Baseball, softball players to watch from the Gaylord area

GAYLORD ― While the three Gaylord area high schools have their fair share of athletes who excel on the hardwood, the wrestling mats and the slopes, the best of the best have been on the diamonds in the past few years.

Not only are the area softball teams some of the most successful in the entire state, but some of their players are also among the best in the entire country, with multiple already signed to play in college or looking to do so.

Meanwhile, the area baseball teams also have their fair share of talent, with the Gaylord St. Mary's and Johannesburg-Lewiston boys in particular returning quite a few pieces of the cores of their district-winning squads from a season ago.

Here are some athletes to watch from area baseball and softball squads.

Jayden Jones, Junior, Gaylord

A nationally top-ten-ranked recruit in the class of 2024, a two-time first-team all-state member and the reigning Gaylord Herald Times Spring MVP, junior Jayden Jones brings an impressive resume and a big reputation to the table with her to the 2023 season.

Just wait until she plays; she'll back that reputation up pretty quickly.

Jones was the unquestioned leader of one of the best teams in MHSAA Division 2 as the Gaylord's leadoff hitter and everyday shortstop. She thrived as the go-to offensive and defensive player for the Blue Devils, posting a 538 batting average, 60 runs scored and 13 home runs, helping the team win a second-straight Big-North title as well as a second-straight district crown.

She earned a host of honors for her play as a sophomore, including a second-straight appearance on the first-team all-state list after also receiving first-team honors as a freshman.

The No. 6 ranked player in Extra Innings Softball's Class of 2024 rankings, the junior is verbally committed to Virginia Tech, currently the No. 16 ranked team in NCAA Division-I and one of the top programs in the country overall.

Aubrey Jones, Sophomore, Gaylord

With one of the best teams in the state (preseason No. 2 in Division 2), the Blue Devils can't just rely on Jones, and they don't; they have a plethora of other talented players on their roster to choose from to help them rack up wins.

They don't even have to look outside the Jones family if they don't want to.

Jayden's sister, sophomore Aubrey Jones, is also among the most talented players in the country in her respective class, coming in at No. 9 on the Extra Innings Softball Class of 2025 list, and she brings another level of talent to the Blue Devils program.

The younger Jones was elite as a freshman in 2022, earning first-team All-Big North honors after dominating in the circle and at the plate, finishing with a sub-one ERA at 0.84 over 67 innings pitched while hitting .480 with 40 runs batted in and 10 home runs.

Now a sophomore, look for her to cement herself as one of the top pitching options in the state, regardless of class.

Alexis Kozlowski, Senior, Gaylord

The entire Gaylord roster could make this list, but if you had to widdle it down, Alexis Kozlowski would still need recognition.

The Ferris State commit was a first-team all-state honoree after an impressive junior season a year ago, posting 56 RBI with a batting average of .524 in the team's run to the regional finals.

Her consistency in the middle of the Blue Devils' lineup is a big part of what makes them so dangerous, and opposing teams recognize that.

Jayden Marlatt, Junior, Johannesburg-Lewiston

A good rule of thumb; if you're looking for the leader of a Johannesburg-Lewiston team, look for the name Marlatt.

That can apply to the coaching staff (head softball coach Kim Marlatt and head basketball coach Ryan Marlatt), but for the past few years, it has usually applied to either Preston or Jayden Marlatt as they have been unquestioned leaders for their respective teams.

So, as the 2023 softball season begins, there's is no reason to think that will be any different.

Jayden, a sophomore in 2022, posted a first-team all-state-worthy season, hitting .531 with 52 hits while posting a 15-3 record in the circle with 172 strikeouts.

Back for her junior season, look for Marlatt to be among the best in the Ski Valley and the state for D4, much like she was in both volleyball and basketball.

Dillon Croff, Junior, Gaylord St. Mary

Both St. Mary and JoBurg baseball won district titles last year, and while JoBurg will have to replace their top guy in Marlatt, basically all of St, Mary's top players are back for another run at a D4 state title in 2023.

While Dillon Croff may not have been the top guy throughout the regular season in his sophomore campaign, he was that and more during their championship run, going 8-for-11 with nine RBI over three games in the district tournament last June to claim a sixth-consecutive D4 district title.

He was arguably their best pitcher in 2022, going 5-5 with an ERA of 3.12 over 58.1 innings, while contributing from the plate, hitting .408 with a team-high 33 RBI.

Gavin Bebble, Senior, Gaylord St. Mary

Much like Marlatt at JoBurg, the name Bebble is synonymous with the word leader at St. Mary's.

After leading the Snowbirds football team at quarterback and the basketball team at point guard, senior Gavin Bebble will again look to lead the Snowbirds as an infielder and pitcher for the baseball team in his final high school season this spring.

Bebble earned second-team all-state honors for his performance over the 2022 season, leading the Snowbirds in BA (.446), OBP (.667), SLG % (.622 and hits (33), while also playing a key role on the mound with an ERA of 3.35 over 37.2 innings.

Colin Basinski, Senior, Johannesburg-Lewiston

While replacing a player like Preston Marlatt is not easy (and hasn't gone well for the other JoBurg boys teams), the baseball team was left in relatively good shape with senior Colin Basinski taking the role as the team's No. 1.

Basinski was the team's RBI leader, finishing with 36, and finished second in most other offensive categories in his junior campaign, including batting average .(405), OBP (.460) and slugging percentage (.550).

He also made a big leap as a defensive catcher, allowing the JoBurg pitchers to thrive in their own run to a D4 district title in 2022. With Basinski back, look for the Cardinals to be dangerous again in a competitive Ski Valley Conference.

Others to watch

Alexis Shepherd, Junior, Gaylord

Avery Parker, Junior, Gaylord

Abby Radulski, Senior, Gaylord

Taylor Moeggenberg, Junior, Gaylord

Gloria House, Senior, Johannesburg-Lewiston

Cassie Tallman, Senior, Johannesburg-Lewiston

Emma Glasby, Senior, Gaylord St. Mary's

Louden Stradling, Senior, Gaylord

Donovan Blust, Senior, St. Mary's

Eli Lindbert, Senior, Johannesburg-Lewiston

This article originally appeared on The Petoskey News-Review: Baseball, softball players to watch from the Gaylord area