PETOSKEY — It took some getting used to and there were definitely some moments early in the season when Petoskey's Tyler Goeldel looked a bit out of place on the baseball field.
Most of that was due to the fact that, well, he was indeed out of place.
Moving from second base to what became the full-time catching job, Goeldel will admit it himself.After all, it was a position he hadn't played since early in his Little League years.
“It felt really weird, like, ‘Why am I not in the infield or pitching?’ It was a little awkward,” Goeldel said. “I was trying to make sure my catchers mitt didn’t smack into the bats. I was a little out of place early on, but I found my comfort zone really quick.”
That’s an understatement while handling one of the more challenging positions on the field. But, Goeldel was exactly who head coach Shawn Racignol likely wanted seeing the whole field and leading from behind the dish.
“What Coach Racignol told me and his trust in me really helped me out a lot,” Goeldel said. “So all the hard work really paid off.”
It’s paid off now in the form of All-Big North Conference first team catcher honors, with Goeldel one of five Northmen baseball players earning All-BNC recognition.
Including Goeldel, Brendan Swiss earned his way onto the first team, recognized as an outfielder.
Garrett Wodek earned second team as a pitcher, then Peyton Harmon earned honorable mention as a pitcher and Haden Janes earned honorable mention outfielder honors.
Goeldel closed out his final season with a team-leading .386 average and 44 hits, to go with eight doubles and a homer. He also had 24 RBIs, 30 runs scored and tied for the team lead in steals with 18.
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In the field, Goeldel logged 189 innings behind the plate and threw out 18 batters, while also leading the team with a .963 fielding percentage.
Swiss, a junior, played primarily left field with the Northmen, tracking down balls to the tune of a .944 fielding percentage out there.
He also hit .373 at the plate, while leading the team with 27 RBIs, to go with 22 runs scored.
Most of Petoskey’s pitching success on the field this season came behind the arms of Wodek and Harmon, though they also offered something with the leather and the bat.
Wodek led with a 1.67 earned run average, striking out 47 across 58 2/3 innings. Batters hit just .184 against him this season. He also finished with a .241 average with 31 runs and 19 RBIs.
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For Harmon, the season closed with 55 innings logged and a 3.31 ERA. He struck out 38 batters and managed a .906 fielding percentage at shortstop and carried a .282 average.
Both Wodek and Harmon will return next season to the mound and lead the rotation.
Also back next year will be Janes, who manned center field and came in for relief on the mound.
Janes led the team with 41 runs scored and walks with 31, double anyone else on the roster. He also hit .240, had six doubles, 14 steals and 18 RBIs.
As a pitcher, Janes struck out 14 across 13 2/3 and held a 1.54 ERA.
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In a league as competitive as the BNC, five recognitions across the teams comes as a high honor for the Northmen. From a group that bonded over a trip to Ole Miss in the preseason, to one that made the Division 2 quarterfinals, Goeldel knows its a special group that went through it all in 2024.
“I’d say early on, from all the stuff we did in early January and February, the pitching we did and hitting every Tuesday and Thursday,” he said. “Just all that work that we put in. Everyone knew we could be something special, so putting in that work helped out a lot.”
The complete All-Big North baseball teams for the 2024 season included:
FIRST TEAM
Pitchers
TCW: Jack Griffiths, Senior — Player of the Year
ALP: Kaleb Donajkowski, Senior
Catcher
PET: Tyler Goeldel, Senior
Infielders
ALP: Tucker Brights, Senior
TCW: Owen Hendrix, Junior
ALP: Jake Zann, Senior
GLD: Lucas Green, Junior
Outfielders
GLD: Will Bethuy, Senior
TCW: Isaac Kelsey, Senior
PET: Brendan Swiss, Junior
Utility
TCW: Caden Stoops, Junior
SECOND TEAM
Pitchers
PET: Garrett Wodek, Junior
TCC: Nich Van Nes, Junior
Catcher
CAD: Coby Franklin, Junior
Infielders
ALP: Jase Kollen, Junior
GLD: Aiden Locker, Senior
TCW: Brayden Popa, Junior
GLD: Colin Piehl, Junior
Outfielders
ALP: Gabe Glawe, Senior
GLD: Torino Lamerato, Senior
TCC: Zander Lorincz, Senior
Utility
ALP: Caleb McEwen, Senior
HONORABLE MENTION
Pitchers
GLD: Noah Vanderveer, Junior
PET: Peyton Harmon, Junior
Infielders
TCW: Quinten Gillespie, Senior
TCC: Carson Spica, Freshman
CAD: Drew Kornacki, Sophom*ore
Outfielders
PET: Haden Janes, Junior
TCC: Brady Ripmaster, Sophom*ore
CAD: Grant Williams, Junior
Utility
CAD: Luke Phillips, Junior
This article originally appeared on The Petoskey News-Review: Petoskey earns five All-Big North Conference baseball honors
