Vote: Who is the best high school pitcher in baseball in Battle Creek area?

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Enquirer lists the top pitchers in baseball in Battle Creek area. And we ask readers to vote for No. 1 in our Best of Battle Creek poll

BATTLE CREEK – The B.O.B. is hitting the diamond.

The Best Of Battle Creek series in the Enquirer is being expanded this year to include the top players on baseball and softball fields throughout the area.

Each week, throughout the spring, we are going to ask, “Who is the Best Of Battle Creek?” as we look at each position in baseball and softball among the city/area high school teams. 

Nominations for each position have come from the city/area coaches with a little information on each player. It will be a tougher list to make this year as we expand the field to city and area teams, but once we do, then it will be up to the Enquirer readers to decide who is the B.O.B.

MORE HIGH SCHOOL SPORTS:

Vote: Who is the best pitcher in high school softball in Battle Creek area?

Each week we will give readers choices and open our online poll for voting, with a winner decided by the following Tuesday with polls closing at noon.

Next up are the pitchers for the city/area baseball teams:

Jeremiah Adams

School: Lakeview

Class: Junior

Why he is the best pitcher in the city/area: Jeremiah Adams is stepping into a bigger role this season as a junior for a young Lakeview team. According to his coach, ‘Adams is a competitor in all senses of the word. It does not matter the opponent, he goes after them to give his team a chance to win.’

Brayden Bess

School: Harper Creek

Class: Senior

Why he is the best pitcher in the city/area: A four-year varsity player who has been all-city, all-conference and all-district throughout different parts of his career. Brayden Bess has opened this season in dominant fashion at 4-0 from the mound with 21 strikeouts in 16 innings and a 1.28 ERA. He will play baseball at Lawrence Tech University.

Carter Dzwik

School: Climax-Scotts/St. Philip co-op

Class: Junior

Why he is the best pitcher in the city/area: The junior left-hander has taken big strides as a pitcher in the last few years and has become a key member of the Climax-Scotts/St. Philip co-op team. According to his coach, his offseason work has put him in a position to have a standout junior year.

Jaden Fawcett

School: Galesburg-Augusta

Class: Senior

Why he is the best pitcher in the city/area: A three-year varsity starter, Jaden Fawcett is having a big senior season with a 5-1 record with 33 strikeouts with a 3.34 ERA. The all-conference player has signed to play at Spring Arbor University.

Max Gillum

School: Marshall

Class: Senior

Why he is the best pitcher in the city/area: As the No. 1 pitcher on the Marshall staff, Max Gillum is 4-0 so far with a 1.23 ERA with 31 strikeouts in 28 innings. His work during the offseason has made him a key leader for the Redhawks baseball program.

Kayden LeClair

School: Colon

Class: Senior

Why he is the best pitcher in the city/area: Kayden LeClair is a multiple-sport athlete in the spring, playing baseball and golf. LeClair leads Colon is innings pitched and has not given up a run in four games, striking out 18.

Calvin Paesens

School: Pennfield

Class: Junior

Why he is the best pitcher in the city/area: In his third year on varsity, Calvin Paesens has started to hit his stride this year as a junior. The 6-foot, 5-inch hurler has a 0.43 ERA and 25 strikeouts with just three walks in the early going this season, taking a big step after going 1-5 last year with a 2.65 ERA.

Jacob Palmatier

School: Gull Lake

Class: Junior

Why he is the best pitcher in the city/area: Jacob Palmatier has been the ace of the Gull Lake staff this year in his third year of pitching for the Blue Devils. He has started his junior season with key wins over league rivals Mattawan, Portage Central and Lakeview.

Eli Payne

School: Union City

Class: Senior

Why he is the best pitcher in the city/area: The ace of the Union City staff, Eli Payne has been 3-3 with 36 strikeouts and just six walks to start his senior season with a 2.33 ERA. The team captain was all-conference and all-district last year.

Bill Broderick can be reached at bbroderi@battlecreekenquirer.com. Follow him on Twitter: @billbroderick