Brother Rice baseball named No. 1 preseason team

BLOOMFIELD HILLS — Brother Rice baseball has been voted the top team in Division 1 to start off the season, according to the Michigan High School Baseball Coaches Association.

Brother Rice is coming off of a heartbreaking 2-1 loss to Northville High in the state title game last season, but appears to be the favorite to bring home the hardware this year.

“I’m sure they got a bad taste in their mouth, last year going 43-2 and losing the last game of the year,” Brother Rice head coach Bob Riker said. “They’re fired up and ready.”

The talent that has returned from last season is why Brother Rice is held in such high regard. The returning leaders were some of the Warriors’ best players a season ago, and now they are the pillars of the program.

“I have a great nucleus of seven guys returning, four of which are seniors,” Riker said. “Two of my top pitchers are back too. … If they’re not the two top pitchers in the state, they’re in the top five, for sure.”

The two pitchers who front the rotation are Blake Ilitch and Cole Duhaime. At press time, Ilitch was committed to play college baseball at Ole Miss, with Duhaime committed to Virginia.

“Blake and Cole are obviously the two main starters for us,” Brother Rice catcher Broder Katke said. “Catching those guys last year was so good. … And they’ve only gotten better.”

Katke is only a sophomore, but is already committed to play college baseball at Duke. He’s already a leader for the team and has quickly made a name for himself as one of the better catchers in the state. He’ll be a vital part of a team that has a lot of younger pitchers throwing to him, outside of Ilitch and Duhaime.

“We have some good young guys. … Freshmen who are ready to (excel) in their role,” Katke said. “As we settle in, this team could get really hot.”

Last year’s team lost a whopping 11 players to graduation. This year, the Warriors will have to fill that void with underclassmen.

One of the keys to this season is going to be figuring out what the ideal lineup card looks like going into postseason play.

“I dressed nine freshmen in (the first game of the season),” Riker said. “You’re going to get thrown into the fire right away. Let’s see what you’re made of.”

The blend of youth and experience on Brother Rice is handled perfectly on paper. The returning players mostly fill the important positions up the middle, leaving the corners of the field open for new talent.

“The middle is made up of those core guys,” Brother Rice centerfielder Cash Van Ameyde said. “That’s going to stay really strong all year. And when Cole and Blake are on the mound… that should motivate guys to play better.”

Van Ameyde is committed to play baseball at Oakland University and his twin brother Cole is committed to play at Michigan State University. When healthy, Cole plays shortstop and is another vital piece up the middle for Rice.

“We’re pretty strong up the middle,” Riker said. “And I have a very strong sophomore class and a very strong freshmen class, so we’re just trying to find who’s going to fit those spots.”

The team is filled with talent and is coming off of an incredible season a year ago. After the way that last season ended, the preseason polls putting Brother Rice at the top makes perfect sense.

“There’s definitely extra motivation there. Losing that game last year was one of the worst feelings I’ve ever had,” Van Ameyde said. “There’s definitely a little extra push to go get that state championship.”

Riker has three main goals going into every season. The team wants to win the Catholic League Central Division, win the CatholicLeague playoff, and win a state championship.

“Those (goals) have never changed,” Riker said. “The expectations are always those three things. There’s no greater feeling in a sport than to win the last game of the season.”