Wyandotte Braves 14U Baseball Wins 2011 Championship, Posts Perfect Record

The Wyandotte Braves 14U #2 youth baseball team with the same kind of exemplary plays that they've done all year long.

The team, made up of boys ages 12 to 14, won the Downriver Baseball Association championship, beating the Allen Park Diamond Jaxx 14-1 at Riverview Community High School.

The win sealed a perfect 17-0 season for the team. They went 13-0 in the regular season and 4-0 in the championship tournament.

Strong pitching Friday from Matthew Spehar and Daniel Holston helped limit Allen Park to just one run.

Big hits and solid fielding performances came from Marcus Lesko, Todd Sutherby, Drew Plasencia, Michael Cheresko, Nick Pizzo, Zach Oswald, Josh Daw, Eric Bell, Bradley Reckinger and Brian Kocsis.

The 13-run margin on Friday was representative of most Braves games this season, coach John Lesko said. Many contests were won by several runs, with the Braves often invoking the five-inning mercy rule. 

“For what we did this year, (and) being 17-0, I’m really proud of these kids," Lesko said.

The toughest season challenge, Lesko said, came against the Riverview Pirates in the championship tournament semi-final game. Although Riverview put up strong fight, he said, Wyandotte came away with a 9-5 victory and advanced in the tournament.

Despite the 2011 success, the team did face some significant preseason challenges, Lesko said.

Heavy spring rain limited practice time and many players missed practices due to other commitments, he said. Another challenge for the team was that it had only three 14-year-old players.

The boys, however, quickly developed and came together to form a strong unit, Lesko said.

“It was kind of tough, but the kids matured and they were a good bunch of kids to coach,” Lesko said. 

Since the team is only losing three players next year due to age, Lesko said, the future is bright for the Braves. The other age levels of youth baseball in the city also are performing well, he said.

“We’re proud of what’s going on in Wyandotte,” Lesko said.

The teaching aspect of coaching youth baseball and seeing player improvement is what Lesko said is most important to him, as opposed to just winning. He said he most enjoys watching the success of kids who initially struggled with learning and playing the game.

“To see them get better as the year goes on,” Lesko said. “That made me a whole lot happier than the final outcome of the game.” 

For more information about the Braves youth baseball program, visit the city of Wyandotte website.