North Muskegon Norsemen: 2007 Recap

2007 RECAP

All-State
Ryan Buter (catcher)
Troy Forton (infield)

All-Region
Ryan Buter (catcher)
Troy Forton (infield)

All-District
Ryan Buter (catcher)
Troy Forton (infield)
Ryan Sexton (infield)
Jordan Fairbanks (infield)
Noah VanBergen (outfield)
Mark Picard (pitcher)
Travis Falkowski (pitcher)
Warren Kent III (coach)

All-Conference
First Team
Mark Picard (P)
Ryan Buter (C)
Troy Forton (IF)
Ryan Sexton (IF)
Honorable Mention
Noah VanBergen (OF)

All-Area
First Team
Ryan Buter (C)
Troy Forton (IF)
Second Team
Mark Picard (P)
Ryan Sexton (IF)
Honorable Mention
Noah VanBergen (OF)
Jordan Fairbanks (IF)
Ron Balaskovitz (IF) 

Academic All-State
Noah VanBergen

Academic All-Region
Noah VanBergen
Ryan Buter

Academic All-District
Noah VanBergen
Ryan Buter
Chris Scheldt
Jordan Fairbanks
Troy Forton
Alex Wierda

Team Awards
MVP: Ryan Buter
Gold Glove: Troy Forton
Most Improved: Ryan Sexton
Coach's Award: Alex Wierda
 

Season Summary (24-4-1 overall; 11-2-1 in the West Michigan Conference): With 11 returners from a team that went 19-14, the 2007 Norse season began with high expectations. And these lofty expectations were valid, as the team accomplished all three of its goals – winning 20 games, capturing the County title and winning Districts. In fact, the Norse set 16 team records, including wins. A key to the season was the first inning. A year ago, the Norse were outscored 43-32 in the first inning and posted a 5-9 record when they were losing after the first inning. This year, NM outscored their opponents 62-20 in the first inning; in fact, the Norse outscored their opponents in every inning, including the second inning when only three teams scored runs for a total of seven and the sixth inning when only six runs were scored. All 15 players contributed throughout the season; the only negative in an otherwise positive season was production out of the No. 7 spot in the batting order. Every position in the batting order posted at least a .287 average, except No. 7, which posted a .173 average (14-for-81).

Troy Forton wrapped up his career as the top hitter, average-wise (.515), and the top pitcher, ERA-wise (1.10), in Norse history. While his senior year was cut short due to a rib injury, Troy, who played shortstop, led the team in hitting with a .462 average (36-for-78). He led the team in hits (36), doubles (13) and triples (3). On the mound, Troy posted an 8-1 record while allowing opponents to bat just .134 (26-for-194). He also had a 1.16 ERA while striking out 89 in 54.3 innings. He also led the team with 12 hit batters. Troy threw first-pitch strikes to 65 percent of the batters he faced (146-for-225).

Catcher Ryan Buter’s junior season was one of the best power-hitting seasons in Norse history. Ryan set a school record with 13 home runs and fell one RBI short of the school record with 50. He tied for the team lead in hits (36) and led the team with 37 runs, 24 walks and a .566 on-base percentage. He also posted a .450 average (36-for-80).

Six players batted better than .300 led by junior Alex Wierda, a second baseman. In limited playing time, Alex posted a .391 average (9-for-23). He struck out just twice in 29 plate appearances. Alex also pitched one shutout inning. Junior Ryan Sexton had a break-out season after bouncing between JV and varsity a year ago. Ryan, who played third base, batted .379 (25-for-66). Ryan saw 13.3 innings on the mound, posting a 2-0 record while striking out 18 and only walking six. Senior Jordan Carr, who was playing for the first time since his freshman year, was 12-for-34 (.353). Junior Noah VanBergen, who played both outfield and catcher, posted a .333 average (23-for-69). Noah, who was one of two players to play all 29 games, paced the team with a school-record 23 stolen bases. He also led the team with six hit by pitches. Unfortunately, he also tied for the team lead with 15 strikeouts with Mark Picard. Senior Jordan Fairbanks, who finished with a three-year career batting average of .305 (57-for-187), posted a .310 average (22-for-71). Senior Ron Balaskovitz, who played all 29 games, led the team with 89 at bats and six sacrifices. He batted .303 (27-for-89).

Three outfielders – Chris Scheldt (.280), Alex Jones (.270) and Matt Dunn (.262) posted a batting average of .262 or greater. Matt also pitched two innings while posting a 1-0 record.

Senior second baseman Reid Arends batted .242 and pitched two hitless and scoreless innings. Reid also had the dubious distinction of leading the team with 10 errors.

Juniors Mark Picard (.222) and Travis Falkowski (.217) both struggled at the plate, but they flourished on the mound. Mark posted a 9-2 record while tossing a team-high 70.6 innings. He had a 2.08 ERA while opponents batted just .212 against him. His first-pitch strike percentage was 54 percent (166-for-310). Travis went 4-1 while throwing 39.6 innings. He had a 1.41 ERA while opponents batted .213. Travis threw 65 percent first-pitch strikes (116-for-178).

Junior Austin Vanderweele rounded out the regular roster. Austin, who struggled with injuries, only batted 16 times for a .125 average.

Sophomores Ryan Hillman, Jacob Frein and Robin Wiggins joined the team for the post-season. Hillman had a hit in the regional loss while Frein scored a run in districts.

Game 1 ~ North Muskegon 5, Spring Lake 1 (1-0): For the first time in four years, the Norsemen pick up a win in the season opener. At Spring Lake, Troy Forton and Mark Picard combined on a one-hitter. Forton (1-0) picked up the win with four innings of no-hit ball, striking out seven and walking one. Picard gained the save with three innings of one-hit ball, striking out five and walking one. The Norse only had six hits but used 13 stolen bases, including four by Noah VanBergen, to get runners into scoring position.

Game 2 ~ North Muskegon 10, Orchard View 9 (2-0): At North Muskegon, the Norsemen gained a come-from-behind victory after falling behind 8-1 in the fourth inning. The winning run scored in the bottom of the seventh inning when Reid Arend scored from second base on Noah VanBergen’s bunt single and the subsequent throwing error. The run made a winner of Ryan Sexton (1-0), who tossed two innings of shutout relief. After Orchard View took an 8-1 lead, the Norse scored four runs in the bottom of fourth inning with VanBergen’s bases-clearing double being the big hit. After the Cardinals tacked on a fifth-inning run to take a 9-5 lead, North Muskegon scored four runs after two were out in the bottom of the inning. Sexton’s two-run single tied the score. Matt Dunn led the offense with three singles while Troy Forton added a single and a double. Arends scored twice.

Game 3 ~ Whitehall 6, North Muskegon 3 (2-1, 0-1): At North Muskegon, the Norse dropped the conference opener despite the Vikings only managing three hits. However, Whitehall benefited from five walks and four hit batters. Troy Forton (1-1) took the loss, striking out 12 in six innings. Ryan Buter had a double for the Norse, who struck out 10 times. North Muskegon has struck out 32 times in just three games.

Game 4 ~ North Muskegon 7, Whitehall 7 (2-1-1, 0-1-1): At North Muskegon, the Norse rallied from a 5-0 deficit to take a 7-5 lead only to see Whitehall tie the score in the bottom of the fifth before the game was called on account of darkness after the sixth inning. After the Vikings scored five first-inning runs, the Norse used a seven-run third inning to take the lead. The big hit was a two-run double by pinch hitter Jordan Carr. Unfortunately, Whitehall tied the score with two runs (one unearned) in the bottom of the fifth. Ryan Buter had two singles.

Game 5 ~ North Muskegon 13, Covenant Christian 0 (3-1-1): At North Muskegon, Troy Forton (2-1) tossed a five-inning no-hitter, striking out six. The Norse had an eight-run third inning. Forton paced the offense with two singles and five RBI. Ryan Buter had a two-run home run and finished with three RBI. Noah VanBergen scored twice, and Ron Balaskovitz and Matt Dunn each scored three runs.

Game 6 ~ North Muskegon 12, Covenant Christian 0 (4-1-1): At North Muskegon, the Norse completed the sweep, as three pitchers combined on a one-hitter. Mark Picard (1-0) picked up the win, tossing three innings of no-hit ball while striking out four. The Norse scored nine runs in the second inning. Chris Scheldt went 3-for-3 with two runs. Troy Forton had a single, a double and two runs. Jordan Fairbanks had a double and two RBI. Noah VanBergen scored twice.

Game 7 ~ North Muskegon 4, Shelby 0 (5-1-1, 1-1-1): At Shelby, Troy Forton raised his record to 3-1 with the two-hit shutout. Forton allowed just two first-inning singles and struck out nine. Ryan Sexton, who went 4-for-4, drove in the first two runs with a two-run single in the third inning. The Norse added an unearned run in the sixth inning, and Ryan Buter’s seventh-inning RBI double ended the scoring. Ron Balaskovitz added a single and a double. Forton scored twice.

Game 8 ~ North Muskegon 4, Shelby 1 (6-1-1, 2-1-1): At Shelby, the Norse completed the sweep by allowing just one unearned run. NM has not allowed an earned run in 25 innings. The Norse got all the scoring it would need in the first inning on an RBI groundout by Troy Forton and a two-run homer by Ryan Buter. NM added an unearned run in the fourth inning. Mark Picard (2-0) threw the complete game, allowing six hits and striking out six. Ryan Sexton continued his hot hitting by going 2-for-3 with a double. Ron Balaskovitz had a double.

Game 9 ~ North Muskegon 13, Montague 3 (7-1-1, 3-1-1): At Montague, the eighth-ranked Norse jumped out to a 4-0 first-inning lead and never looked back. Troy Forton raised his record to 4-1 with five shutout innings. He struck out 11 and walked just two. Forton has not allowed a run in 17 innings. Ryan Buter and Forton were both 3-for-5 with three runs. Forton had a double, and Buter added a double, a three-run home run and five RBI. Noah VanBergen, who had three stolen bases, scored three runs, and Reid Arends scored twice. Ron Balaskovitz and Mark Picard each had two RBI. Montague scored an earned run in the seventh inning to snap the Norse’s streak of 31 innings without an earned run.

Game 10 ~ North Muskegon 14, Montague 6 (8-1-1, 4-1-1): At Montague, NM completed the sweep with Ryan Buter and Troy Forton again leading the offense. Forton was 3-for-4 with two runs and two RBI while Buter was 2-for-4 with a triple, three runs and two RBI. Jordan Fairbanks added two singles. Jordan Carr and Chris Scheldt each had three RBI. Ryan Sexton and Ron Balaskovitz each scored twice. Mark Picard (3-0) scattered 10 hits over five innings to pick up the win.

Game 11 ~ North Muskegon 13, Ravenna 7 (9-1-1): At North Muskegon in the opening-round game of the County Tournament, the Norse jumped out to a 6-2 first-inning lead and never looked back. Ryan Buter led the offense with a single, a three-run homer, two runs and four RBI. Alex Wierda added three singles and two RBI. Jordan Fairbanks had a single and a double while Noah VanBergen and Matt Dunn each had two singles. Dunn, Fairbanks and Jordan Carr each scored twice. Dunn and Fairbanks also had two RBI each. Troy Forton scored three runs. Mark Picard (4-0) remained unbeaten by scattering seven hits over six innings.

Game 12 ~ North Muskegon 16, Muskegon Catholic Central 6 (10-1-1): At Mona Shores in the championship game of the County Tournament, Troy Forton (5-1) allowed eight hits but struck out 14, including the final six batters, in the complete-game win. The title was the Norsemen’s second in three years. Forton had his streak of 19 scoreless innings snapped when the Crusaders erupted for six runs in third inning to take a 6-4 lead; however, the Norse responded with nine runs in the bottom of the inning to take a 13-6 lead. Ryan Buter continued his five-game hot streak by going 2-for-4 with two home runs, five RBI and two runs. In his past five games, Buter has gone 10-for-19 (.526) with 11 runs, five home runs and 18 RBI. Forton went 4-for-4 with three doubles, a triple, three RBI and four runs. Ron Balaskovitz also had a solid game with two singles, a double, three RBI and three runs. Reid Arends added a single, a double and three runs, and Alex Jones had two singles. Matt Dunn had two RBI.

Game 13 ~ North Muskegon 8, Ravenna 0 (11-1-1, 5-1-1): At North Muskegon, Troy Forton (6-1) allowed just a sixth-inning, lead-off single in the complete-game win. Forton struck out nine. Ryan Buter led the offense with two doubles and two RBI. Forton added a double and two RBI. Jordan Fairbanks and Matt Dunn each had two singles. Dunn and Ron Balaskovitz each scored twice.

Game 14 ~ North Muskegon 10, Ravenna 1 (12-1-1, 6-1-1): At North
Muskegon, the Norse completed the sweep and won their 10^th straight game behind Mark Picard’s two-hitter. Picard (5-0), who allowed a single in both the third and fourth innings, struck out six. Ryan Sexton hit his first home run of the season, a solo shot leading off the second inning. Ryan Buter had a single, a double and three RBI; Troy Forton added a single and a double. Ron Balaskovitz had three singles, and Noah VanBergen and Jordan Fairbanks each had two singles. VanBergen scored three runs while Balaskovitz and Sexton scored twice. Reid Arends added two RBI.

Game 15 ~ North Muskegon 4, Muskegon Catholic Central 3 (13-1-1): At Muskegon Catholic Central, all of the Norse’s runs were unearned, but it was enough to give Travis Falkowski (1-0) his first win of the season. Falkowski scattered six hits in six innings for the win, and Troy Forton held off a bases-loaded rally in the bottom of the seventh to pick up his first win. The game’s final out came when catcher Ryan Buter threw out the runner at third who had strayed too far from the base. North Muskegon was held to just four singles with Jordan Fairbanks and Reid Arends each gaining an RBI.

Game 16 ~ North Muskegon 16, Muskegon Heights 0 (14-1-1): At North Muskegon, the Norse used a 13-run first inning to put the three-inning game away. Matt Dunn (1-0) picked up the win with two shutout innings. Troy Forton went 2-for-2 with a double, a triple, two RBI and two runs. Noah VanBergen, Ron Balaskovitz, Chris Scheldt and Jordan Carr each had a double. Carr added three RBI, and Balaskovitz had two RBI. VanBergen, Dunn and Alex Jones each scored twice.

Game 17 ~ North Muskegon 15, Muskegon Heights 0 (15-1-1): At North Muskegon, the Norse completed the sweep with Ryan Sexton (2-0) and Reid Arends combining on the three-inning no-hitter. NM hit two grand slams in the game. Jordan Carr hit a first-inning grand slam and added a double. He finished with seven RBI and three runs. Noah VanBergen, who had four foul “home runs,” finally hit his first real home run with a second-inning grand slam. Mark Picard added two singles. Chris Scheldt and Sexton each scored three runs while Matt Dunn scored twice.

Game 18 ~ North Muskegon 12, Hart 1 (16-1-1, 7-1-1): At Hart, Ryan Buter exploded offensively with three home runs, three runs and seven RBI. Buter had a solo home run in the second inning, a two-run homer in the fourth inning and a grand slam in the sixth inning. Troy Forton (7-1), who struck out 12 and allowed four hits for the complete-game win, scored twice and had two RBI. Ron Balaskovitz also scored twice and had two RBI, Noah VanBergen had a double and two runs, and Reid Arends added two runs.

Game 19 ~ North Muskegon 13, Hart 3 (17-1-1, 8-1-1): At Hart, the Norse completed the sweep with Mark Picard raising his record to 6-0. Picard allowed four hits and struck out seven in the complete-game, six-inning win. Ryan Buter, Troy Forton and Alex Jones each had a single and a double. Jones added three runs, Buter scored twice and Forton had two RBI. Picard helped his own cause with a double and three RBI. Ron Balaskovitz added three runs. Chris Scheldt had two singles.

Game 20 ~ Reeths-Puffer 6, North Muskegon 0 (17-2-1): At Reeths-Puffer, the Norse outhit the Rockets 4-3, but five errors and four hit batters helped R-P snap NM’s win streak at 15 games. Ron Balaskovitz had two singles to lead the offense. Travis Falkowski (1-1) took the loss.

Game 21 ~ North Muskegon 25, Oakridge 1 (18-2-1, 9-1-1): At Oakridge, the Norse scored 21 runs in the fourth inning to break open a 4-0 game. In the inning, North Muskegon had nine hits and benefited from 11 walks. Troy Forton pitched the first three innings to raise his record to 8-1. Ryan Sexton had a single, a double and four RBI. Chris Scheldt was 2-for-2 with two runs and four RBI. Matt Dunn and Forton were both 2-for-3 with two runs and two RBI. Ryan Buter scored four runs, Ron Balaskovittz and Noah VanBergen each scored three times, and Travis Falkowski scored twice. Buter and VanBergen also had two RBI.

Game 22 ~ North Muskegon 6, Oakridge 1 (19-2-1, 10-1-1): At Oakridge, Mark Picard (7-0) tossed the complete game, striking out seven and allowing three hits. The Norse took a 2-1 lead into the bottom of the fifth inning before Troy Forton RBI triple and Ryan Sexton’s three-run homer put the game away. Sexton also added a single.

Game 23 ~ North Muskegon 9, Western Michigan Christian 5 (20-2-1): At McCrae Park, the Norse scored three runs in the top of the sixth inning to erase a 5-3 deficit NM only had one hit in the inning but was helped by two walks and four errors. The Norse added two insurance runs in the seventh inning. Ryan Buter continued his hot hitting with two home runs in his first two at bats. He had three RBI and scored three runs. Troy Forton added two doubles, a single and two RBI. Jordan Fairbanks and Reid Arends each had two singles. Mark Picard chipped in with two runs. Travis Falkowski (2-1) tossed the complete game for the win. He scattered seven hits.

Game 24 ~ North Muskegon 10, Mason County Central 2 (21-2-1, 11-1-1): At North Muskegon, Mark Picard ran his unbeaten streak to 8-0 with four innings in relief of starter Troy Forton, who injured his ribs in the third inning. Down 2-0 in the bottom of the fourth inning, the Norse scored three with two outs to take the lead. NM added four runs in the fifth and three in the sixth for the final margin. Ryan Sexton had two doubles and three runs while Noah VanBergen had a double, two singles and four RBI. Picard and Chris Scheldt each had a double. Scheldt also scored twice.

Game 25 ~ Mason County Central 7, North Muskegon 6 (21-3-1, 11-2-1): At North Muskegon, the Norse had their worst defensive game of the year, committing five errors. NM took a 3-0 lead on Ryan Buter’s first-inning homer; however, the Spartans responded with two runs in the bottom of the inning. The Norse increased their lead to 5-2 on a sacrifice fly by Ron Balaskovitz in the second and a solo home run by Ryan Sexton in the third. MCC tallied three runs in the fourth inning to knot the score. The Spartans took the lead in the bottom of the fifth inning with two unearned runs as the Norse committed three errors. Buter’s seventh-inning solo shot was as close as NM would get. Mark Picard (8-1), again pressed into relief duty, suffered the loss. Jordan Fairbanks had two singles. Sexton added a single and two runs to go with his solo homer.

Game 26 ~ North Muskegon 8, Muskegon 5 (22-3-1): At North Muskegon, the Norse wrapped up the regular season with a complete-games victory by Travis Falkowski (3-1). North Muskegon jumped out to a 5-0 lead after two innings only to see the Big Reds inch closer to 5-4 heading into the bottom of the fourth inning. The Norse scored solo runs in the fourth, fifth and sixth innings. Alex Wierda paced the offense going 4-for-4 with three runs. Jordan Fairbanks had a single and a solo home run while Ryan Buter added two singles and two RBI. Noah VanBergen contributed a single, a double and two RBI.

Game 27 ~ North Muskegon 6, Covenant Christian 0 (23-3-1): In the opening round game of Districts at North Muskegon, Travis Falkowski (4-1) scattered five hits and struck out four in the shut-out victory. In three games against the Chargers, the Norse outscored them 31-0 and only allowed five hits. The Norse jumped ahead in the top of the first inning on Ryan Sexton’s bases-loaded single for the early 2-0 lead. NM added a solo run in the third inning on Chris Scheldt’s RBI single. The Norse closed the scoring with a three-run fifth inning on RBI singles by Jordan Fairbanks and Reid Arends and an RBI double from Alex Jones. Sexton also added a double while Jones added a single. Ron Balaskovitz was 3-for-4.

Game 28 ~ North Muskegon 7, Western Michigan Christian 5 (24-3-1): In the championship game of Districts at North Muskegon, NM battled back from a 4-2 deficit in the fourth inning to gain the title. The Norse knotted the score at 4 on a bases-loaded walk to Ryan Buter and a bases-loaded hit by pitch to Ryan Sexton; however, WMC took a 5-4 lead with a run in the bottom of the fifth. NM regained the lead in the top of the sixth inning with a little small ball. Noah VanBergen led off the sixth with a pinch-hit single. He scored on a perfectly executed bunt-and-steal play from Alex Jones. VanBergen scored from first base when the throw got away from the first baseman, and Jones was safe at first. After a sacrifice bunt from Ron Balaskovitz and a walk to Matt Dunn, pinch hitter Jordan Carr lined one off the pitcher’s shin for an RBI single. NM tacked on an insurance run in the top of the seventh inning, as pinch-runner Travis Falkowski scored on a wild pitch. Mark Picard (9-1) picked up the complete-game win by tossing a three-hitter. Balaskovitz had two RBI, and Jordan Fairbanks added two singles.

Game 29 ~ Lawrence 3, North Muskegon 1 (24-4-1): In the regional opener at Grand Rapids Covenant Christian, the Norse were knocked out of the state tournament. NM only managed two hits (singles by Ryan Buter and Ryan Hillman) against 12 strikeouts and committed three errors – each one led to an unearned run. Mark Picard (9-2), who pitched the complete game, took the loss, striking out eight and allowing six hits.