Have you ever heard of a high school with coaches for a program that has run in the same family for over 30 years? At Mt. Pleasant High School, Varsity Baseball head coach Luke Epple Sr. has been coaching the Varsity team for 31 years and before him it was Joe Epple who was his dad. This shows the true dedication the Epples had for baseball and how passing down the tradition of coaching baseball was important. While reading, you will learn the important part of baseball and how it was crafted in Mt. Pleasant High School.
Baseball: Journey Through Time
Even though baseball is known to be a global phenomenon with the influence of Asian and Latin American leagues and players, Americans still recognize it as a national pastime. Baseball has been long woven into the picture of American culture and identity, which results in the process of making it America’s game. Today it has formed into something greater than just baseball for grown men, we now have so many different age groups for baseball even including t-ball for young children wanting to get started in the game.
The Game
In baseball, you have two teams with 9 players on each team who are in the game. The game consists of 7-9 innings based on the level of the baseball team you are watching. Top half of an inning, the home team will play in the field and attempt to stop the opposing team from scoring and the away team is now up to bat trying to score runs.
There are many different positions in baseball but according to Luke Epple Sr (Varsity Coach), Luke Epple Jr (Freshman Coach), and Andrew Arntz (JV Player), the catcher is arguably the hardest position to withhold. Luke Epple Jr says, “Imagine having to catch a pitcher that is throwing 90-100 miles per hour with a hard breaking curveball as well, all while the winning run is on third base, any passed ball scores that run. You need a tough, quick-reacting catcher to ensure there are no passed balls and he also needs a strong arm to prevent runners from stealing bases.” This picture shows a clear image of what it is like to be in the position of a catcher who has the weight on their shoulders while being a leader for their team.
On the Diamond:
At MPHS we have three baseball teams who are all coached by the Epple Family. First, the Freshman Team is coached by Luke Epple Jr, Second, the JV Team is coached by Mark Epple, and lastly, the Varsity Team is coached by Luke Epple Sr. Knowing this shows us that the baseball passion runs deep into the Epple family and they will create/form dedicated players in the game of baseball. As Luke Epple Sr says he is passionate about coaching baseball because “To work with, and develop young men in achieving their personal and team goals in this sport and to represent our school in competition with other schools!”
In brief about the 2024 baseball season, the varsity team had a record of 26-11. But lost in the final district game against Traverse City West, whose starting all state pitcher is now pitching for Butler University’s Baseball Team. For notable victories for the 2024 season, MPHS Varsity Baseball team won 2 tournaments, Clair and Midland Dow tournaments. Both of these teams were ranked high in their division, so winning their home tournaments was a big win for MPHS..
Players View:
But the baseball community doesn’t just incorporate the coaches’ views, the players’ views about their sport intrigue a different side of the sport. Most of the players who are on the team at MPHS have been playing together since they were in Little League, so these boys have strong friendships and share the same passion for the sport to follow through with it.
Like Luke Epple Jr says relating to the freshman team “Playing together for many years, they have had lots of success together. They are a strong group with a high baseball IQ already, they are focused, talented, and they have quite a bit of speed.” Saying this he can concur that the group he is coaching runs deep their their baseball history and will be a successful team to coach.
As you just read, baseball in Mt. Pleasant goes deep into passion and dedication. The Coaches at MPHS have shown they care about all the factors of baseball and creating a successful team for an amazing season. For the teams this year, we are suspecting a good outcome in the games and the teams putting in work to create the season they want to end with. “You owe it to yourself to be the best you can be. Be the hardest working person you know” says Mike Trout.