North Muskegon Norsemen: 2005 Recap
Tuesday, March 142005 RECAP
ALL-CONFERENCE
Mike Dean (OF) -- 1st Team
Austin Aamodt (IF) -- 1st Team
Ben McPherson (C) -- Honorable Mention
Andy Grosse (IF) -- Honorable Mention
ALL-DISTRICT
Ben McPherson (C)
Jerad Derks (1B)
Austin Aamodt (IF)
Andy Grosse (IF)
Mike Dean (OF)
Ryan Falkowski (P)
ACADEMIC ALL-DISTRICT
Andrew Westra
Jake Edick
Ben McPherson
Mike Dean
ALL-REGION
Ben McPherson (C)
Austin Aamodt (IF)
Mike Dean (OF)
ALL-AREA
Mike Dean (OF)-- 1st Team
Andy Grosse (P) -- 2nd Team
Austin Aamodt (IF) -- 2nd Team
Ben McPherson (C) -- Honorable Mention
TEAM AWARDS
Coach's Award -- Austin Aamodt
Gold Glove Award -- Jerad Derks
Most Improved -- Christian Helle
Most Valuable -- Mike Dean
COACH KENT GAINS TWO HONORS
District Coach of the Year
Area Coach of the Year (Muskegon Chronicle)
NORSE WRAPS UP SEASON WITH 20-8 RECORD
Season Summary (20-8 overall, 9-5 in the West Michigan Conference): With a team dominated by seniors, the Norsemen built off the final nine games of 2004, when NM went 7-2, and had one of the more successful seasons in school history. North Muskegon captured the County Tournament title and the District championship en route to a 20-win season. The team also finished third in the WMC, losing three games in the opposing teams final at bat. This group of 12 seniors has set the foundation for the future of Norsemen baseball under Coach Kent, who completed his second season.
While 12 of the 13 players were seniors, it was junior Austin Aamodt who won the batting title with a .438 average (39-for-89). His 39 hits also led the team. Aamodt also pitched well, compiling a 2-1 record while striking out 22 in 20 innings. He finished with a 2.45 ERA with opponents hitting just .238 against him.
Two other players posted a batting average greater than .400. Mike Dean, who won the batting title in 2004, was 36-for-87 (.414), and Andy Grosse was 36-for-90 (.400). Dean led the team with 12 doubles, four home runs and 33 RBI. He also tied for the team lead with five triples. Grosse tied for the team lead with 90 at bats and 35 runs while also leading the team with 15 errors. Dean and Grosse were also the go-to guys on the mound, combining for 13 of the teams wins. Dean finished with a 6-3 record while leading the team in most categories. He tossed 76 innings, finishing with 68 strikeouts and a 1.75 ERA. Opponents batted just .175 (50-for-287) against him. Grosse was 7-4 on the mound, striking out 46 in 54.3 innings.
Ben McPherson was the only other batter to post a batting average greater than .300. McPherson went 26-for-71 (.366) and led the team with three sacrifices.
Jerad Derks (.267) and Steve Dunn (.256) were two of five players to play all 28 games, joining Aamodt, Dean and Grosse. Derks and Dunn both tied for the team lead with 90 at bats while Dunn tied for the team high with 35 runs. Dunn, the lead-off hitter, also led the team in walks (18), hit by pitches (5) and stolen bases (16).
Christian Helle (.232) and Nick Carley (.211) round out the players with an average greater than .200. Both became full-time starters in the outfield. Helle tied for the team lead with five triples.
The final full-time starter, Ryan Falkowski, struggled at the plate (.149), leading the team with 20 strikeouts, but excelled on the mound, posting a 5-0 record with a 2.39 ERA in 29.3 innings.
Jake Edick (.179) and Andrew Westra (.115) each gained significant playing time in the outfield.
Rounding out the squad were A.J. Deiters and Mike Graff, who picked up his first varsity hit.
Game 1 ~ Muskegon 16, North Muskegon 5 (0-1): After 10 days off due to Spring Break, the Norse began the season a little rusty, as the Big Reds jumped out to a 7-2 lead after two innings and used a seven-run seventh inning to blow the game wide open. Andy Grosse (0-1), who took the loss, had two hits, including a double. Jerad Derks added two singles, and Nick Carley had a double.
Game 2 ~ Muskegon Catholic Central 8, North Muskegon 4 (0-2): At MCC, the Crusaders used a seven-run second inning to break a scoreless tie, and the Norse could not recover. Austin Aamodt paced the offense with two singles and two RBI. Ben McPherson added a triple. Mike Dean (0-1) picked up the loss.
Game 3 ~ North Muskegon 10, Western Michigan Christian 1 (1-2): The Norsemen broke into the win column in the opener of a doubleheader at McRae Park. Key hits came from Ben McPherson (a two-run single in the first inning) and Mike Dean (a bases-loaded triple in the second inning). Dean finished with a double, a triple, two runs and three RBI. McPherson had two singles and three RBI. Steve Dunn and Ryan Falkowksi each scored twice. Falkowski (1-0) pitched the complete five-inning game, striking out six and walking none. He allowed five hits.
Game 4 ~ North Muskegon 10, Western Michigan Christian 4 (2-2): In the second game of the doubleheader, consecutive RBI hits by Andy Grosse, Mike Dean and Jerad Derks helped the Norse overcome a 2-0 third-inning deficit. In the third inning, Grosse hit a three-run homer, and Dean followed with a solo shot. Grosse and Dean then hit back-to-back RBI doubles in fifth inning. Grosse finished with two doubles, a home run, three runs and five RBI while Dean ended up with a single, a double, a home run, two runs and three RBI. Steve Dunn scored three times, and Andrew Westra added a double. Grosse (1-1) pitched the complete five-inning game, striking out eight and walking two. He allowed five hits.
Game 5 ~ North Muskegon 4, Oakridge 2 (3-2, 1-0): Despite just two hits in the conference opener at home, the Norsemen pulled out the win. North Muskegon scored its first two runs on wild pitches before the Eagles tied it up in the fifth inning. In the bottom of the seventh, Nick Carleys bases-loaded ground-out scored pinch runner Jake Edick with the go-ahead run. Christian Helle added an insurance run with a sacrifice fly, which scored Austin Aamodt. Mike Dean (1-1, 1-0), who pitched a complete-game five-hitter, got flyouts to all three outfielders, including a diving catch by Helle in left field, in the top of the seventh to seal the win. Ben McPherson and Aamodt had the lone singles for the Norse, and Aamodt scored twice.
Game 6 ~ Hart 2, North Muskegon 1 (3-3, 1-1): At Hart, the league-leading Pirates scored in the bottom of the seventh inning to break a 1-1 tie. Mike Dean (1-2, 1-1) tossed a two-hitter, but the offense could not get untracked. The Norsemen were held to just three hits (two singles by Steve Dunn and a double by Dean). North Muskegon took a 1-0 lead in the fourth inning with the help of three Hart errors; however, the Pirates scored once in the sixth to tie the game and scored the game-winner on a fielders choice.
Game 7 ~ North Muskegon 11, Hart 9 (4-3, 2-1): At Hart, the Norse bats finally came alive, as North Muskegon raced to an 8-1 lead after three innings and held on for the win. Austin Aamodt had the big night with a grand slam in the six-run third inning and a triple. Jerad Derks hit a two-run homer. Andy Grosse added two singles and two RBI, and Mike Dean had a double. Nick Carley, Ben McPherson, Derks and Aamodt each scored twice. Andy Grosse (2-1, 1-0) pitched a solid five innings for the win, and Ryan Falkowski tossed two innings for the save.
Game 8 ~ North Muskegon 5, Holton 4 (5-3): At North Muskegon, Austin Aamodts one-out double in the sixth inning knocked in Ben McPherson to break a 4-4 tie and give the Norse the win in the opener of the doubleheader. North Muskegon took a 3-0 lead in the first inning on an RBI single by McPherson and a two-run single by Jerad Derks. The Red Devils eventually took a 4-3 lead, scoring once in the third inning and three more runs in the fifth. Mike Dean led off the sixth inning with a towering 370-foot solo home run to center field to knot the score at 4 before Aamodts double. Aamodt had a single and a double while Dean and McPherson each scored two runs. Ryan Falkowski raised his record to 2-0 with 6 2/3 innings, scattering seven hits. Dean picked up the save.
Game 9 ~ North Muskegon 7, Holton 4 (6-3): At North Muskegon, the Norsemen completed the sweep as Austin Aamodt (1-0) picked up the win, tossing 6 2/3 innings of five-hit ball. North Muskegon jumped out to a 6-0 lead after two innings with Mike Dean supplying the big hit with a three-run homer in the second inning. Dean finished with a single, a home run, three runs and four RBI. Steve Dunn scored two runs.
Game 10 ~ Whitehall 12, North Muskegon 5 (6-4, 2-2): At Whitehall, the Vikings used a first-inning grand slam to set the tone. The Norse mounted a comeback in the third inning when Mike Dean and Austin Aamodt each hit two-run home runs to close the gap at 7-5; however, Whitehall tallied four runs in the fourth to put the game away. Ben McPherson had two singles and two runs. Andy Grosse (2-2, 1-1) took the loss.
Game 11 ~ North Muskegon 2, Shelby 1 (7-4, 3-2): At North Muskegon, another fine pitching performance from Mike Dean (2-2, 2-1) helped lead the Norse to the conference win. Dean pitched a complete game four-hitter, striking out eight. Shelby scored a run in the top of the first inning, but North Muskegon tied the score in the second inning when Dean scored on Austin Aamodts RBI single. In the fifth inning, Steve Dunn scored on a throwing error to give the Norse the lead.
Game 12 ~ Shelby 12, North Muskegon 11 (7-5, 3-3): At North Muskegon, the Norsemen lost its second game of the season in the bottom of the seventh. Shelby broke a 11-11 tie on a fielders choice with one out to gain a split of the conference doubleheader. Austin Aamodt (1-1, 0-1) took the loss. The Norse jumped out to a 7-0 lead heading into the bottom of the third; however, back-to-back five-run innings by the Tigers made the score 10-9 in favor of Shelby after four innings. North Muskegon tied the score at 10 in the fifth inning before Shelby regained the lead in the sixth. Ben McPhersons RBI double in the top of the seventh tied the score at 11, but the Norse could not hold on for the win. The Norse out-hit the Tigers, 15-9, but six errors did not help the North Muskegon cause. Andy Grosse (three singles), Mike Dean (two singles, double) and Aamodt (three singles) paced the offense with three hits each. Steve Dunn added two singles, and McPherson had two doubles. Grosse and Aamodt each scored two runs, and Dean and Aamodt had two RBI.
Game 13 ~ North Muskegon 9, Oakridge 4 (8-5, 4-3): At Oakridge, the Norsemen jumped out to a 5-0 lead in the third inning and coasted to the conference win as Ryan Falkowski raised his record to 3-0, 1-0 in the conference. Falkowski allowed zero earned runs and scattered seven hits for the win. Andy Grosse and Mike Dean both were 3-for-3. Grosse also scored four runs and drove in two runs from the No. 2 spot in the batting order. Previously, that spot in the order was a combined 1-for-36. Dean had a double while Christian Do-Over Helle smacked a solo home run to lead off the fourth inning.
Game 14 ~ North Muskegon 5, Muskegon Catholic Central 4 (9-5): In the opener of the County Tournament at Muskegon Catholic, the Norse jumped out to a 5-1 lead and held off a last-inning rally to advance to the championship game. After MCC scored a run in the first inning, North Muskegon took the lead with a three-run second inning. The Norse added solo runs in the third and fourth innings to take a 5-1 lead into the bottom of the seventh inning. With the bases loaded, Ryan Falkowski came in to pitch. After a wild pitch and a squeeze bunt closed the gap to 5-4, Falkowski got the final batter to fly out to left field for his second save of the season. Mike Dean, who pitched the first four innings, picked up the win to raise his record to 3-2. Jerad Derks led the offense with a single and a double, and Christian Helle had two singles. Dean added a double.
Game 15 ~ North Muskegon 12, Ravenna 10 (10-5): In the title game of the County Tournament, the Norse jumped out to leads of 5-0, 9-5 and 12-7; and held on for the championship. Andy Grosse (3-2) pitched the complete game, allowing 14 hits, but he struck out three and walked zero. The Norse also smacked out 14 hits, led by Grosse, who was 4-for-5 with a double and two runs. Ben McPherson had two singles, a double and four RBI, Austin Aamodt added three singles and three runs, and Jerad Derks had a single, a double and two RBI. Mike Dean, Steve Dunn and Christian Helle, who had a triple, each scored twice. Dean also had a double and two RBI.
Game 16 ~ Mason County Central 8, North Muskegon 6 in 8 innings (10-6, 4-4): At North Muskegon, the Norsemen rallied for three runs in the bottom of the seventh inning to knot the score at 6, but the Spartans tallied two unearned runs in the top of the eighth inning to gain the win. Steve Dunn paced the offense with two singles, a double, two runs and two RBI. Austin Aamodt added a single and a solo home run, Ryan Falkowski had a double, and Christian Helle added a triple. Jerad Derks had two RBI. Mike Dean (3-3, 2-2) only allowed four hits but took the loss.
Game 17 ~ North Muskegon 13, Mason County Central 0 (11-6, 5-4): At North Muskegon, the Norsemen got back on the winning track as Andy Grosse (4-2, 2-1) pitched the five-inning win, allowing three hits, striking out three and allowing zero walks. Grosse helped himself offensively, going 2-for-2 with two runs scored. Steve Dunn, Mike Dean, Nick Carley and Christian Helle each scored two runs. Ben McPherson and Austin Aamodt each had two RBI. Aamodt added a triple.
Game 18 ~ North Muskegon 10, Montague 2 (12-6, 6-4): At Montague, the Norsemen used a five-run third inning to break open a 2-1 game. All five runs scored after the first two batters were out. Ben McPherson had the key hit with a two-run single. McPherson finished with two singles and three RBI. Austin Aamodt had two singles, a double and two runs, and Christian Helle added two triples, two runs and two RBI. Nick Carley had a double. Ryan Falkowski (4-0, 2-0) picked up the win in relief.
Game 19 ~ North Muskegon 16, Montague 6 (13-6, 7-4): At Montague, North Muskegon completed the sweep with the help of a nine-run fourth inning; again, all nine runs scored after two outs. Mike Dean had the hot bat with a single, a double, a triple, three runs and three RBI. Ben McPherson (single, double), Steve Dunn (two singles), Austin Aamodt (two singles), Ryan Falkowski (two singles) and Nick Carley (two singles) each had two hits. Andy Grosse, Christian Helle, Aamodt, Dunn, and Falkowski each scored two runs. Aamodt and Carley each knocked in three runs, and McPherson had two RBI. Grosse (5-2, 3-1) picked up the win.
Game 20 ~ Whitehall 11, North Muskegon 1 (13-7, 7-5): At North Muskegon, an uninspired performance led to the five-inning loss. Playing its worst game of the season, the Norsemen lost to league champion Whitehall, snapping its fourth three-game win streak of the season. Mike Dean, who scored the lone run, had a single and a double. Andy Grosse (5-3, 3-2) took the loss.
Game 21 ~ North Muskegon 7, Hesperia 1 (14-7): At Hesperia, Austin Aamodt (2-1) struck out a team-high 11 and allowed just two hits in the win. The Norsemen smacked seven extra base hits, including four triples. Aamodt had two singles, a double, two runs and two RBI, Mike Dean had two triples and two RBI, and Steve Dunn added a single, a triple and two runs. Andy Grosse and Nick Carley each had a double, and Christian Helle added a triple. Helle also scored twice.
Game 22 ~ North Muskegon 16, Hesperia 4 (15-7): At Hesperia, the Norsemen completed the sweep as Ryan Falkowski and Mike Dean combined on a 1-hitter. Falkowski (5-0) picked up the win, tossing the first four innings. A nine-run first inning set the tone. Andy Grosse and Jerad Derks each had three singles, Mike Dean had two singles, and both Steve Dunn and Jake Edick added a single and a triple. Multiple runs were scored by Dunn (4), Dean (3), Grosse (2), Derks (2), and Ryan Falkowski (2). Derks led the team with three RBI while Dunn, Aamodt, McPherson and Edick each knocked in two runs.
Game 23 ~ North Muskegon 3, Ravenna 0 (16-7, 8-5): At North Muskegon, Mike Dean (4-3, 3-2) allowed just a sixth-inning infield single while striking out 11 and walking just one to earn the conference win. North Muskegon jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first inning on an RBI single by Dean and a sacrifice fly from Ben McPherson. The Norse tacked on an insurance run in the sixth inning when Andrew Westra scored from second base on Jerad Derks RBI single. Austin Aamodt was 3-for-3 to lead the offense.
Game 24 ~ North Muskegon 12, Ravenna 2 (17-7, 9-5): At North Muskegon, the Norse got their fourth straight quality pitching performance as Andy Grosse (6-3, 4-2) tossed a three-hitter while striking out eight and walking just one. In the past four games, North Muskegon pitchers have allowed two, one, one and three hits. The Norse jumped on top with five runs in the top of the first inning. Jerad Derks had a two-run single, and Christian Helle smacked a two-run homer. After the Bulldogs responded with two runs in the bottom of the first, North Muskegon scored twice in the second inning on Mike Deans two-run double and added four more in the fourth inning, highlighted by Ben McPhersons two-run double. The Norseman finished their scoring in the sixth inning on Mike Graffs RBI single, which was his first hit of his varsity career. Austin Aamodt continued his hot hitting, going 3-for-4 with three runs. Since moving to the No. 3 spot in the order 12 games ago, Aamodt has gone 24-for-40, a .600 average. McPherson finished with two doubles, three runs and two RBI, Derks had two singles and three RBI, Dean had a single, a double and three RBI, and Grosse added two singles and scored twice.
Game 25 ~ North Muskegon 3, Hudsonville Freedom Baptist 2 (18-7): In the pre-district game at Marsh Field, despite striking out 18 times (ummm, no, thats not a typo) and only getting one hit, the Norsemen eked out the win. Steve Dunn led off the game with a walk and moved to third on an errant pick-off attempt. He then scored on a wild pitch. In the fourth inning, Ben McPherson singled, stole second and moved to third on a grounder. Courtesy runner Andrew Westra then scored on a wild pitch. Freedom Baptist knotted the score at 2 in the bottom of the fourth inning. In the sixth inning, McPherson walked and moved to third on an infield grounder. Westra, again courtesy running, scored on a wild pitch for the winning run. Mike Dean (5-3) tossed a complete-game three hitter, striking out seven and walking three.
Game 26 ~ North Muskegon 5, Muskegon Catholic Central 0 (19-7): In the district opener at Marsh Field, North Muskegon continued to get quality starting pitching, as Mike Dean (6-3) tossed a one-hitter, striking out six and walking two. The lone hit was a bunt single to lead off the third inning. The Norse scored two unearned runs in the first inning and one unearned run in the second before adding insurance runs in the fourth and seventh innings. Steve Dunn had a single, a double and scored two runs, and Christian Helle added two singles.
Game 27 ~ North Muskegon 23, Tri-Unity Christian 7 (20-7): In the district championship game at Marsh Field, the Norsemen completed their trip around the religions to win the Division 4 crown. To win the title, North Muskegon beat the Baptists, the Catholics and the Christians. The Norse scored six runs in the first inning to set the tone and eventually increased their lead to 15-0 heading into the bottom of the fifth inning; however, Tri-Unity tallied seven runs in the bottom of the fifth before NM closed the game with an eight-run sixth inning. Andy Grosse (7-3) tossed 4.3 innings of two-hit ball. He struck out seven and walked two. At the plate, Grosse had a single, a double and scored three runs. Mike Dean added a single, a triple, two RBI and two runs. Steve Dunn, Ben McPherson and Jerad Derks each scored three times. Derks also had three RBI while McPherson added two RBI. Jake Edick scored twice, Andrew Westra had a double, and Ryan Falkowski knocked in two runs.
Game 28 ~ Lawton 3, North Muskegon 2 (20-8): In the regional opener at Lawton, the Norsemen bats were silenced, as the Blue Devils upset the Norsemen, who only had three hits in the game. The Norse jumped out to a 2-0 lead with unearned runs in the second and third innings; however, Lawton tied the score with two runs in the bottom of the third inning. Lawton scored the game-winning run on a lead-off home run in the fourth inning. Steve Dunn had a double. Andy Grosse (7-4) took the loss.
LEADING HITTERS
Average: Austin Aamodt (.438, 39-for-89)
At Bats: Steve Dunn, Andy Grosse, Jerad Derks (90)
Runs: Grosse (35)
Hits: Aamodt (39)
Doubles: Mike Dean (12)
Triples: Christian Helle, Dean (5)
Home runs: Dean (4)
RBI: Dean (33)
Sacrifices: Ben McPherson (3)
Strikeouts: Ryan Falkowski (20)
Walks: Dunn (18)
HBP: Dunn (5)
Stolen Bases: Dunn (16)
Errors: Grosse (15)
LEADING PITCHERS
ERA: Dean (1.75 in 76 innings)
Innings: Dean (76)
Walks: Dean (46)
Strikeouts: Dean (68)
Wins: Grosse (7)