This spring was supposed to be Dave VanNoord’s 25th season of coaching Hudsonville’s baseball team.
VanNoord instead found himself doing puzzles during the stay-at-home order, and he did lots of them. VanNoord did 28 puzzles in all, including one that he had made from a photograph of the Eagles celebrating its Division 1 state championship in 2012.
“I sent out a text to the guys in the puzzle, and I asked them, ‘Can you guys believe that it has been eight years?’ VanNoord said. “I told them I hope everybody is doing well, and I got texts back from all of them and it sounded like they were.”
MLive has given the Eagles the nod as the Grand Rapids area’s best baseball team dating back to 2000. Hudsonville won its final 18 games that season and finished 33-5, which culminated with a 9-6 victory over Warren DeLaSalle in the state finals.
One could say that the Eagles were like a puzzle that year, with all the pieces fitting perfectly. The Eagles had pitching, power, speed and loads of talent. Hudsonville, which hit 19 homeruns on the season, had nine players on its roster who would play college baseball, including six at the Division I level.
*First baseman Hunter Prince, who played at Western Michigan, hit .389, had 42 hits and drove in 33 runs.
*Blake Hibbitts was the ace of the staff, posting a 10-0 record with a 1.45 earned run average. Hibbitts headed to Central Michigan and played baseball and basketball.
*Tyler Baar played third base and was the team’s No. 2 starting pitcher, finishing 8-2. Baar, who went to Toledo, slammed a three-run homer in the third inning in the state finals.
*Infielder Brandon Cable, who went to Western Michigan and later Davenport, led the Eagles in hitting. Cable hit .461, had 41 hits, 33 RBI and six homeruns.
*Rob Greenman, a junior catcher who played at Central Michigan, hit .308.
*Keegan Baar, a sophomore, was Hudsonville’s third starter and went 7-3. Baar played at Michigan State.
*Hank Van Ooyen played centerfielder and was Hudsonville’s leadoff hitter. Van Ooyen, who played at Wayne State, scored 46 runs and stole 38 bases.
*Zach Bohl played rightfield and enjoyed a successful career at Cornerstone.
*Logan Magsig played shortstop and was Hudsonville’s closer, recording saves in the district final, state semifinals and finals. He played baseball and basketball at Davenport.
“That team had incredible talent and it was a matter of us putting it together by the end of the year,” VanNoord said. “We got hot at the right time and playing in the OK Red certainly helps you get ready for good competition in the postseason.
“We got to play in the Jimmy Gerken and that has been a big tournament for us for a number of years, and we played really well. We won 8-1, 11-0 and 10-0. That was a big momentum swing for us heading into districts. That was Memorial Day Weekend. We beat Kenowa, East Grand Rapids. Forest Hills Central.”
The Eagles had to get past rival Rockford if it was going to win its first state championship. Hudsonville finished 12-2 in the Red, which placed them second to the Rams. Hudsonville and Rockford split its two regular-season games, but the Eagles lost 1-0 to Grand Haven.
A rematch with Rockford came in the regional finals at Jenison, with the Eagles winning 12-4.
“Rockford won the state championship in 2011, and we had to somehow figure out a way to get by them,” VanNoord said. “We lost to them in 2011 in the regional finals, and that was a great game. It was, ‘Here we go again. Who is going to win between the two of us?’
“We were down 3-0 against Rockford. And then, we bunted a bunch of times, believe it or not, and they threw it away and made some errors and we were able to get back in it.”
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