NCA Baseball Not Ready To Close Cinderella Story

POWERS---The North Central High School baseball team won just six of their 22 regular season games this spring. And they tied another two.

They lost 14 times, and some of those losses weren't pretty. But that's all in the past now as the Jets are one of just 32 Division Four baseball teams still playing ball in Michigan.

The Jets surprised everyone with a district tournament win over senior-laden Bark River-Harris. Then after the Stephenson Eagles pulled an even bigger upset in a win over the Norway Knights, the NCA Jets topped the Eagles to win their first-ever district title.

North Central may be 8-14-2, and the Jets may have only two seniors on the roster, but the guys are determined to keep this run going a little bit longer.

NCA travels to the Eastern U.P. on Saturday to play in the regional semifinals against the host Rudyard Bulldogs. Defending regional champion Indian River Inland Lakes faces Wakefield-Marenisco in the other semifinal game Saturday morning.

What do the Jets have to do to keep the Upset Train rolling?

"Just play good baseball," said senior catcher Ben Snyder, in complete seriousness. "Not commit errors, and hit the ball. When we don't commit errors, we're a very tough team to beat. But they're solid, 1-to-9, too, so it should be a good game."

The Jets will rely on left-handed pitcher Hunter Riley to get the job done in Saturday's semifinal, just like he did in Saturday's upset win over Bark River-Harris.

"I think they're a very good opponent," Riley said. "I've heard a lot of great things about them over the last couple of years. They've been taking it to everybody, and they're tough 1-through-9. So, we just have to bring our best."

Rudyard (18-15) is led by James Burton, who pitched a one-hitter in his team's district final win over Brimley last week. He also had a home run, double, and five runs batted in at the plate in the victory.

The Jets, however, have been excited all week long to still be playing this spring.

"It was a lot of fun," Riley said. "That's one of my most-fun moments in sports. We were an underdog team, with a lot of inexperience. A lot of teaching going on. And really, no one really thought of it (winning a district title).

The NCA-Rudyard gane starts at 11:00 a.m. CT/Noon ET and it will be broadcast live on WUPF-FM (Eagle 107.3) and on-line at www.radioresultsnetwork.com.

Click the thumbnails in the ARTICLE HIGHLIGHTS box above to see interviews with Snyder, Riley, and NCA Manager Chad Holle.