1983 Boys Baseball

DeWitt baseball brought home the school’s seventh state championship in 1983 under the guidance of head coach Frank Deak.  The Panthers entered the season as the favorite in the Capital Circuit after returning ten lettermen, eight of which were seniors, from a district championship team that finished 21-10 the year before.  DeWitt cruised to an undefeated league title before entering post-season play.  In pre-district action, the Panthers battled back to secure a come-from-behind win beating Olivet 8-5.  The team held on to beat league rival Lansing Catholic Central 4-2 before defeating Maple Valley 5-0 en route to the Class C District Championship.  The Panthers knocked off previously undefeated and #1 ranked Montague 4-1 in the regional semi-final and beat Morley-Stanwood 15-10 for the regional title.  The Panthers then moved on to Eastern Michigan University, site of the state semi-finals and finals, where they beat Union City 8-2 to advance to the Class C State Championship game.  DeWitt completed its thrilling tournament run with a 5-1 victory over Lake Fenton, crowning the 28-7 Panthers with the Class C State Championship—the first for mid-Michigan in baseball since 1977 and the first-ever for Clinton County.

The 1983 Boys Baseball State Champions included the following members (front row L-R): Nick Seifert, Tom Deak, Jon Holland, Tim Miller, Scott Jubeck (middle row): Bat Boy Dan Deak, Dave Mollitor, Ken Rajala, Sam Dalman, Eric Wieferich, Mike Seifert, Scott Maiers (back row): Head Coach Frank Deak, Kelly Lathrop, Dave Pettit, Steve Sontich, Steve Holland, Brian Webb, and Assistant Coach Ron Maiers.