but that was not the prettiest baseball in the world” said head coach Mike Ott. “We are focusing on trying to get better and today it was very hard to judge what we did well and what we did not. We have to continue to strive to better ourselves and I think if we do that we are going to be right where we want to be.” Holland Christian will host new OK-Green member, and local rival, Holland to Maroons Field with first pitch slated for 4:15 p.m. on Monday. PHOTOS
 | | Ben O'Neal lines a double down the left field line. |
Saturday, April 19
HC Falls Twice, Looks to Turn Corner
| |  | | Ryan Walters drives a single to right. |
When things start going bad, it is often very hard to stop and that is the streak the JV baseball team is mired in at the current time. Already facing a hurdle with a roster made up almost solely of freshmen competing against other teams sophomores, the Maroons are finding it difficult to close out innings. That was the case Saturday against South Christian in a home doubleheader. In the opener, David Blystra drew the start and quickly disposed of the first two Sailor hitters and then a combination of seeing eye singles and walks led to South pushing runs across all with two outs. This was the theme for the remainder of the first game as South peppered the opposite field with hits as they scored in all but one inning in their 10-0 victory. HC managed only three hits as Jake Bruns, Blystra and Ryan Walters each had a single. In game two, Nate Scheppers took the mound and in his first game back since breaking his arm in the off-season, Scheppers helped the Maroons jump to a 2-0 lead which they held until the third inning. South fought back and was again able to rally on HC’s errors, walks and a few timely hits to claim the 7-2 victory. Despite the loss in game two, Holland Christian played much more efficient baseball and began to look like the corner was being turned. “We are just in a rough patch right now” said head coach Walter Lamb. “We need to finish innings better and our pitchers need to be more efficient in their pitch counts and that will give us a chance.” With the two losses, the JV drops to 1-4 on the year and will travel down the road to Holland High for an OK-Green game at 4:15 p.m. on Monday afternoon. They will play a JV game first and that will be followed with HC’s first freshmen game in program history. PHOTOS
 | | Ryan Dykstra laces one of his three hits. HC had 16 on the day. | |
Monday, April 21
Kortering Shutout, Maroons Offense Handle Dutch
|  | | Dan Kortering was fabulous spinning his first shutout of the year. | |
In their lone OK-Green conference game of the week, the Maroons hosted longtime local rival Holland to Maroons Field. The game marked the first time the teams had met in conference action in baseball and the weather could not have been better. With high blue skies and the sun shining, Holland Christian displayed stellar defense to back up another strong outing from senior starting pitching Dan Kortering. Kortering entered the game still looking for his first win on the season. He suffered the lone Maroons loss last week at Mona Shores in tough fashion. Kortering rebounded to perform spectacularly holding the Dutch bats down. While the Dutch went three up and three down in the first, so did the Maroons. Holland came back and got two men in scoring position in the second inning but Kortering got HC out of the jam striking the final man out. That momentum carried over to the second inning when catcher Tom Baillargeon laced a single to rightfield. Courtesy runner Kevin Kloosterman then swiped second base and was brought home by his brother Jon’s RBI single. Jon Kloosterman was stranded on base but HC held the 1-0 lead. Holland went quietly in the second inning and then the big inning occurred for the Maroons. The team stringed four straight singles together by Jeff Victor, Ryan Dykstra, Jake VanAlten and Alex Beelen. VanAlten’s was a 2 RBI single. Kortering sacrificed himself and put two men in scoring position and they were brought home on the 2 RBI single by Baillargeon, his second hit of the day. Steve Lynch then singled and Jon Kloosterman continued a strong season singling in two more runs. The Dutch got an out but HC was not finished. Singles by Victor, Dykstra and Beelen added two more runs and at the end of the inning the Maroons led 10-0. One of the more underrated attributes of a string pitcher is their ability to squelch the other team and any chance of a momentum swing after their team has scored. Dan Kortering showed why he is the Maroons ace shutting down any chance Holland had at scoring in the fourth to hold the 10-0 lead. HC would score two more in the fourth inning with superb baserunning and timely two strike hitting by Steve Lynch, Monty Vanderwall and Dykstra again. The only question on the minds of HC fans entering the fifth was could Kortering hold the shutout. He let up a leadoff double but got the next man to groundout. With a runner on third, Kortering fielded his position catching a comebacker to gather the second out. In dramatic fashion, Kort put the nail in the coffin striking out the final man to take the 12-0 win. Kortering scattered five Dutch hits while striking out five men and walking 0. The Maroons are now 7-1 on the year and 3-1 in the OK-Green. “We played great today” said head coach Mike Ott. “We executed very well defensively not making an error and Kortering again pitched a whale of a game. Our baserunning and approaches at the plate were great.” Dykstra and Beelen led the way with three hits a piece with Dykstra going 3-4 and Beelen 3-3. Baillargeon, Lynch, Jon Kloosterman and Jeff Victor chipped in with two hits each as the team compiled 16 on the game. Now up for Holland Christian is a huge non-conference battle with one of the top teams in area. Grand Rapids Christian comes to town Tuesday for a 4:30 p.m. contest against the Maroons. PHOTOS
 | | Alex Beelen (SS), and the Maroons, played rock solid defense making 0 errors. |
Monday, April 21
JV Falls Late to Holland
| |  | | David Blystra delivers a pitch. |
The JV Baseball bad run continued against OK-Green rival Holland High School Monday night. Things looked up early for the Maroons as they fell behind 2-0 after giving up two unearned runs in the first inning after getting the first two outs but were unable to close out the inning. Despite the first, HC battled throughout the next five innings and gained a 4-2 advantage. Grant VanPutten had a two RBI single and Sam Bruns and Ben Attema each singled and garnered RBI’s for the 4-2 lead. The lead was not held for long as the Dutch scored four in the bottom of the frame knocking out six consecutive hits. Holland jumped to 6-4 lead and were able to hold on sending the Maroons down without a threat in the sixth and seventh. The loss dropped them to 1-5 and 1-3 in conference. David Blystra took the hard lucked loss tossing a complete game striking out 8 and walking 1. In the nightcap the freshmen team took on the Dutch freshmen team and came out with the 9-4 victory in a shortened game due to darkness. The JV team will travel to Grand Rapids Tuesday to face Grand Rapids Christian with the first pitch at 4:30 p.m.
 | | Tom Baillargeon applies the tag to finish off the 5th inning double play. | |
Tuesday, April 22
Momentum Changes on Spectacular Double Play
| |  | | Victor was sensational in the CG victory. |
A matchup of two of the top programs in the area came to fruition at Maroons Field Tuesday afternoon. Grand Rapids Christian and Holland Christian matched wits for the first time since 2006 when the Maroons defeated the Eagles for the Regional title. It was also a matchup of two sophomore pitchers as Jeff Victor garnered his third start of the young season. He could not have been finer. Facing one of the toughest lineups in the area, the Eagles boasted an undefeated record and HC looked to become the first nick in their armor. Victor worked a quick first inning, as did the Eagles pitcher and GRC struck in the second inning. Using two errors in the second, the Eagles pushed across 2 unearned runs to lead 2-0. HC then got a run back in the third inning without the benefit of a hit making an Eagle error hurt and they trailed 2-1. Christian used a lead off double and then moved him over and scored on a wild pitch to lead 3-1. That would be the last lead they held as the Maroons jumped on the board with three in the bottom of the fourth. Steve Lynch started the inning with a single but was taken off the bases when he was thrown out at third base on a sacrifice bunt attempt. The big hit came with the bases loaded senior captain Jake VanAlten turned on an inside fastball and took it down the leftfield line for a 2 RBI double to tie the game. The go ahead run was plated on Alex Beelen’s RBI single. In the fifth inning, with the Maroons leading 4-3, the turning moment of the game happened. GRC loaded the bases with 1 out and their cleanup hitter, Kyle Schepel, coming to the plate. Victor delivered an outstanding first pitch changeup and Schepel was on his front foot. He lofted a fly ball to left field and in charged Maroons leftfielder Ryan Dykstra. Dykstra made a running catch and then hosed the runner at the plate to end the inning. As the ball hit catcher Tom Baillargeon’s glove and the umpire swung his fist, the Maroons dugout erupted out onto the field. “That play right there was not only phenomenal but was the momentum changer” said head coach Mike Ott. “The scouting report had him a first pitch guy and Victor made a great pitch and he hit it right where we wanted to and Dykstra executed.” Those are the types of plays that can change games and that it did as the Maroons continued the momentum scoring five in the bottom half of the fifth. Baillargeon singled and courtesy runner Kevin Kloosterman stole second base. Then Steve Lynch got his third hit of the game with an RBI single and he advanced on the throw to second. Now 5-3, Alden Boven, a defensive replacement, stepped to the plate and banged a big RBI single to rightfield to plate Lynch and HC led 6-3. Victor stepped to the plate and just missed a homerun rattling it off the leftfield fence to provide runners at second and third. VanAlten once again was enormous as he singled both runs in and HC led 8-3. VanAlten would come around and score on Christian’s second error of the day to give the Maroons the 9-3 lead. Christian did not threaten in the sixth or seventh as Victor completed the game. “Jeff Victor showed what he is going to be doing for years to come” added Ott. “Simply terrific.” He went seven strong innings only giving up 1 earned run while striking out 8 men and walking 2. Lynch led the way going 3-4 with 2 RBI’s and VanAlten had 4 RBI on the day with two hits. Alex Beelen added two hits and HC got additional singles from Dan Kortering and Jon Kloosterman. The win moves him to 3-0 on the season and HC to 8-1 on the year. The full week continues with Saugatuck traveling to Maroons Field on Wednesday for a 4:15 p.m. non-conference affair. PHOTOS
 | | Steve Lynch laces an RBI single to left. |
Tuesday, April 22
Runners Left on Base Hurt Maroons
|  | | Cupery gave HC their 3rd straight CG. | |
The longest road trip of the year met the Maroons Tuesday afternoon as they took the drive to Gainey Fields to play Grand Rapids Christian. The game was worth the drive as the JV put together their finest game of the season. Peter Cupery took the mound in search of Holland Christian’s third consecutive complete game. Early in the game, HC had chance after chance to score but continued to leave men on and men in scoring position. That stopped in the fifth inning when with one out Mitch Barry singled and was moved to second when Cupery was struck by the pitch. With one out and men on first and second, sophomore catcher Sam Bruns came to the plate and laced the first pitch he saw back up the middle for the RBI single. Again HC would leave those remaining men on base and trailed 3-1. The drama was saved for the seventh inning when with one out, the Maroons loaded the bases. A single would in all likelihood tie the contest but Grand Rapids Christian escaped the jam and closed the game out with all three men being stranded. Cupery was fantastic on the mound throwing the complete game striking out six and walking only two. Ben Attema led the Maroons attack at the plate singling and doubling. “I am very happy and proud of our kids tonight” said head coach Walter Lamb. “We executed well and felt we played our best ballgame of the season despite the loss.” The Maroons will now be off until Thursday when the freshmen team travel to Zeeland West for a game starting at 4:15 p.m.
 | | Ryan Dykstra drills one of his 2 Doubles on the day. | |
Wednesday, April 23
HC Gets Scare Early, Bats Awaken
|  | | Beelen drives a triple to right center. | |
On a beautiful Wednesday afternoon, the Maroons made up their game with Saugatuck that had been cancelled twice prior to Spring Break. HC sent senior Alex Beelen to the hill looking to achieve the victory and with the “W” would get off to the second best start in school history at 9-1. The 2006 team started the season 10-0 which is the best start to a baseball season at Holland Christian in the first ten games. The game also marked the 100th game of head coach Mike Ott’s tenure as head coach. Coming off a big win yesterday, the non-conference game had all the feel of a classic trap game. The Maroons fell for the trap coming out flat in the first two and a half innings and the visiting Indians made HC pay for that. Alex Beelen worked around trouble in the first two innings but could not escape it in the third as Saugatuck homered to left field and then scored a second run on a Maroons error. Down 2-0, the lull ended and the Maroons began pounding the ball all over the field off Saugatuck ace Joe Broderick. Jeff Victor got things started and moved to third on Ryan Dykstra’s first double of the day. They both were plated on a 2 RBI single by Jake VanAlten. VanAlten would score on Beelen’s RBI single and then Tom Baillargeon stroked a two RBI triple to rightfield to score the final two runs that inning. The Maroons led 5-2 but the Indians would not go away. They scored a run without the courtesy of a hit in the fourth and after three and a half innings, the Maroons led 5-3. Their offense made up for the late arrival pouring it on scoring six in the fourth inning to blow open the game. A second single by Victor and Dykstra’s second hit got things going. Beelen also got his second hit driving in a run. Jon Kloosterman got an RBI single in the inning as well. Going into the fifth, HC led 11-3 and needed only two runs for the mercy induced victory. Dykstra swatted his third hit of the game, and second double, to start things off and scored on Beelen’s fourth RBI of the game when he stroked a triple to the right center gap. Beelen trotted home on Steve Lynch’s second single of the day and the game was called. “On one side of the coin I am not very pleased at all with how we came out” said head coach Mike Ott. “We talked about it before the game and yet we still did it. On the other side, good teams make up for their mistakes and we were fortunate to do that tonight as we had 15 hits on the day.” Dykstra and Beelen led the way going 3-4. Lynch and Victor also each added two hits. Jake VanAlten contributed a single on the day also. Beelen got the victory throwing 3 2/3 innings before Dan Kortering threw a score 1 1/3 innings in relief. Beelen is now 2-0 on the year as he struggled striking out 4 and walking 4. Now 9-1, the Maroons will have two days off before traveling to Kalamazoo for the annual Kalamazoo Christian Funfest. They will take on South Christian at 12:30 p.m. on Saturday. PHOTOS
Thursday, April 24
Dux Snag Two
| |  | | Mitch Sytsma gathered one of the Maroons 2 RBI's. |
The Maroons baseball program had another first this past week when they played their first freshmen games in school history against Holland High. The team was victorious and looked to keep that streak alive in a doubleheader against Zeeland West. In the first game, the Maroons fell behind early but used a rally in the fourth inning to get back into the game. Derek Kloosterman got things going with a walk and then he stole second. Mitch Sytsma drove him home with an RBI single. Sytsma came all the way around when Mitch Barry drove a pitch into the gap for an RBI double. Barry would later score in the inning on a wild pitch. HC threatened to add more in the fourth but left the bases loaded. They would not threaten again as the Dux were able to get to Trevor Brewer on the mound and take the first game 6-3. In game two, it was much the same with the Dux prevailing 4-2. The fourth inning proved to be costly again for the Maroons. Grant VanPutten reached base via an error and made that hurt as he then stole second and third base and came into score on an Alex Nienhuis RBI single. Nienhuis would score on a Matt Garvelink RBI single later in the inning for the Maroons two runs. Kloosterman again reached base in the seventh but was stranded at third when the final out was caught. VanPutten took the loss in game two despite pitching solidly in a complete game outing. The freshmen’s record is now 1-2. They play Friday at home against Calvin Christian in a doubleheader at Maroons Field.
 | | Tom Baillargeon was solid behind the plate and added 3 hits on the day. | |
Saturday, April 26
Maroons Split in Kalamazoo
| |  | | Victor threw a complete game for his 4th win. |
A cold windy day gave way to sunshine and higher temperatures in Kalamazoo as the Maroons arrived to play at the Kalamazoo Christian Funfest Invitational. HC matched up against South Christian in the opener and found themselves behind 1-0 entering the third inning. Using only one hit in the inning, a Jake VanAlten single, Holland Christian was opportunistic using five Sailors' walks and took a 5-1 lead. Starting pitcher Jeff Victor shut down the South offense and HC scored three more in the fourth. All three runs were plated on a clutch triple by Steve Lynch. Two more runs came across in the fifth and the bases were loaded with two outs and HC only needing one more out to end the game via the MHSAA mercy rule. Tom Baillargeon got his second hit of the game and the game was called as the Maroons won 11-1 in five innings. Victor effectively worked through five innings striking out six and walking one to improve his record to 4-0. Ryan Dykstra and Jeff Victor both added singles. In game two, the host Kalamazoo Christian Comets were the Maroons opponent. The Comets are coming off their best season in school history when they went to the MHSAA Semi-finals. KC jumped out ahead using two walks and three hit batters to take a 2-0 lead. Holland Christian answered with three in the top of the second as Jeff Victor’s triple brought home two runs to tie the game. Victor scored the go ahead run when Dykstra reached on an error. Steve Lynch gave the Maroons a 4-2 lead in the third inning when Kevin Kloosterman gained an RBI when he was struck by the pitch with the bases loaded. The Comets grabbed the lead back taking advantage of two more HC walks and after three innings it was Kalamazoo Christian winning 5-4. They were not done scoring as two more runs scored against Maroons starter Dykstra in the fourth. Monty Vanderwall came in relief and got HC out of the inning without any further harm. Down 7-4 entering the sixth inning, Victor singled and came around to score on a VanAlten RBI single up the middle. Dykstra, who got on base via the walk, was scored on a great piece f situational hitting by Alden Boven. Boven grounded out to the second baseman to move the runner over to third base and got the runner home who was one third. VanAlten scampered home on a wild pitch and the game was tied. With two outs in the bottom of the sixth, Vanderwall gave up a double down the line and the go ahead run came across to score and KC led 8-7. HC went quietly in the top of the seventh and the Maroons nine game winning streak was snapped as they fell 8-7. The loss dropped HC’s record to 10-2. Despite taking the defeat, Vanderwall threw well in relief throwing a strong two and two thirds innings. “We showed how we can come back and belong in these type of games,” said head coach Mike Ott. “Early in the second game we gave them too many free passes and that came back to bite us. Our offensive approaches need to be better as well.” Dykstra added a single and double in the game and Baillargeon also singled. The Maroons will get back into conference play when they play a doubleheader against Zeeland East at Chix Field on Monday. PHOTOS
 | | Lynch delivered the big blow with a 3 RBI triple. |
 | | Jake VanAlten slides in under a throw to give HC the lead. | |
Monday, April 28
Beelen's No Hitter Helps Clean Up Coach's Mess
| |  | | Beelen fires a pitch in his 11 K, No Hitter. |
Monday afternoon’s doubleheader with Zeeland East was unlike any other game the Maroons had played in their careers as their head coach was suspended from the game. After his ejection on Saturday, the MHSAA rules prohibit the coach from participating in the next day’s competition therefore assistant coach Ken Beelen grabbed the reigns and the team did not miss a beat. “I put our team in a horrible situation because of my mistake” said head coach Mike Ott. “I apologized to them prior to the game and told them I made a mistake and asked them not only to forgive me but to bail me out and that they did.” The Maroons responded to the adversity sweeping Zeeland East 6-4 and 12-1. In game one, the team jumped on Chix ace Zane Breslin early. Alex Beelen singled in Ryan Dykstra and HC led 1-0 after one. In the second inning they scored two more runs and took a 3-0 lead but it was not held for long. East began to chip away plating a run in the fourth and then used three unearned runs in the fifth to take a 4-3 lead. With Breslin getting stronger, things looked bleak entering the seventh inning. Dykstra stepped to the plate with one out and awoke the Maroons bench sending a 3-2 pitch to the left field fence for a double. VanAlten then got an infield single and advanced to second on an error as Dykstra scampered home for the tying run. Another Chix error scored another run and Beelen added the sixth run on an RBI groundout by Steve Lynch. Dan Kortering finished his complete game sending the Chix down in the seventh to earn the victory. The momentum from winning game one was prevalent as HC jumped on East early leading 5-0 and that would be all Beelen needed on the mound. Beelen was incredible featuring all three of his pitches. As Beelen held Zeeland East without a hit, the offense continued to pour it on and soon led 12-0 entering the fifth inning. Beelen still held onto his no hitter but his control got away from him for two batters and the Chix soon were threatening to break the shutout. A Maroons error gave way to a ZE run but the hits column still read zero. That is the way it stayed as he struck out the final two batters to seal the doubleheader sweep and his first career no hitter. Beelen struck out 11 men and only walked three in the five inning mercy rule victory. Dykstra and Beelen led the way offensively for the team as they both went 4-6 on the day. Dykstra added a triple in game one and Beelen notched his fifth double of the year in game two. Jon Kloosterman added two hits in game one and Jake VanAlten had two on the day. The wins move HC to 12-2 overall and 5-1 in conference play. They will now host Zeeland West at Maroons Field on Wednesday. They defeated the Dux 23-10 in their season opener. PHOTOS
 | | Dykstra's clutch 7th inning double aided HC's game 1 win. |
Monday, April 28
Freshmen Nearly take Two
|  | | Mitch Barry ropes one of his two hits in game 2. | |
The freshmen team came away with their second victory of the season Monday night in a doubleheader against Zeeland East and just missed sweeping the two games. In the first game, freshmen pitcher Nate Scheppers threw a complete game but received a no decision. The Maroons were able to take the 5-4 lead in the top of the sixth but the Chix fought back and scored one in the bottom of the sixth before the game was called. In freshmen baseball the games are five innings and therefore in order to get the second game in, it was called a tie. In the second game, the Maroons offense erupted giving starting pitcher Grant VanPutten more than enough support in his complete game gem. Jake Buikema and Peter Cupery each doubled in the contest while Mitch Barry and Alex Nienhuis added 2-3 days in the Maroons rout. VanPuttern struck out two and walked no one while his defense played superbly behind him. It was his first victory of the season as the freshmen are now 2-4-1 on the year. The JV will be back in action Wednesday when they travel to Zeeland to face the Dux of Zeeland West.
 | | Jon Kloosterman dives in ahead of the throw for a key RBI triple. | |
Wednesday, April 30
1st Place Showdown Now Looms
|  | | VanAlten watches his double on a 3-3 day. | |
With one of the largest games of the season looming Friday, Holland Christian had to get through Zeeland West on Wednesday for it to mean anything. They made sure not to overlook the Dux en route to a four inning 15-0 victory. The Maroons wasted no time setting down the Dux in the first and then jumping on them for 3 runs. HC used a double by Jake VanAlten to lead things off and he was plated on an Alex Beelen triple, his first of the day. Beelen came in on Dan Kortering’s well placed double. Tom Baillargeon picked up an RBI driving in Kortering on a sacrifice fly. Jeff Victor set ZW down in the second and HC pushed three more runs across. VanAlten came through with a clutch two strike two RBI single and was plated after Beelen’s RBI single. HC stole five bases alone in the second inning. The third only saw HC score two runs as the big hit came off the bat off Jon Kloosterman. Kloosterman turned on a 1-1 fastball and lined it over the rightfielder’s head and dove in head first for a triple just beating the throw. Monty Vanderwall drove him in with the Maroons second sacrifice fly of the day. The game looked to be going into the fifth as the first two HC hitters of the inning were retired. With two outs, the team made a stunning run scoring 7 ruins to end the game. Baillargeon started the rally with a single and was moved to second when Kloosterman was hit by the pitch. Vanderwall got his second RBI of the game with a single up the middle. Victor helped his own cause by driving a line drive up the middle that was misplayed by the Dux centerfielder and HC scored again. Ryan Dykstra singled and drove in another run. Now 11-0, Beelen stepped to the plate. The highlight of the day came on the third pitch of the at bat when Beelen stroked a fastball to the left center gap. The ball was smashed and looked to be heading for a walk off grand slam. The ball literally hit the top of the fence on the yellow tubing and sprang straight up in the air falling back into play. The ever hustling Beelen never stopped and raced into third driving in 3 runs and gathering his second triple of the game. He trotted home when Kortering ended the game on his second double of the day. The Maroons twelve hits paced them on an afternoon that their starting pitcher was not at his sharpest. Despite being erratic, Victor improved to 5-0 with 5 strikeouts and 2 walks. Holland Christian, now 13-2 and 6-1 in league, turns their attention to league leading Mona Shores on Friday. The game will pit Mona (7-0 in the OK-Green) against HC in the final conference home game of the season for the Maroons for first place. On the day, VanAlten led the way going 3-3. Beelen was 3-4 with the two aforementioned triples. The game against the Sailors will be Friday at 4:15 p.m. at Maroons Field. PHOTOS
 | | Beelen smokes his second triple of the game, off the top of the fence. |
Wednesday, April 30
Big Inning Pushes JV to Victory
|  | | Cupery lines a double down the LF line. | |
Looking for their second conference victory, Holland Christian traveled to Dux Field to take on Zeeland West. Earlier this season, HC got its lone victory over West by a score of 10-7. The same type of game was in store for the Maroons as they allowed the host two unearned runs in the first. The Dux were not done as they pushed their lead up to five runs leading 5-0 entering the third. Head coach Walter Lamb sparked his team with an impassioned speech and the team responded. They began to chip away at the lead scoring two in the third and two in the fourth. The fifth inning proved to be the momentum changer. Mitch Barry started the inning working a walk and then was moved in on Peter Cupery’s double down the leftfield line. Sam Bruns drove Cupery in with an RBI single. Jake Bruns followed after a pair of HC walks with an RBI single, as did Grant VanPutten. By the time the inning was over, HC used four hits and four walks to plate six runs and grab the 10-5 lead. ZW came back in their half of the inning and scored two before Lamb made a pitching change. Due to pitch count, starter David Blystra was removed in favor of VanPutten and he got HC out of the jam. He calmly worked the sixth and seventh and put to rest the Maroons 11-7 win. Ben Attema added two hits on the day with one being a double. Cupery also had two hits with a single and double and Josh Meiste chipped in with two singles. The win moves the JV record to 2-6 on the year, 2-3 in the OK-Green. Holland Christian will continue their action on the road at Mona Shores on Friday afternoon with a JV game at 4:15 p.m. and a freshmen contest immediately after.
 | | Head Coach Walter Lamb addresses his team. |
Friday, May 2
Mona Shores Rained Out
The games with Mona Shores scheduled for Friday, May 2 have been postponed due to the wet weather. This includes the home varsity game and the JV/Freshmen game at Mona Shores. The makeup date has yet to be rescheduled but when it is it will be posted here immediately.
 | | The varsity team overlooks Maroons Field after their DH win. | |
Saturday, May 3
Maroons Close Down Shop
| |  | | Beelen turns the high fastball into his 1st career HR. |
After years of playing in the same spot, Holland Christian called an end to playing at Maroons Field. The final home game of the 2008 season is also the final game to be held at the familiar field as it will be demolished in mid May as the process of constructing a new field. The new field will move location towards Pine Ridge Elementary school and HC was looking to end their home finale on a bang. That happened, sort of. The schedule doubleheader with Division I Ottawa Hills was a unique experience. With eight of Ottawa Hills’ nine starting players not showing up, the team only brought six to the field. The Maroons lent the visiting Bengals three outfielders and game 1 was played. The game was basically over before the first inning even ended. After Monty Vanderwall struck out the side, the Maroons struck for 7 runs. The same seven people who reach base and score in the second inning as well and HC led 14-0. In the second, Alex Beelen annihilated a ball down the left field line for his first career home run which plated the two men on base. The pitching staff, by committee, would continue to mow down Ottawa as Ryan Dykstra, Jon Kloosterman, Nic Kiekover and Josh Garvelink each threw a scoreless inning of relief. While the Bengals struggled scoring, the Maroons continued to place base hits as they scored one in the third, one in the fourth, three in the fifth and one in the sixth. Tom Baillargeon made his pitching debut in the seventh and gave up an unearned run and the game was over with the score 20-1. The second game was called an official forfeit and HC got the win by a score of 7-0 (MHSAA ruling for forfeited games). On the day Holland Christian pounded out 22 hits and the pitching staff struck out 14 men. The Maroons are now 15-2 and will take on Unity Christian in Hudsonville in an OK-Green tilt on Monday. PHOTOS
 | | VanAlten (front) and Beelen (back) are pumped after scoring the go ahead run. | |
Monday, May 5
Maroons Perservere
|  | | Monty Vanderwall came up big with a 2 RBI double. | |
Perseverance is defined as steadily adhering to a course of action. There could be no better definition of the Maroons game against rival Unity Christian on Monday evening. The teams fought equally hard throughout the entire contest but HC found a way to leave the Unity complex with an 8-7 win. Unity sent their ace Cody VanKoevering to the hill and he faced Maroons ace Dan Kortering. The two locked in a pitcher’s dual through the first two innings with neither offense able to do much. That ended in the third inning when the Maroons seemed to open a nice cushion. Using a key UC error, Alex Beelen plated two runs with a triple that was driven into the right center gap. Kortering, also the team’s cleanup hitter, was struck by the next pitch and with runners on first and third, Monty Vanderwall laced a double into the same gap Beelen just hit. Beelen trotted home and Kortering came all the way from first base to score and Holland Christian led 4-0. That lead was short lived as Unity was given three unearned runs in the bottom half of the inning. Two fly balls were misplayed, including one in the infield that led to Unity tying it 4-4. With the teams back on even playing ground, the Maroons brought Ryan Dykstra around without the benefit of a hit to lead 5-4. UC struck again in the inning following HC’s score and plated 3 runs to take a 7-5 lead. A key double by the Crusaders, with the bases loaded, scored two and the third run was thrown out at the plate on a perfect relay from Jon Kloosterman to Beelen to Tom Baillargeon at the plate. Jeff Victor came on in relief and UC scratched across one more run against him to lead by two with just six outs to go. Kloosterman came up big offensively the following inning as he was hit by a pitch and scored on Dykstra’s RBI single. Victor, who was one second, was thrown out at home on the play trying to tie the game and that ended the inning. Despite being thrown out at the plate, Victor settled and sent Unity down in order in the sixth and the Maroons came to bat in the final inning down 1. A Jake VanAlten single started the inning and he got to second on an overthrow by the Crusaders shortstop. After Beelen was intentionally walked and the runners advanced on a wild pitch, Kortering stepped to the plate with men on second and third and no one out. Kortering grounded out to the pitcher and the runners could not advance. The drama then came full tilt when Steve Lynch stepped to the plate. In the second inning, Lynch was knocked out of the game on an enormous collision at first base. He was running to the bag and ran head on into Unity’s first baseman who was scrambling to beat him to the bag. After sitting nearly five innings, Lynch re-entered and answered the bell singling in VanAlten and Beelen for the go ahead run ala Kirk Gibson, minus the homerun. There would be no more offense in the inning and with HC leading 8-7, they would have to go through the heart of Unity Christian’s order. Beelen came on in relief looking for the save and struck the first two men out. After a two out walk and a UC steal of second, the tying run was now on second with two outs. Beelen calmly struck the final batter out to seal the big win for the Maroons. “We battled tonight and that truly was a team victory” said head coach Mike Ott. “We had to rearrange the lineup a few times and several guys stepped up. We were as poised as we had been all year.” Victor picked up the win in relief and Beelen notched his first save. Beelen also led the team going 2-2 at the plate. The team also got singles from Tom Baillargeon and Kevin Kloosterman. The win pushed the Maroons record to 16-2 and 7-1 in league. They will now face the Dutch of Holland on Wednesday at 4:15 p.m. PHOTOS
 | | Lynch starts his swing on his clutch 2 RBI single in the 7th. |
Monday, May 5
Offense Shut Down in Pitcher's Dual
| |  | | Peter Cupery held HC in the game with his 11 K's. |
They say in baseball all it takes to win a game is a few timely hits and a pitcher on his game. That was definitely the case with the JV baseball game between Unity and Holland Christian. Playing for the second time this season at Unity, the Maroons and Crusaders had quite the pitching dual going on for much of the contest. HC’s Peter Cupery dealt against the host striking out 11 men through just five innings. The unfortunate fact was the Unity’s pitcher was as sharp as Cupery and the team could not get anything going offensively. UC was first to strike pushing two runs across and that would be it for the offense. The Maroons stranded the bases loaded late in the game and did not receive their first hit until Ben Attema singled in the sixth. They could not string anything together at the crucial time and Unity defeated Holland Christian 2-0 behind a one hit performance by their pitcher. “Overall it was sharp by both teams” said head coach Walter Lamb. “We need to do a better job of situational hitting in key times however.” Holland looms next for the JV as they will play at Holland after the varsity on Wednesday. PHOTOS
Wednesday, May 7
Holland Rained Out
Field conditions at Holland High School's field have forced the cancellation of both the varsity and JV games. They will be rescheduled for May 19 at Holland.
 | | Jon Kloosterman provided the big blow with a key 2 RBI double in the 4th. | |
Thursday, May 8
Maroons Ranked & Off to Best Start in History
| |  | | Beelen imrpoves to 4-0 with a complete game shutout. |
The Maroons made the trip to the north side of Holland to face the always tough West Ottawa Panthers. West Ottawa has established themselves as one of the better programs in the West Michigan area, but so have the Maroons, so this was a clash of two strong programs. One proved mightier on Thursday afternoon as the Maroons performed well in all aspects of the game defeating the Panthers 6-0. The victory moves the team to 17-2 on the season and with a #4 state ranking in the state already in their back pocket, they have also achieved the best start in school history eclipsing the mark of the 2006 team. The game started with a bang as Ryan Dykstra led the game off with a shot into the left center gap on the first pitch. The double set up Jake VanAlten, who singled and moved Dykstra to third. After a VanAlten swipe of second base, Alex Beelen smoked a ball into centerfield. With the wind blowing in the ball hovered and was caught for the sacrifice fly that moved both runners up and gave HC a 1-0 lead. Steve Lynch followed with an RBI groundout and after the top of the first, the Maroons led 2-0. In retrospect that would be all they would need as Beelen grinded his way on the mound. Beelen was backed up on the mound by his defense which turned two double plays helping him get through the first three innings unscathed. In the fourth, Beelen singled. He was forced out on a fielder’s choice before Tom Baillargeon hit a laser into rightfield for a single. A perfectly executed hit and run by Dan Kortering moved two runners into scoring position. Up came Jon Kloosterman who delivered a clutch two RBI double that plated both runners. “That hit was huge” said head coach Mike Ott. “That really gave us some momentum but the play that goes overlooked is the fantastic job of situational hitting that Kort did. Without that we may only score one and a four run cushion was big with B on the mound.” Beelen continued to motor though the West Ottawa lineup limiting them to only two hits through six innings. In the seventh, Jeff Victor reached on an error and Dykstra followed as he was hit by a pitch. VanAlten, again showing great situational hitting, executed a great sacrifice bunt to move the runners up. Beelen was intentionally walked to set up HC with the bases loaded. After a groundout and stellar play by West Ottawa ’s first baseman, the Maroons grabbed two more runs on RBI walks by Baillargeon and Kortering. Up 6-0, Beelen gave up a hit in the seventh but calmed and shut down any rally ending the game on a comebacker to himself. The complete game shutout moves him to 4-0 on the season as he struck out 5 and walked 2. Victor also added a single on the day for the Maroons. Now up for the team will be the Jon Hooker Memorial Tournament on Saturday. They will be back in action at West Ottawa at 10:00 a.m. with the tournament honoring one of Coach Ott’s closest friends who was killed in the ComAir plane crash in August of 2006. The tournament runs in a bracket style with HC needing to win to play at 1:00 p.m. at West Ottawa. The championship game will be held at WO at 3:30 p.m. The Maroons are the defending champions. PHOTOS
 | | Dan Kortering moves runners into scoring position with great situational hitting |
Thursday, May 8
Another Close Game Slips Through
With a tough loss fresh in their pallet, the JV Maroons looked to get back into the win column against West Ottawa. Unfortunately the taste got worse before it got any better as West Ottawa used a pair of HC errors and timely hitting to score two runs in the first inning and grab a 2-0 lead. Nate Scheppers settled down on the mound and continued to hold the Maroons in the game for the next two innings. The Panthers struck again in the fourth inning and were up 3-0. Holland Christian finally got on the board as they received two runs in the fifth inning. A key Grant VanPutten double aided the Maroons cause and they trailed 3-2 (left). Scheppers set WO down in the fifth and sixth without scoring and the game came down to the teams’ final at bat. With the tying run standing at second base, West Ottawa bore down and got out of the inning and won the game 3-2. This marks the second consecutive defeat for the JV by one run. VanPutten led the team at the plate amassing two of the team’s three hits going 2-3. Jake Buikema added the only other HC hit with a pinch hit single. Scheppers took the hard luck loss going the distance striking out 4. The Maroons will get a taste of tournament action on Saturday when they travel to Grand Haven for their annual jaunt in the Big Bucs Tournament starting at 10:00 a.m. PHOTOS
 | | VanPutten lines one of his two hits on the afternoon. |
 | | Monty Vanderwall's 13 K's led to a game 1 victory. | |
Saturday, May 10
Two Time Jon Hooker Memorial Champions
|  | | Jon Kloosterman drove in 4 in game 1 alone. | |
History repeated itself twice at West Ottawa High School. The Maroons hosted the second annual Jon Hooker Memorial Tournament honoring head coach Mike Ott’s close friend who was killed in the ComAir 5191 Kentucky plane crash in 2006. In the inaugural year, the Maroons swept to the tournament championship and looked to repeat as the title holder. Hosting the tournament with eight teams, playing at four locations, the Maroons prevailed winning three games on Saturday to repeat as champions. The three wins also made more school history. Not only is this the best start to any season at Holland Christian, the team is now 20-2 on the year marking the third consecutive season with 20 wins. Prior to the run, the school had only two twenty win seasons in their history. Game one saw the Puma’s of Potter’s House take a 2-1 lead over the Maroons in an uncharacteristic contest for HC. “We played some guys who had not played as much and they played so tense that it really hurt us” added Ott. After four innings, the Maroons came back as several of the regular starters were reinserted into the lineup and responded. Two big doubles by Jon Kloosterman drove in four runs and HC rode the strong arm of Monty Vanderwall. Vanderwall was the story of game 1 dominating Potter’s House striking out 13 men and walking no one. “Monty was terrific on the hill for us” Ott commented. “He was easily the story of game one and deserved it. He has worked hard and we have a lot of confidence in him on the mound.” In game two, Covenant Christian advanced to play Holland Christian after they defeated Muskegon 11-5. Covenant scored first on a two base throwing error and led 1-0 heading into the third. Five consecutive hits by Ryan Dykstra, Jake VanAlten, Alex Beelen, Dan Kortering and a double from Steve Lynch saw Holland Christian vault ahead 4-1. Lynch would come up big again in the fifth inning driving in 2 more runs with an RBI single. In the game, Lynch drove in 5 runs. Dykstra and Beelen would add singles later in the game, as would Tom Baillargeon and Nic Kiekover. The offensive explosion late proved more than enough as the pitching of Ryan Dykstra and Dan Kortering gave the Maroons the 9-3 win. In the championship contest, Calvin Christian earned the nod against the Maroons. Calvin Christian had defeated Zeeland East and Zeeland West earlier in the day to get to the game. The Maroons wasted no time as they plated two in the bottom half of the first inning to grab a lead they would never relinquish. Beelen drove in VanAlten with an RBI groundout and Kortering scored on a wild pitch to account for the two runs. Jeff Victor took the hill looking to stay perfect on the year and he did just that holding Calvin Christian down not allowing a run through the first five innings. Victor helped his own cause scoring a run in the third and the Maroons led 3-0. Lynch ripped a double and came around on Baillargeon’s double to put the team up 4-0. Baillargeon then was plated on an RBI single by Kloosterman. In the fourth, the scoring continued as Victor and Dykstra came in on RBI’s from VanAlten and Beelen. Leading 8-0 after five, Calvin finally got on the board plating one run and that would be all for the day. Victor closed out the game striking out the final two men to claim the 8-1 victory. He struck out 9 on the day moving him to 8-0 on the season. “Other than the sloppy start to the day we played extremely well only making two errors in the final two games and we showed great plate discipline” added a dampened Ott, who was soaked by the team after the game. “I am extremely proud to win this tournament, it means a lot to me and I love the way we are playing right now.” On the day Steve Lynch and Alex Beelen led the way with 5 hits a piece. Lynch had 3 doubles. Dykstra added 4 hits and Baillargeon had 3. Now 20-2, a huge week is on tap for the Maroons. In a virtual tie for the conference lead, the Maroons will travel to Reeths-Puffer for a showdown against the 20-1 Rockets in a doubleheader. With control of their own destiny, this is the first step towards a conference championship. “It will be a big day but one we can handle if we just take care of what we need to and not worry about Puffer” said Ott. “We just have to play our game. They are a good team and it will be tough playing at their place but this group can handle it.” First pitch is at 4:15 p.m.
 | | Steve Lynch drilled 5 hits on the day including 3 Doubles and 5 RBI. |
 | | The JV team looks on during their doubleheader. | |
Monday, May 12
JV Can't Close Deal
Riding the wave of momentum that comes from a 15-0 mercy shortened win can be vital to a team getting on a winning streak. For six innings against Reeths-Puffer, it looked like the Maroons would take their win over Muskegon from the weekend and turn it into a streak. As sophomore David Blystra masterfully pitched his team to a 3-1 lead heading into the seventh, the hopes of the Maroons came down to one final out. The Rockets were able to load the bases trailing 3-1. With two outs, the Rockets sixth hitter hit a shot to the rightfield wall that plated all 3 runs and allowed Reeths-Puffer to celebrate a win off the walk-off triple. The heartbreaking loss for the Maroons ruined a game they were in control over for twenty of the necessary twenty one outs. The team had to regroup quickly with a second game on tap and HC did well in doing just that. Nate Scheppers threw a strong six innings keeping the team in the game and they headed to the seventh down by one. With the Maroons the home team in game two, the wheels fell off once again in the seventh inning as Rockets scored five times to push to a 9-3 lead. HC knocked one run off the deficit in the sevent6h but that was all and they fell 9-4. The two losses bring the JV’s conference record to 2-7 and they will play another OK-doubleheader on Wednesday against Zeeland East.
 | | The Maroons huddle between innings in showdown with Reeths-Puffer. | |
Wednesday, May 14
Huge Doubleheader Split Leaves HC in Charge of Own Destiny
| |  | | Beelen improved to 5-0 on the year with his CG win in game 1. |
Sodini Field lent itself as the backdrop to one of the biggest games in the State this season. With both the Holland Christian Maroons and Reeths-Puffer Rockets entering the game ranked in the State Polls in Division I and II respectively, the two teams combined records were 40-3, and it was no wonder the crowd was a bit larger than usual. In game one, Holland Christian, serving as the home team, jumped to an early 1-0 lead in the first inning. Jake VanAlten singled, stole second base and came to third on a throwing error. Alex Beelen then calmly executed great situational hitting driving him in with a groundout to second. Puffer would tie the score up in the top half of the second on a ball that squirted away at the plate. The Maroons did not panic and answered with three runs in the bottom half. Jon Kloosterman laced a double off the centerfield wall and scored on an RBI single by Jeff Victor. Victor then stole second and scored on a Rockets throwing error. Another RP mistake gave HC another run as with the bases loaded the Reeths-Puffer starting pitcher balked and that gave the team their third run. Leading 4-1, Beelen took over on the mound limiting the Rockets, one of the most potent lineups in the area, to just one run over the next four innings, an unearned run. With the score 4-2, HC pushed across one final run. After Beelen was hit by a pitch, he stole second base and Dan Kortering laid down a perfect sacrifice bunt to move him to third base. He was plated on a roped single up the middle by Steve Lynch. This proved to the be the winning run. In the seventh, Reeths-Puffer did not go away getting the first two men on base. With HC in the attitude of trading runs for outs, Puffer was able to get the first run across on a groundout. There was one out and a bloop single over third base plated the fourth RP run. However, HC was not ever attempting to go after the run and with RP figuring a throw would go to the plate, the runner attempted to take second base and was thrown out by a country mile. This baserunning mistake sealed the deal as Beelen put the final touches on his complete game victory striking out the next man on three pitches to give HC the win. The win allowed the Maroons to be in charge of their own destiny as far as the conference championship as they will play Mona Shores on Friday. Before that game, game two kicked off and HC again vaulted to an early lead. Beelen drove in Ryan Dykstra in the first and Dykstra scored again in the third to give the Maroons a 2-0 lead. That would be their last as the pitching staff elevated the ball and RP made them pay. With the game tied up at 3-3 after three, the wheels fell off for the Maroons on the fourth and fifth as RP plated nine runs in the two innings to comfortably take a 12-3 lead. “The wheels fell off the cart in the fourth and fifth” said head coach Mike Ott. “We haven’t had that happen all year. Our guys were not making the adjustment to get the ball down and with a great hitting team like that they are going to make you pay. And they did just that.” Dan Kortering suffered the loss on the mound with Monty Vanderwall, Nic Kiekover and Jon Kloosterman also seeing time on the mound. The Rockets pounded out two homeruns and fourteen hits in game two. Kortering, Jon Kloosterman, VanAlten and Victor each added a single. Beelen also drove a double off the centerfield wall but was stranded at second base. “To be completely honest it seems like a lot to ask for us to come into a 20-1 team and take two from them but the reality was we were just four innings away and it got away from us” added Ott. “Our plate appearances were not strong enough today but in the scheme of things a split keeps us alive and in charge of our own destiny and we just have to continue to try and get better.” Before the showdown against Mona Shores on Friday, the team will travel to Grand Haven on Thursday for a non-conference tilt at 4:30 p.m. PHOTOS
 | | Jeff Victor lines on of his two RBI singles on the day. |
Thursday, May 15
Maroons Receive District Draw
The familiar district pairing for Holland Christian over the past several years has been District 47. Not any longer. The MHSAA announced earlier in the year that the districts had been shuffled and for the second consecutive year, HC will be in a different district group. The familiar teams of Unity Christian, Zeeland East and Zeeland West are back from last year but Hamilton has reappeared back in the groupings, after a year away. On Thursday morning, the district draw took place at the host site, Hamilton High School. The Maroons drew the Pre-District contest on Tuesday May 27 against Unity Christian. The game will be played at Hamilton with a 5:00 p.m. game start. The winner of the Maroons-Crusaders contest will play Zeeland East Saturday, May 31 at 10:00 a.m. Hamilton and Zeeland West will showdown in the other semi-final at noon on Saturday. The Maroons have defeated Unity twice this season in conference play but everyone in athletics knows one of the hardest things to do is beat a team three times. "We know what Unity is capable of" said head varsity coach Mike Ott. "They are a talented team that always brings their best effort in postseason play as is evident by there superb showings over the past decade or so in Districts. We know them, they know us, we know and have seen who they will be throwing against us, we will just need to worry about our game and execute very well." In order for Holland Christian to win their second district tile in three years, they will need to win three games. The winner of the District will travel to Grand Rapids Christian (Gainey Field) to play the winner of the Coopersville District in the Regional semi-final on Saturday, June 7.
 | | Dan Kortering led the way at the plate going 3-3 with a double. | |
Thursday, May 15
Maroons Get Back in Win Column
| |  | | The first inning score was sparked by VanAlten's single up the middle. |
May 15, 2008
Maroons Get Back in Winning Column
A day before their league showdown with first place Mona Shores, and looking to avoid their first losing streak of the season, the Maroons geared up for the game with a non-conference tune up against Grand Haven. Holland Christian made the thirty minute drive north and came out swinging early to back up sophomore Jeff Victor on the mound. After a leadoff out, Jake VanAlten singled and worked his way to third base using a steal and a wild pitch. With two outs, Dan Kortering started his strong offensive day with an RBI single that made the score 1-0. Victor worked a scoreless first inning and the Maroons came back and backed him again, this time with two runs. An RBI single by Ryan Dykstra plated one run and the other scored on a wild pitch and HC led 3-0. Victor continued to mow down Buccaneer hitters and HC continued to tack runs on each inning they batted. In the third, Kortering singled and came around and scored on Jon Kloosterman’s two RBI single. Kloosterman would then trot home when Victor helped his own causing doubling down the rightfield line. Now up 6-0, Victor continued to cruise and got stringer as the game went on. Kortering finalized his day at the plate with an RBI double in the fourth. It was his second RBI of the day as he drove in VanAlten both times. Kortering then scampered home when Steve Lynch doubled to score the Maroons final run of the day. Leading 8-0 after four innings of play, the extent of the HC depth was shown as everyone entered the game. In the bottom of the fifth, Victor struck the side out and worked two more strikeouts into the mix in the sixth. The Bucs finally got to Victor breaking up his no hitter in the sixth and then piecing together back to back hits in the seventh to score their only run. With his shutout no longer intact, Monty Vanderwall came on and closed the door on the Maroons 8-1 victory. The win moves the team to 22-3 on the year and Victor improves his overall record to 9-0 on the season as he struck out 11 and only walked one. “We were going to hold off on Vic throwing until Saturday but we wanted him to come back in potential relief and start our conference game next week” said Ott. “There was no way we were going to skip him in the rotation and he responded commanding his breaking ball extremely well and completely holding their offensive attack at bay.” On the day, Holland Christian rapped 10 hits, three of which were doubles. Kortering led the way going 3-3 as Jake VanAlten went 2-4 with two singles. Nic Kiekover added a bunt single in the second inning as well. “We were ok at the plate, not where we need to be” added Ott. “Our top two hitters all year have been a bit off the past 2 games and for us to do what we want to with our season we have to get them back. I was happy with how the other guys picked up the slack today and we got everyone some looks.” Holland Christian will now travel to Mona Shores Friday in a tussle for first place in the OK-Green. The Maroons will serve as the home team and if they defeat the Sailors will be in a first place tie with one game to play. The first pitch is slated for 4:15 p.m. PHOTOS
 | | Jeff Victor improved to 9-0 on the season. |
 | | Dan Kortering laces his 2 RBI single to left field. | |
Friday, May 16
Captains Pace Big Win
|  | | Tom Baillargeon shows the ball after tagging the tying run out at the plate. | |
The Maroons traveled to Mona Shores Friday for their home OK-Green rematch with the Sailors. The rematch had major conference bearing as with a win, the Maroons could move into a tie for first place with one game remaining. If they lost, Mona Shores would win the title alone for the third straight season. The Sailors entered the game as not only the top team in the conference, but one of the top Division I teams in the state. The Maroons countered that entering 22-3 and ranked fifth in the latest Division II poll. The game also matched up a pair of senior aces as Chris Mattson from Mona took on Alex Beelen from Holland Christian. Beelen was coming off a start three days earlier in which he led his team past state ranked Reeths-Puffer. The aces did not disappoint as both held the opposing team hitless for three innings. Mona would scrape an infield hit off Beelen and create a first and third situation with two outs before Beelen got them out of the jam with a strikeout. In need of a spark, senior captain Jake VanAlten lined a fastball back up the middle to get HC their first baserunner. They would make it pay as three pitches later, Beelen, another captain, executed a perfect hit and run and singled to rightfield. VanAlten would scamper to third base. After an infield pop up, Beelen stole second setting up the third captain, Dan Kortering, for a chance to get the Maroons on the board. With a full count, Kortering laced a fastball to rightfield and VanAlten and a hustling Beelen ran home to give HC the 2-0 lead. Tom Baillargeon would follow with the fourth hit of the inning before Mona would induce a fly ball to end the inning. Beelen made the 2-0 lead stick through the fifth and sixth with the Maroons not able to get anything going. The top of the seventh also started well with the leadoff man grounding out. With one out, the Sailors refused to go away and blooped two singles into the outfield. With men on first and second things got interesting. A pinch hitter for Mona laced a line drive into leftfield that was misplayed. The error saw the ball get under the glove and roll towards the fence. With the runners moving, Jake VanAlten made a heads up play backing the play up and firing a strike to shortstop Jeff Victor. One run had already come around the tying run was being waved to the plate. Victor finished a perfect relay to nail the man at the plate for the second out. After a walk to the Sailors leadoff hitter and then a subsequent steal, there were runners at second and third base. Working his way to a 2-2 count on the #2 hitter, a fastball was sent deep into centerfield. With the Maroons in a non doubles defense it fell harmlessly into VanAlten’s glove setting off a burst of celebration from the Maroons dugout. This was the first time in three years that HC had defeated Mona Shores in conference play. The 2-1 win sets up a conference championship game against Holland on Monday. If Holland Christian is victorious they would grab a share of the OK-Green title for the first time. “We did not execute the best we could offensively but a lot has to be said that when we needed it we had it” said head coach Mike Ott. “People keep muttering that we play no one which is the biggest bunch of crap. We have shown we can hang with anyone and play in any type of game. We have won the blowout, the come from behind and proved we can hold on in tight situations. I am very proud of the guys but we have a ways to go still.” This is the Maroons fourth straight game against a Division I opponent with three more upcoming. Beelen, now 6-0 on the year, worked a complete game striking out 7 and walking 4. The lone run was unearned. He only gave up four hits on the day. Next up for the Maroons (23-3) will be a trip to historic Sullivan Field in Grand Rapids to face the upstart Redhawks of Union at noon. PHOTOS
 | | The team celebrates the big 2-1 win over Mona. |
Friday, May 16
Bats Anchor Sailors' Victory
| |  | | Sam Bruns contributed a 4-4 day with 4 RBI. |
The Maroons made the most of their second chance against Mona Shores’ JV baseball team Friday night. Just minutes after the varsity pulled their big victory, the JV took the field against one another. Peter Cupery was given the ball and Mona was able to get to him early scoring runs in each of his five innings. Unlike earlier in the year, Cupery was rewarded with offense as the Maroons offense exploded for 12 runs in just three innings. In the third inning, HC pushed one run across. Then in the fourth they got five runs and in the fifth they added 6 more. Heading into the bottom of the fifth the game was tied at 12. Unfortunately, the Maroons defense was never able to work a scoreless frame and Shores scored two in the bottom of the fifth and two in the sixth. Holland Christian went quietly in the seventh to fall 16-12. On the day, sophomores Sam Bruns and David Blystra had their finest offensive outputs of the season with Bruns going 4-4 with two doubles and 4 RBI. Blystra went 3-4 with three singles. Jake Buikema and Trevor Brewer each added two singles. The Maroons bottom four hitters in their lineup accounted for 11 of the 16 hits on the day. Next up for Holland Christian will be their final OK-Green game of the season when they take on Holland, at Holland, after the varsity game on Monday night.
 | | Beelen's three extra base hits were huge in the game 2 comeback. | |
Saturday, May 17
Letdown Nearly Costs Maroons Two; Earn Split in Extras
| |  | | Jeff Victor moved his record to 10-0 with two perfect innings of relief. |
The extra emotion that the varsity baseball team had to exert Friday night to defeat Mona Shores was evident in their doubleheader with Grand Rapids Union. Play at one of the most historic baseball fields in West Michigan, the Maroons lacked fire in the first game of their doubleheader and their offense suffered the consequences. The game started well for Holland Christian as leadoff man Ryan Dykstra singled and stole second to set the Maroons up. He moved over to third on a groundout but was stranded and that became the story of the game. In the game, HC stranded runners in five of the seven innings only going down 1-2-3 twice. While the offense sputtered to only two hits, Dykstra kept the Maroons in the game holding Union scoreless for three innings. The potent Redhawk offense jumped on two elevated curveballs which resulted in two runs in the fourth inning. Dykstra would get stronger as the game progressed and after six, Union led 2-0. HC needed to rally in order to continue their win streak but it was not in the cards as they went down quietly in the seventh without getting anyone on base. Dykstra took the hard luck loss throwing a complete game and striking out 5 while only walking 1. “Dyk was very good on the mound and did exactly what we needed him to” said head coach Mike Ott. “We were flat from the get go and our plate appearances were atrocious. Any time you come off a big emotional win you always fear this and we need to learn from it.” It looked as if the team did just that in game two as Dykstra again led the game off with a single. However he was erased as he was picked off on a perfectly run back pick. With two outs, Alex Beelen laced a double to right center and was plated two pitches later when Dan Kortering scalded a triple to center field. Kortering would be left on third. Monty Vanderwall took the hill in game 2 and did not receive much help behind him early in the game. Leading 1-0, the Maroons made three uncharacteristic errors which led to four unearned runs over the next two innings. After two, HC trailed 4-1 and the feeling of the game was much like game 1. Holland Christian would waste another Beelen double in the third as he was left on base. Union tacked another run on the board in the third and they led 5-1. After a quiet fourth inning, the Maroons fed off the momentum of Vanderwall’s three pitch inning and the bats awoke. Six straight singles happened in the fifth but only three runs came across the plate. “The guys made the necessary adjustments and I took us out of that inning running us into two outs” added Ott. Union would not go away as they added another run in the fifth and Union led 6-4. Neither team would strike in the sixth and the drama came down to the Maroons seventh. Needing a spark, Kortering jumpstarted the inning with a walk. He was moved to second when Steve Lynch was hit by a pitch. Tom Baillargeon followed with a perfectly executed bunt that turned into a single and an error and a run came across the plate. After Jon Kloosterman walked to load the bases, the Redhawks brought in their number 1 pitcher to face sophomore Alden Boven. Not wanting to wait, the squeeze bunt was called but was not executed and the runner was tagged out at home. With runners on second and third and now two outs, Boven struck out, the Union ace uncorked a two strike wild pitch to plate a hustling Baillargeon. Union escaped any further damage and the game went to the bottom of the seventh tied at 6. Jeff Victor came out of the bullpen in relief and struck out the side in the seventh and the Maroons did not sit on the tie in the eighth. Jake VanAlten got his third hit of the game to start the inning and was plated on an RBI triple by Alex Beelen. Beelen turned a double into a triple realizing no one was covering third and never broke stride. That hustle was rewarded on the next pitch as Kortering lined a single into center for the key RBI single. The Maroons would end the top half of the inning leading 8-6. Victor came out and mowed down the first two hitters with strike outs before an error and a single led to Union getting the winning run at the plate. Victor then induced a groundball to Beelen to end the game and the furious HC rally for the victory. The win moves Victor to 10-0 on the year. The team had 17 hits in the second game. “It was not pretty but it shows a lot that we can comeback despite the way we played” said Ott. The Maroons up their record to 24-4, matching the number of wins they had in 2007, and will now gear up for a key OK-Green contest against local rival Holland on Monday. With a win, the Maroons will grab a share of the OK-Green conference title for the first time. PHOTOS
 | | Jake VanAlten added three hits in game two sparking the rally in 8th. |
 | | Alex Beelen knocked home 4 RBI, 2 here on his double. | |
Monday, May 19
Maroons Champions of the Green
| |  | | Dan Kortering delivers a pitch in his complete game shutout. |
For three years, the Maroons of Holland Christian have tried without success to be at the top of the OK-Green. That streak came to an end Monday night at Holland High with the 8-0 shutout victory for Holland Christian. With the win, the Maroons moved to 10-2 in conference play and tied for the conference championship along with Mona Shores and Reeths-Puffer. All three of the teams split with one another on the season. This title marks the first conference championship since 2005, when HC was a member of the OK-Gold. The Maroons wasted no time in jumping ahead when captain Jake VanAlten singled and then moved up on a stolen base. On the stolen base, the throw squirted away into center and VanAlten scampered to third. Fellow captain Alex Beelen drove him in with a sacrifice fly to rightfield. Leading 1-0 after one, Dan Kortering went to work on the hill. He quickly disposed of the Dutch in both the first and the second and his offense went back to work. Ryan Dykstra singled and then moved to second on VanAlten’s walk. Again Beelen proved deadly doubling to right center and both runners scored putting the team up 3-0. The Maroons were on the brink of opening the inning up but a Kortering line drive clipped Beelen for the second out and Holland worked out of the jam avoiding any further damage. Kortering stayed strong on the mound and his cushion increased when Jeff Victor doubled in a run and he came around to score on Dykstra’s second single of the game. For the third consecutive inning, the Maroons would plate two more runs in the fifth using four Holland walks and two key stolen bases. Leading 7-0, Holland Christian tacked a final run on in the sixth inning on Beelen’s fourth RBI of the day. The only drama remaining was whether Kortering could complete his shutout and he quickly worked through the seventh to end the game on a groundout to Victor at second base to end the game. The bench erupted onto the field celebrating the league title. On the day, Kortering struck out three, while only walking one, and was backed up by spectacular defense as he moved his record to 3-2. It also marked the second complete game shutout victory over Holland this year. The Maroons made only one error and that came in the sixth inning in a botched rundown on a Kortering pickoff. One of the highlights was a terrific diving backhanded catch by center fielder Jake VanAlten. “That is the best our defense has looked all season” said head coach Mike Ott. “Kort made great pitch after great pitch and we were as flawless as we have been all year. It is just like what we work on in practice and it is great to see us getting better this late in the year.” At the plate, the Maroons pounded out 11 hits to only 3 for the Dutch. Dykstra led the way going 3-4 with three singles and VanAlten chipped in with two hits going 2-3. Kortering helped his own cause going 2-3 at the plate. HC also got hits from Steve Lynch and Jon Kloosterman. The win also sets the school record for wins in a regular season. Last season HC won 24 regular season wins, which was the record, but the win on Monday moves the team to 25-4. The school record for wins in a season is in eye sight as 27, in 2006, is the mark. The team will travel to Grand Rapids tomorrow for a 4:15 p.m. game at Forest Hills Central. “I am extremely proud of these guys because no matter what it is, a game or practice, we work our tail off and our seniors from top to bottom have been incredible leaders” added Ott. PHOTOS
 | | The defense sparkled for the Maroons, highlighted by VanAlten's diving catch. |
Tuesday, May 20
Dutch Trumped in Conference Finale
The JV baseball team was searching for something to spark the end of their season and they found it in long time rival Holland High School. The Maroons ended their OK-Green conference season they way they began it, with a win. They defeated the Dutch 10-4 behind a strong pitching performance by Grant VanPutten who earned the victory. VanPutten was backed up by a great offensive night by the Maroons. Peter Cupery led the team going 3-3 and nabbing 2 RBI’s. He also reached base two other times with two walks. VanPutten helped his own cause going 3-4 with a walk. Trevor Brewer and Mitch Sytsma each aided the HC cause with run scoring doubles. “We executed very well and I am proud of the guys for battling” said head coach Walter Lamb. “We are starting to come around.” The Maroons will look to extend their winning streak tomorrow against Forest Hills Central at 6:15 p.m., immediately following the varsity game.
 | | Grant VanPutten put together a strong day at the plate and on the mound. |
 | | Ryan Dykstra's 2-2 day led the way at the plate. | |
Tuesday, May 20
Inconsistency Hurts Again
|  | | Jeff Victor slides in safe after his perfect hit and run RBI triple. | |
The inability to come back after big games has hurt the Maroons all season long and once again proved to be the thorn in their side as the varsity baseball team fell to Forest Hills Central 9-7. After claiming a piece of the conference crown the day before, the Maroons were unable to put it together on back to back days and could not stop the Rangers when they needed too. Things started positively for HC as Ryan Dykstra and Jake VanAlten each reached base with a walk and a double respectively but HC was only able to get one run home. Forest Hills then came out and jumped on Jeff Victor for two runs to grab the lead right back. This would be a story all day long, the Maroons inability to shut down FHC defensively, especially after innings they scored. Ben O’Neal started the second off with a single and scored on Victor’s RBI single. Dykstra then walloped a fastball into the right center gap for an RBI triple and HC led 3-1. The third inning proved to be the turning point. Both teams had the heart of their orders up to bat in that inning and one would capitalize. HC went down 1-2-3 giving momentum to Central and they pounced. A leadoff double was followed by a triple and single to give them the lead. Down only one, FHC again came up big making an HC mistake hurt. A 1-2 pitch elevated over the plate and it was smacked for an RBI double and HC fell behind 5-3. This is how the score would stay until the fifth inning when Josh Garvelink reached on a hit by pitch. Victor then executed a hit and run to perfection and split the right center gap for a triple that scored Garvelink. Victor would trot home the next pitch when Dykstra lined his second extra base hit of the day into right field. With Dykstra on second, the inning ended and the game was tied 5-5. Again needing to shut down the offense, HC got two outs but with a runner in scoring position gave up back to back hits which gave FHC the two runs back. “Everytime we would claw back into the game we would just give them back the game” said head coach Mike Ott. “We did not make adjustments and the ball was up all game and against a strong hitting team like that they are bound to make it hurt, and they did. If we are able to get out of one or two of those spots it’s a different game.” Down 7-5, HC would tack on a run in the fifth after Alex Beelen doubled to the wall. Needing a hold, the Rangers plated two runs again in the fifth. Holland Christian managed a run in the sixth but that would be it for the day as FHC held on for the 9-6 non-conference victory. Dykstra led the team at the plate going 2-2. VanAlten and Victor also chipped in with two hits a piece. Victor got the loss on the mound throwing 4 innings and striking out 4. His record is now 10-1 on the year as the team is now 25-5. “As good as people want to say our record is, we have lost three games in the past week” added Ott. “To be at this point in the season there is no excuse for not being able to bring your game in back to back games. All we are doing is killing our momentum and this is the wrong time of the year to be battling inconsistency, especially in our energy. I don’t care about winning or losing but we cannot continue to show our potential, like we did yesterday in a great game, and then have it go into hiding like it did today. If we do that we are going to be in a lot of trouble in a week. These kids have so much potential it is beyond irritating when we just go through the motions.” The Maroons will try and get things rolling in the right direction tomorrow when they play at Covenant Christian at a later time slot of 6:00 p.m. PHOTOS
 | | Jake VanAlten added two hits to help HC's cause. |
Tuesday, May 20
Big Inning Turns Tide
| |  | | Sophomore David Blystra pitched well in spit of taking the loss. |
Riding the momentum of their victory over Holland in the OK-Green conference finale, Holland Christian traveled to Grand Rapids to take on the Rangers of Forest Hills Central. The Maroons took full advantage of the momentum being on their side riding the HC bats to an early 7-2 lead after two and a half innings of play. With David Blystra pitching well on the hill, all looked well for HC. Then the bottom of the third came and went and after the inning Holland Christian trailed 9-7. A variety of errors and well timed and placed hits saw FHC score seven in the frame. This would be enough to grasp the momentum from the Maroons corner and take it over to the Rangers side. Forest Hills Central would close the final two innings out scoring three more to win the game 12-8. Blystra took the loss on the mound for HC but pitched efficiently. Jake Bruns led the Maroons at the plate going 2-3 with a single and a double and 2 RBI. Also doubling in the game were Trevor Brewer, Peter Cupery and Ryan Walters. The JV will conclude their season Thursday afternoon in Allendale at 4:15 p.m.
 | | Kortering watches his RBI double line into left field. | |
Wednesday, May 21
Maroons Rebound
|  | | Beelen fires a pitch in his complete game victory. | |
After yesterday’s defeat, the Maroons traveled to conference champion and twenty game winner Covenant Christian on Wednesday. HC wasted no time this game jumping out early and continuing to poor on the runs as the game went along. “After yesterday we made it a focus to try and get better each inning” said head coach Mike Ott. “We were all frustrated with how we played and we came out and put together a great game overall against a very good team.” The young Chargers were overmatched by Alex Beelen on the mound as he cruised to a complete game 10-0 shutout victory. At the plate, Beelen got things started in the first inning reaching base after being struck by the pitch. He quickly stole second base and then Dan Kortering drove him home for the first run with an RBI double. Leading 1-0, HC tacked on another run in the second on a RBI single by Nic Kiekover. The offense stalled out in the second but jumpstarted in the third inning behind a Beelen double. Kortering was then walked and both came sprinting home on a two RBI double by Steve Lynch. The Maroons were continually on the cusp of breaking open the game but always found ways to get themselves out of it until the fourth when HC used three straight hits, including a bases loaded single by Kortering, to grab the sizeable 8-0 lead. The Maroons would put two more runs up on the board in the sixth when Beelen knocked home Jake VanAlten and then scored a few batters later on Ben O’Neal’s sacrifice fly. While the offense was pounding out thirteen hits, Beelen was in cruise control on the mound striking out nine men and walking no one. Covenant would manage only three hits on the afternoon. Ryan Dykstra continued his hot hitting ways going 2-4 with a double. Tom Baillargeon returned from injury after missing yesterday’s game and knocked a single as did Alden Boven, VanAlten and Jeff Victor. Beelen and Kortering led the way with both going 2-2 with a double. "We talked prior to the game about living up to our potential and the gifts we have and I thought the guys responded tremendously" added Ott. The state ranked Maroons (26-5) now travel to state ranked Allendale tomorrow for their regular season finale. This will be the final tune up prior to the pre-district game on Tuesday against Unity Christian. PHOTOS
 | | Nic Kikeover singled in the team's second run. |
Thursday, May 22
Falcons' Walkoff Continues Inconsistency
|  | | Dan Kortering threw five strong innings for HC. | |
Since clinching the conference title, the Maroons have had difficulty on the field stringing back to back strong games together. That streak unfortunately continued Thursday in the regular season finale at Allendale High School. Facing the state ranked Falcons, #10 in Division III, the Maroons left a win on the field as Allendale found a way to take the game in comeback fashion. In the first, Holland Christian benefited from Allendale’s starters wildness as they turned three walks and a hit by pitch into a run. Starter Dan Kortering was back on the mound after clinching the OK-Green title on Monday and threw extremely well. Kortering battled for five innings locating pitch after pitch in the lower half of the zone and used his defense behind him. The defense stayed strong making every play and after five innings of play, Holland Christian led 3-0. They pieced a run together in the third inning on a RBI single from Jon Kloosterman and then again in the fifth when Steve Lynch singled home Alex Beelen, who had doubled. The Maroons went quietly in the sixth inning and Allendale started their rally in the sixth. After a base hit off Kortering, he was relieved by Jeff Victor who gave up a base hit and a walk before retiring the side. Before he did, Allendale pushed a run across and the score was now 3-1. In retrospect, HC left a golden opportunity on the field as they had a base runner at third base with one out but were unable to score him. Leading 3-1 entering the seventh, Beelen took to the hill and induced a groundball for the first out. An infield single put the tying run at the plate but he was walked bringing the winning run up to bat. After a strike, the Allendale cleanup hitter lifted the belt high fastball deep over the left field fence for the game winning homerun. Allendale’s comeback was complete as they defeated Holland Christian 4-3. On the day the Maroons only gathered three hits. “That is not the way we wanted to end the year and take that into our district” said head coach Mike Ott. “We were horrible at the plate today with our adjustment and plate appearances and how long our swings were. We really were fortunate to be in it and score three runs. Our defense kept us in and Kort was great but we elevated the ball late and simply cannot afford to do that and they made us pay. It’s another example of we leave teams in it and it kills us.” The loss ends the regular season for the Maroons with a record of 26-6 and they will have to rebound immediately as they face Unity Christian on Tuesday at Hamilton. “As bad as it stings, if we learn from it quickly, we will be ok” added Ott. “We can’t let it linger or we are in trouble.” The pre-district game is at 5:00 p.m. PHOTOS
 | | The JV come off the field for a final time. | |
Friday, May 23
JV Season Comes to a Close
The JV baseball season came to a quiet close Thursday afternoon at Allendale Middle School. Head coach Walter Lamb placed player’s at new positions the entire game and actually held a 3-0 lead after the first inning but could not hold it. Mitch Sytsma drilled a 2 RBI double in the first inning to push the Maroons ahead but an eight run bottom of the first propelled the Falcons into the lead. The Maroons never would close the gap as they fell in their finale 13-7. Sytsma led the team going 2-4 at the plate adding a single two innings later. Mitch Barry and Jon Bosma added an inning of scoreless relief on the mound. “We were a very young team but started playing better ball at the end” added Lamb. “I am proud of the way the kids battled all year.”
 | | The Maroons meet one final time after the 3-2 defeat. | |
Tuesday, May 27
Bitter Ending to Championship Season
|  | | Beelen kept the Maroons in the game striking out 12. | |
Disappointment was written all over the Maroons’ baseball team faces at the end of their Pre-District contest with Unity Christian. The game came down to doing the most with opportunities and HC came up short on that account and thus fell 3-2 to the Crusaders. Holland Christian put the pressure on Unity early and without the benefit of a hit, they put up 2 runs in the first inning to take a 2-0 lead. Starter Alex Beelen was on cruise control as he struck out five of the first nine hitters he faced. But just as the Maroons were defending their lead, they were failing to capitalize on opportunities to push runs across the plate. In the second, third, fourth and fifth, HC left runners on base as it seemed everytime an HC clutch hit was coming, it would come off the bat and go right to a Unity defender. Beelen had worked out of trouble in the fourth inning escaping a bases loaded jam with a big strike out and things looked like they were lining up for the Maroons. In the sixth, the Maroons had to go through the heart of Unity’s order which was held hitless through two turns around the lineup. A leadoff single gave way to a sacrifice bunt and this was the turning point of the game. The ball was hit perfectly down the first base bunt and as Beelen fielded, he flipped the ball high to first base. The ball went into rightfield and instead of grabbing an out, UC was now on second and third with no one out. A high hopping infield single scored Unity’s first run of the day. Now with runners on first and third, Beelen struck the next man out. Before doing so, Unity ran a double steal and was successful. A runner was now on second and the score was tied. The pressure intensified when the Crusaders got another man on base as the seven hole hitter was hit by the pitch. A key play came when the Unity pinch hitter hit a ground ball but the Maroons were unable to turn the double play and get out of the inning. The very next pitch hit short of the plate and rolled to the backstop. The Unity runner ran home and they led 3-2. Beelen worked out of any further damage striking the hitter out on three consecutive pitches. Holland Christian worked a walk in the bottom of the six but three groundouts to second base ended their scoring chance. Beelen again escaped a bases loaded situation in the seventh to give HC one final chance. With one out, leadoff hitter Ryan Dykstra doubled down the left field line and then advanced to third on a Jake VanAlten groundout. With Dykstra on third, Beelen stepped to the plate. Arguably the most valuable player all season for the Maroons, HC was in the situation they wanted to be in. “There is not one person I would want up in that situation in my entire career more than Alex Beelen” said head coach Mike Ott. Unity’s pitcher Tyler Dykstra got Beelen to groundout to third base to end the game. On the game, HC left nine runners on base, five of them in scoring position. “This one really hurts and I am extremely disappointed” added Ott. “We jumped early but could not capitalize on opportunities we had the one time we really gave Unity a chance they took advantage. We had said it all year long, they are an opportunistic team and we cannot give them extra outs or chances and we lost it for one inning and it ended up costing us.” Despite defeating Unity twice in the regular season, Unity moves on to the semifinal round on Saturday. HC received hits from Jon Kloosterman, Dan Kortering, VanAlten and Jeff Victor. Beelen struck out 12 and only walked two in the complete game effort. “I was leery of Unity when we got the draw because somehow they continually find ways to win in the postseason and I need to do a better job in getting our team ready for these postseason games” commented Ott. “I am not doing something right because this is two years in a row we have been upset early and it comes down to me to have our team prepared and I let the guys down.” The loss ends the season for the Maroons at 26-7 with the 26 wins signifying a new school regular season record for wins. “Every team plays their season trying to win some sort of championship or title and we did that in winning the conference” noted Ott. “This is not how we wanted to go out or how I feel we should have gone out but a season is judged by a collective sum not just one day.” Ending their careers were what Ott calls his “greatest senior class” were Tom Baillargeon, Alex Beelen, Josh Garvelink, Jon Kloosterman, Dan Kortering, Ben O’Neal, Jake VanAlten and Monty Vanderwall. “These guys embody our program and they have made a lasting impression setting the groundwork for Maroons Baseball. I cannot put into words how much I and we will miss them” said Ott. PHOTOS
 | | Ryan Dykstra's double in the seventh gave HC a chance to tie the game late. |
 | | Alex Beelen became the Maroon's third straight player selected on the West team. | |
Sunday, June 1
Beelen Earns State's Highest Honor in Baseball
|  | | Beelen rips one of his 50 hits in 2008 against G.R. Christian. | |
For a program to have a player selected into the annual East-West All-Star game at Comerica Park is noteworthy in itself. This is the largest honor a high school baseball player can achieve in the state of Michigan. On Sunday evening, the Maroons baseball program got their third consecutive player selected to the All-Star game when senior captain Alex Beelen was tapped as a member of the West All-Star team. Beelen, a four year starter at shortstop for Holland Christian, put together one of the greatest seasons in the school’s history. Along with the season numbers, Beelen’s career has been landmarked by fantastic event after fantastic event. In 2008, he helped lead the team to a 26-7 record and the OK-Green conference championship. The 26 wins set a school regular season record. On the year, Beelen hit a scorching .575 at the plate as he went 50-87. Of the 50 hits, 15 were doubles, 7 were triples and 1 was a homerun. He also knocked home 46 RBI and was 30 of 31 in stolen bases. Remarkably he also had a .864 slugging percentage and .657 on base percentage. Beelen anchored the defense and while he was not at short, he served as one of the team’s top two pitchers. On the bump, he achieved a 7-2 record with a 1.09 E.R.A. He struck out 66 men in 51.7 innings while opponent’s hit just a paltry .160 against him. For his career he finished with a .528 batting average. “Our program has become one of the top ones in West Michigan” said head coach Mike Ott. “We have been blessed with great players, parents and support from our school and athletic department but a constant over those 4 years has been Alex Beelen. It is a great testament to our players and program to have a third straight player going but as I told the committee, the early successes both individually for our other players and team wise are due in very large part to the contributions that B has had over that time. What a way to go out in your senior year.” Beelen was inked by Cedarville University to be their shortstop next season. One of the most impressive stats is that Beelen has started since day one of his freshmen year at the most demanding infield position for talent and leadership, shortstop. Over the course of his four seasons, the Maroons program continues to push the limits of how far they can go. They have won an impressive 94 games in a 4 years span, while only losing 29, for a 76% winning percentage. Along with that, Beelen has won two conference championships (2005 & 2008), won a district title in 2006. The Maroons also won the school’s only Regional title in 2006 and advanced to the Quarterfinals and finished third in the state that year in the rankings. The 2006 team set the school record for wins with 27. “Having coached B has been a true blessing” added Ott. “I am so proud of him as he deserves this more than anyone. He and I have come up together and I have never coached a game here without him. He is arguably the best player I have coached or coached against and it will be impossible to replace him on and off the field. I love the kid and we are all thrilled for him.” The game takes place at Comerica Park on June 17 at 7:00 p.m. The cost of entrance is $5.00.
 | | Ryan Dykstra and Jake VanAlten solidified the outfield and the top of the lineup | |
Thursday, June 5
Four Maroons Tagged With All-District Honors
| |  | | Alex Beelen was selected unanimously and named the top player in the District |
After completing a record breaking season, the Maroons were disappointed in the way their season ended in an upset loss to league rival Unity Christian in the district play. Despite the defeat, the OK-Green champions got good news the first week of June when first Alex Beelen was selected to the prestigious East-West All-Star game at Comerica Park and then four HC members were named to the All-District team. With the ten teams that comprise district 45 and 46 meetings, Holland Christian had Alex Beelen, Ryan Dykstra, Jake VanAlten and Jeff Victor earns honors. VanAlten was the lone Maroons member to earn Academic All-District with his 3.9 grade point. Victor, a sophomore, was the first to be announced on the All-District team as his 10-1 record was good for second in the voting. Whitehall high school’s pitcher Jared Conkle completed an impressive 12-0 season and was the highest vote getter. Over the course of the season, Victor made a name for himself and established himself as the future of the HC pitching staff appearing in 12 games, starting 9 of them and amassing 5 complete games. In the 45 innings pitched, he struck out 60 and walked 21. Opponent’s hit just .231 against him. He highlighted the early season spinning a spectacular complete game victory over then undefeated Grand Rapids Christian. “It’s great for Vic at such a young age to put together a solid season like he did” added head coach Mike Ott. “We still have a long way to go because he is just skimming the top of his potential.” Beelen was the next player taken and became the only member of the All-District team that earned a unanimous spot. Receiving all first place votes, he was also tabbed as the top player of the district which assists greatly in the All-Region and All-State meetings. A season to remember, Beelen hit .575 (50-87) with 15 doubles, 7 triples and 1 homerun. He also knocked home 46 RBI and was 30 of 31 in stolen bases while scoring 44 runs on the season. Remarkably he also had a .864 slugging percentage and .657 on base percentage. “I can’t ever say I’ve witnessed a better season” added Ott. “He deserves everything that comes to him and my gut tells me this isn’t the last award he gets.” Ryan Dykstra and Jake VanAlten were the final two members selected as the outfielders were chosen last. Dykstra, in his first year on the varsity as a full time player, solidified the HC lineup. An early season shift that moved him from the middle of the lineup to the leadoff slot changed the momentum for the team and got things rolling. In 31 games, he hit an impressive .464 going 45-97. Of the 45 hits, 14 were doubles and 7 were triples. The leadoff spot did not bring many opportunities to drive in runs, as he collected 25 RBI, but his .586 on base percentage and 26-26 stolen bases made him a perfect fit. The stolen bases total also did not change after midway through the year Dykstra pulled both quads but played through his injury. VanAlten put together a stellar senior campaign hitting .419 on the year while anchoring the outfield defense in centerfield. His 23 RBI’s were good for third on the team, with many of those driving in Dykstra. He collected 39 hits on the season and from the second spot in the lineup got on base over fifty percent of the time (.505 on base percentage). “Both Dyk and Jake deserved this and it was great that the coaches recognized how vital they both were to our team” Ott said. “Defensively they were very sound and at the top of the lineup you couldn’t ask for much more. I am proud of all four of them.” Dykstra and Victor return for their senior and junior season respectively as the newly named captains for the 2009 season. Ott also earned District Coach of the Year award for the third time in his four seasons rounding out the Holland Christian awards.
 | | Sophomore Jeff Victor's 10-1 record earned him All-District honors |
 | | Named All-Region, Beelen now moves to the All-State selections. | |
Tuesday, June 10
Awards Continue to Pile in for Beelen
|  | | Beelen anchored the record breaking 2008 team. | |
Another award attached its name to Alex Beelen’s impressive career resume Tuesday, when the MHSBCA announced the All-Region teams and Beelen’s name was very high on the list. After being named All-District on June 2, for the third consecutive year, Beelen finally earned the All-Region nod. In his soccer career, Beelen earned All-Region and All-State awards in 2006 but this was the first time he has garnered the award in baseball. The Maroons captain spectacular season continues to bring in the postseason awards as he was tabbed one of the three premiere players in the Region, which consisted of eight districts, as he earned the highest number of votes just as he did at the All-Conference and All-District selections. He was one of only four players, and the lone HC player, out of their district to be named All-Region. “To be honest this is not that shocking” added head coach Mike Ott. “With the type of season he had, I would argue that there was not a more solid and all around tremendous season in the entire state. I have never seen anything like it.” Beelen, a four year starter at shortstop for Holland Christian, put together one of the greatest seasons in the school’s history. Along with the season numbers, Beelen’s career has been landmarked by fantastic event after fantastic event. In 2008, he helped lead the team to a 26-7 record and the OK-Green conference championship. The 26 wins set a school regular season record. On the year, Beelen hit a scorching .575 at the plate as he went 50-87. Of the 50 hits, 15 were doubles, 7 were triples and 1 was a homerun. He also knocked home 46 RBI and was 30 of 31 in stolen bases. Remarkably he also had a .864 slugging percentage and .657 on base percentage. While these were the numbers that earned him the All-Region notation at shortstop, his season did not stop there. He anchored the defense and while he was not at short, he served as one of the team’s top two pitchers. On the bump, he achieved a 7-2 record with a 1.09 E.R.A. He struck out 66 men in 51.7 innings while opponent’s hit just a paltry .160 against him. To be named All-State one must earn All-District and All-Region prior to that meeting. With those awards under his belt, the Maroons, and Beelen, will wait for the Friday All-State meeting to see where his season ranks with the rest of the State’s elite. Holland Christian faithful will get one more chance to see Beelen perform as he was selected to the prestigious East-West All-Star game. This will be played at Comerica Park on June 17 at 7:00 p.m. This game will wrap Beelen’s high school career and then he will gear up for his new position as the shortstop for Cedarville University. Beelen’s selection marks the third straight season a Maroon has been named All-Region. Jake Arendsen, Jeff Nykerk and Nick Scholten all were tabbed in 2006, and eventually all were named All-State. Scholten was named it the following season and now Beelen. “Those are some very good people to be associated with” said Ott. “He made them better during their time and now B is getting his due, I am extremely proud of him.”
 | | The Maroons will see B suit up one final time on June 17. |
 | | Beelen earned two prestigious awards over the weekend. | |
Monday, June 16
First Team All-State, Holland Sentinel Player of the Year for Beelen
| |  | | Alex Beelen scampers home for one of his 46 runs. |
Over the past weekend, the State Champions were crowned in all four Divisions in Battle Creek. The championships marked the end of the 2008 MHSAA baseball season and with that marked the All-State meetings that took place in Battle Creek. The Maroons, in the past four years, have had three players earn All-State with all of them coming in 2006. Jake Arendsen (First Team), Jeff Nykerk (Second Team) and Nick Scholten (Second Team) were those members. Alex Beelen’s remarkable season was brought more to light at these meetings as he became the second Maroons player under head coach Mike Ott to earn the First Team All-State honor as he was selected at shortstop. This is his second All-State award as his first came in soccer his junior year. “For a player to win two All-State awards in two different sports says a lot about their athletic ability” said Ott. “His season was one that people dream of and now with this award, B did what most people dream of. He’s received every single individual award that one can get in their career and truly reached his potential that we have seen for four years now.” Along with the All-State nod, the busy weekend continued for Beelen as was tabbed as the Holland Sentinel Player of the Year as the top baseball player in the greater Holland area. Over the award winning weekend, Beelen was in Cincinnati playing in a five day travel tournament. This marks the third consecutive year a Holland Christian player has won the award (Arendsen ’06, Scholten ’07). Beelen will be honored at the Sentinel’s banquet on Tuesday, June 17 but he will be unable to attend due to his participation in the East-West All-Star game. The four year starter at shortstop for Holland Christian, put together one of the greatest seasons in the school’s history. Along with the season numbers, Beelen’s career has helped lead the charge in turning the Maroons program into the powerhouse that it has become as of late. In his four seasons the varsity went 94-29. In 2008, he helped lead the team to a 26-7 record and the OK-Green conference championship. The 26 wins set a school regular season record. On the year, Beelen hit a scorching .575 at the plate as he went 50-87. Of the 50 hits, 15 were doubles, 7 were triples and 1 was a homerun. He also knocked home 46 RBI and was 30 of 31 in stolen bases while scoring 46 runs. Remarkably he also had a .864 slugging percentage and .657 on base percentage. Holland Christian faithful will get one more chance to see Beelen perform as he was selected to the prestigious East-West All-Star game. This will be played at Comerica Park on June 17 at 7:00 p.m. “You are talking about two of the highest awards a player can get in terms of individual accomplishments in the East-West game and All-State honor and he belongs in both categories which is a testament to him” added Ott. “His play has elevated others and shown what leadership can do, make others around you better. I believe that even though he is gone he will make the guys who are returning better because they saw that aspect of leadership and will be challenged to bring that to the table each and every day. I’ve said it for years, there is no replacing him and we couldn’t be prouder.” MORE
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