Senior aces ready to deal for Plymouth Christian baseball team

For the Plymouth Christian Academy baseball team, 2026 will be a test of will and determination.

The final game loss to Portland St. Patrick in the Division 4 state final last June will remain in the back of their minds, but it will be kindling to the fire that burns inside – the burning desire to get back to East Lansing for the Division 3 state final and avenge that defeat.

Getting to the championship game can be deemed an unequivocal success, but for the coaches and players, ending the season with a victory is the ultimate goal.

Head Coach Eero Perkola agrees: “Making a deep run like that would help any program for the next year. We’re lucky enough this year to have a lot of returners from that state runner-up team. Even though we came up one game short, these guys still have that fire under them. I think the playoff and senior leadership will help give us success this season.”

‘Play in the moment’

Senior pitcher Calvin Nielson is focused on getting back to the finals.

“The team is taking everything seriously because we know what we want in the end,” Nielson said. “Everything leads to literally one game, but also through all that, we need to play in the moment.”

Nielson is one of “Four Aces” that will anchor the pitching staff. The four seniors — Nielson, Luke Janigian, Michael Fernandez and Shane Slocum — bring leadership, experience and velocity to the mound.

Janigian wants to make an impact this year.

“Our goal is to have fun, but go out with a bang,” Janigian said. “We’re going to leave it all out there – for our teammates and the school.”

Bringing heat to the mound

Perkola is happy to have this group of flamethrowers.

“It will help tremendously (having these guys),” he said. “I believe that our pitching will be our strong suit this year. We have a really nice rotation, and a lot of bullpen arms this year.

“Almost all of our pitchers have experience in the post season as well.”

While the pitching staff looks solid, the team is looking to fill a few holes left from graduation. The Eagles lost stand-outs Cooper Weaver, Brandon Shollack, Micah Lavigne, Josh Pop, Mickey Callison and Danny Antone, all of whom contributed to the tournament run last year.

Rebuilding in phases

But there’s a difference between rebuilding and reloading. Perkola is confident in the roster that he’s building.

“We thankfully have a really solid group of underclassmen who are ready to take the next step,” he said. “The seniors who graduated last year were great for us both defensively and offensively.  Brandon Shollack, who was our catcher last year, will be hard to replace, but we have his younger brother Justin and Senior Dylan Beasley who are ready to take over that role.

“Cooper Weaver, who was our lock-down third  basemen, will be challenging to replace, but we have some young players who have really developed these last couple of months to try and win that spot. Micah Lavigne, our center fielder, was amazing for us tracking down everything out there. But we have some good outfield
prospects — Carter Dattilio, Josh Yeager, Miles Loiselle and others — to win those spots. Josh Pop was locked in as our first-baseman, but we have Shane Slocum and Luke Paryaski, who are solid as well.”

There’s more than solid pitching

In addition to the experienced pitching staff, the Eagles look to be strong in other areas. Perkola is pleased with what he’s seen thus far.

“Our strengths this year will be pitching, hitting and general baseball IQ with us being senior heavy,” he said. “Our defense will be solid as well, but it might be a couple weeks into the season to see who wins what spots on the field.”

The Eagles’ season begins April 7 when they host Westland John Glenn at 4:30 p.m. following PCA’s Senior Trip and Spring Break. Once the team reconvenes, the goal of improving, developing, having fun and winning begins.

Janigian is ultra-focused this year.

“After last year, I learned not to take any game for granted,” he said. “Any game can be my last and I got to play it like that. Have fun and go out with a bang.”

Nielson is ready to go as well.

“We’re going to have an overall fun environment,” Nielson added. “And above that, truly giving your all, every pitch and every play of the game. For me knowing I’m a senior and knowing this is the last time I will be playing with such a great team, I truly just want to have fun through good, bad, and just overall have the attitude of trying to win the championship.”

Cautious optimism

Coach Perkola is cautiously optimistic, as most coaches are.

“I think we are going to have a really good year,” he shared. “It all comes down to how we can get better each day, whether it is a practice or a game. We need to take it day by day and focus on improving as a team. We have a tough road ahead being moved up to Division 3, but it won’t change how we play or approach the season. Should be a fun challenge.

“We’re going to be a team that’s hungry to prove themselves again, no doubt they will work hard. We will be scrappy and hard to put away — that’s always the expectation for our team.”

After a year of waiting, the Eagles finally have a chance to finish the deal. It will be tough season of challenges, especially moving up a division, but if they play their cards right and the four aces prove their mettle, they might fly all the way back to East Lansing.

Thank you to Michael Costello for contributing this article and photos to SocialHouseNews.com.