It is the state’s most ballyhooed baseball team.
And for good reason.
And it only seems fitting that Orchard Lake St. Mary’s would finish the regular season as the No. 1-ranked team in Michigan. The three-time defending state champion Eaglets — owners of the state’s longest winning streak in history — return to the top spot in Division 1 on the Michigan High School Baseball Coaches Association poll heading into district semifinal action.
They join Grand Rapids Christian in Division 2, Algonac in Division 3 and Indian River Inland Lakes in Division 4 as the top teams and projected state title favorites for 2023. Here’s a closer look at the MHSBCA state rankings for May 31, 2023.
D1: ST. MARY’S IS BACK ON TOP
The reigning state champions are No. 1 once again. After yielding the top billing to Northville for the past three weeks, Orchard Lake St. Mary’s reclaims its No. 1 ranking. The Eaglets are one of four 30-win teams in the D1 poll, along with No. 2 and holding steady Bay City Western. Northville drops to No. 3. Zeeland East finished the regular season with the state’s most wins at 35-2. Midland joins the Top 20 this week while Grosse Pointe North exits.
DIVISION 1
1. Orchard Lake St. Mary 31-5
2. Bay City Western 33-4
3. Northville 29-4
4. Birmingham Brother Rice 27-7
5. Rockford 26-7
6. Zeeland East 35-2
7. Battle Creek Lakeview 30-6
8. White Lake Lakeland 28-9
9. Jenison 26-9
10. Hudsonville 27-9
11. Sterling Heights Stevenson 24-6
12. Birmingham Seaholm 23-3
13. Rochester Adams 22-10
14. West Bloomfield 27-9
15. Allen Park 22-4
16. Hartland 19-11
17. Portage Northern 21-6
18. Howell 24-12
19. Midland 25-10
20. Livonia Franklin 25-9
D2: GR CHRISTIAN IS TEAM TO BEAT
After holding on to the No. 1 ranking for the third straight week, Grand Rapids Christian is the team to beat on the D2 landscape. Tradition-rich Stevensville Lakeshore is at No. 2 for the second straight poll and, with Liggett at No. 3, the top of the D2 rankings are truly power-packed. Olivet is the lone 30-win team in the Top 20. Trenton is the poll’s lone newcomer with St. Johns slipping out.
DIVISION 2
1. Grand Rapids Christian 29-5
2. Stevensville Lakeshore 26-9
3. Grosse Pointe University Liggett 21-11
4. Flint Powers 27-8
5. Bay City John Glenn 23-4
6. Carleton Airport 28-4
7. New Boston Huron 20-7
8. Forest Hills Eastern 27-8
9. Midland Bullock Creek 28-4
10. Detroit Country Day 23-5
11. Olivet 30-3
12. Marine City 18-5
13. Corunna 23-3
14. Adrian 27-7
15. Grand Rapids South Christian 22-12
16. Allendale 20-8
17. Trenton 21-12
18. Richmond 17-7
19. North Branch 24-8
20. Portland 20-7
D3: ALGONAC CONTINUES TO BE REAL DEAL
In a week of minor changes on the D3 poll, the biggest constant is at the top. Algonac began the season ranked No. 1 and never relinquished that top spot. The Muskrats have delivered a 30-win season and head into the postseason as the title favorites. North Muskegon continues to inch up the ladder, moving from No. 8 to No. 5 this week. There were no new joiners to the Top 20 this week in D3.
DIVISION 3
1. Algonac 30-3
2. Detroit Edison 17-4
3. Clinton 30-3
4. Ecorse 22-2
5. North Muskegon 31-5
6. Parchment 26-7
7. Laingsburg 23-7
8. Lansing Catholic Central 19-6
9. Charlevoix 20-3
10. Jackson Lumen Christi 25-5
11. Vassar 23-9
12. Pewamo-Westphalia 21-6
13. Gladstone 10-3
14. Watervliet 24-5
15. Niles Brandywine 24-6
16. Bridgman 26-9
17. Sandusky 20-10
18. Galesburg-Augusta 23-5
19. Grandville Calvin Christian 25-11
20. Grand Rapids Northpointe 21-5
D4: INLAND LAKES RETAINS TOP SPOT
For the second week in a row, Indian River Inland Lakes is the No. 1-ranked team in D4 and a sparkling 29-1 record reveals why. The Top 4 hold true from last week, with former No. 1 East Jordan slipping to No. 8. Painesdale Jeffers, the last undefeated team in the entire poll, suffered its first setback to go to 18-1. Mackinaw City is a low-profile 30-win team, finally making its debut in the Top 20 and only slipping in at No. 19 with a 31-6 record. Marion is the only other newcomer to the poll, with Oakland Christian and Peck exiting.
DIVISION 4
1. Indian River Inland Lakes 29-1
2. Plymouth Christian 28-7
3. Fowler 23-7
4. Beal City 25-8
5. Marine City Cardinal Mooney 15-8
6. Decatur 24-3
7. Painesdale Jeffers 18-1
8. East Jordan 20-6
9. Gaylord St. Mary 19-3
10. Muskegon Catholic Central 27-7
11. Maple City Glen Lake 27-7
12. Mount Pleasant Sacred Heart 30-7
13. Merrill 26-6
14. Marion 27-2
15. Ubly 27-8
16. Royal Oak Shrine 17-10
17. Norway 20-5
18. Hillman 21-9
19. Mackinaw City 31-6
20. Byron Center Zion Christian 25-10
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