Novi baseball’s Abler, Bennett earn first team all-state honors in baseball

NOVI — It’s nearly impossible to follow up the thrill of winning your school’s first ever state championship, but Novi baseball senior Andrew Abler and junior Brendon Bennett continued to add to a historic year.

Selected by the Michigan High School Baseball Coaches Association, Abler and Bennett received Division 1 first team all-state honors with coach Rick Green earning Coach of the Year honors.

Abler, who was selected for his performance on the mound, tossed 55 innings to the tune of a 1.01 ERA, 67 strikeouts and a 7-3 record on the season.

A poised pitcher with an electric arm, Abler’s most notable achievements don’t even take place on the field. The Harvard University commit holds a 4.26 GPA, and Green said Abler’s leadership is something the team will miss going into next season.

“Andrew Abler has just been sensational as far as his leadership on and off the field with the GPA and just the whole package,” Green said. “He’s been outstanding. He’s the student athlete everybody wants their kid to be.”

A state title was a perfect ending for his senior year, and a text from his all-state teammate Bennett just added icing on the cake of Abler’s list of accomplishments.

Green got to Bennett first about the all-state news, and Bennett played spoiler for Abler just a few minutes before Green called Abler.

Almost throwing a sub-1 ERA this year, Abler said his pitch mix was a key factor in his success.

“I definitely most improved with my off-speed pitches,” Abler said. “I worked to develop a curve and a slider, and it led to a lot more strikeouts.”

Earning all-State honors as a first baseman, Bennett held an offensive slash line of .397/.510/.534 with a 1.045 OPS (on-base plus slugging), 46 hits, 13 doubles, 31 RBIs, and 26 walks on the year.

The Clemson University commit had a sensational junior season and will be a key veteran presence next year for Novi as the team looks to defend its state championship.

“He leads by example,” Green said. “He just shows everybody how to do it. He let the senior captains lead, but he led by what he did on the field. He’s about as close to a five-tool player as you can get.”

The smooth-hitting lefty said he took a different approach at the plate this season.

“I think I just didn’t throw away opportunities more,” Bennett said. “I didn’t throw away ABs (at-bats) and just took things slower.”

Bennett’s older sister, Novi senior Reganne Bennett, earned Gatorade Michigan Softball Player of the Year honors this season and is currently committed to the University of South Carolina.

While Clemson and South Carolina’s rivalry may divide houses at times, Brendon Bennett said he will always support his sister.

“There’s some family-friendly rivalry, but that’s really it,” Bennett said. “When our schools face, we’re always rooting for each other.”