The 2023 baseball season in the Downriver and Dearborn area was one of the more competitive and balanced seasons in recent history.
A number of the teams cannabalized one another during the regular season only to see that play out in the playoffs as well. Amidst the carnage in the area and all across the state in the postseason, four local teams still managed to advance to the regional final round.
That quartet of baseball regional finalists houses five of the six area players that were recently given all-state recognition by the Michigan High School Baseball Coaches Association.
One school had two such recipients as Evan Langlois and Jacob Wright of Brownstown Woodhaven eached earned all-state honors in Division 1. The two were an integral part in helping the Warriors advance all the way to the D1 state championship game for the second time in program history and the first time since 2018.
Langlois was named first-team all-state. The senior and Wayne State commit was Woodhaven’s primary go-to pitcher during this season, logging 70.1 innings of work and 98 strikeouts over 14 appearances.
Langlois was also a modest threat offensively for the Warriors, hitting close to .300 with five doubles and 26 runs batted in.
Wright meanwhile was named second-team all-state by the coaches association. The primary table-setter at the top of the lineup for Woodhaven, Wright posted a .365 batting average and .966 OPS on the season, both of which paced the team. His nine doubles and 13 extra-base hits tied teammate Gary Pilgrim for the team lead.
The junior outfielder figures to be threat once more for the perennial state powers from Woodhaven in 2023. With him and Langlois earning all-state recognition, it marks the sixth straight season that a Warrior player has received such honors from the MHSBCA.
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Half of the area all-state representatives come in Division 2 as one each from Dearborn Heights Annapolis, New Boston Huron, and Riverview.
One would be hard-pressed to be find a more important piece to a team puzzle than Annapolis’ Chad Fisher.
Fisher finished the 2023 season leading Annapolis in several offensive categories including batting average (.523), OPS (1.656), hits (45), extra-base hits (24), RBI (44), and stolen bases (18). The senior was also the Cougars’ primary hurler on the mound, tallying 99 strikeouts and an ERA just a tick over 1.00 in 55.1 innings of work.
In short, Fisher was the unquestioned catalyst in helping Annapolis earn their first district championship in baseball since 2011. Earlier this month, the standout for the Cougars signed on to play baseball at Grand Rapids Community College next year.
Elsewhere in that same region of the D2 state playoffs, Huron had another strong squad as they found themselves ranked highly by the coaches association all season long.
Helping lead the charge to the Chiefs’ third baseball district title in five seasons was Gavin ‘Muzzy’ Moczydlowsky.
One of the best arms in both the Downriver area and across the state, Muzzy went 7-1 on the season for Huron, racking up over 100 strikeouts and posting an ERA under 1.00. The senior and Michigan State signee was also a big part of a Chiefs offense that at times struggled to score with consistency.
Muzzy at the dish hit well over .400 in the batting average department, smacking 15 doubles, scoring 17 runs and drviving in 24 more. All of that on-field success led to all-conference, all-district, all-region, and all-state honors.
Muzzy and Huron seemed prime to make a deep run in the state playoffs but were ultimately halted by a Riverview team that they defeated twice during the regular season.
After securing their first district title since 2018, Riverview went on to knock off the Chiefs in the regional semifinal round and play in a regional title game for the first time since 2010. Another strong campaign for the Pirates’ program was spear-headed by senior Kolby Dorn.
A multi-sport standout at Riverview, Dorn paced the team in terms of batting average (.455) and OPS (1.137) while also tagging one home run, 11 doubles, and driving in 22 runs.
Dorn earlier this month signed on to play baseball at Concordia University in Ann Arbor next school year.
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Meanwhile in Division 3, it was another strong season for Ecorse, who captured a district title and advanced to the regional final round for the second time in as many seasons.
Headlining the Red Raiders’ resurgence on the diamond was the two-way play of Dennell Kemp Jr.
Much like Fisher was for Annapolis, Kemp was the straw that stirred the drink for Ecorse this season. The junior hit over .550 and had an OPS over 1.500 while leading the team in hits (40), runs batted in (31), and stolen bases (43).
Kemp was also part of a dynamic duo on the mound for the Raiders, nearly averaging two strikeouts per inning (65 K in 33.1 IP) while recording a 1.45 ERA.
