The colors might have changed, but Petoskey's Speigl is still coming up big in postseason
CHEBOYGAN — In the bottom of the third, with Petoskey down a run and looking for any kind of momentum in an otherwise quiet day against Gaylord Saturday, AJ Speigl stepped to the plate with two outs.
The Northmen senior was likely the last player the Blue Devils wanted to see, especially with a player already on second.
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On the third pitch of the at-bat, Speigl showed why that is, driving teammate Haden Janes around to score to tie the game at 1-1 on a two-out double.
He then turned to his Petoskey dugout with an emotional roar that ignited the group. What followed behind him in the inning were three more runs, the final two on a two-run shot over center by Tyler Pool.
'That double was just a good opportunity to get things rolling,' Speigl said. 'Then the home run from Tyler Pool after that just shifted the momentum of the game. But it was just a good opporuntity and all the preparation lined up.'
Petoskey's AJ Speigl turns to his home dugout in Cheboygan following an RBI double that tied the game and ignited a run against Gaylord in their Division 2 district tournament Saturday, May 31.
That's kind of how the season has gone for Speigl and the Northmen. When there's a spark that's needed in the lineup, it's usually Speigl providing it out of the cleanup spot.
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The former Charlevoix school record-holder that's spent his last season in a Petoskey uniform has taken no step back in his move from Rayder maroon to Petoskey blue.
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It was different at first, being in a new school with new teammates, living in a new town, though the prep that took place over the winter shortened any curve for the season.
'Once the season started, it wasn't really weird,' he said. 'With all the winter offseason work, the team really invited me in and I've felt like one of the guys. It is weird not playing for Charlevoix this year, but I've felt like the culture and family feel they have over here has been really nice and accepting.'
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Along with being a leader and standup addition to add to the dugout, Speigl has also brought his eye-popping numbers with him.
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He leads the Northmen in seven major statistical categories entering the regional semifinal round, including average (.453), hits (48), doubles (13), RBIs (35) and runs (41). He's also second with 25 steals and owns a .670 slugging percentage.
'I always wish I could have done a little better, but with going up a division, I know we had a pretty tough schedule this year,' Speigl said. 'Taking that all into account, I feel like I've done a pretty good job of meeting my goals.'
Petoskey's AJ Speigl will continue his baseball journey at Grand Rapids Community College with the hopes of building his resume and raising up another level.
Moving up and facing the tougher competition excited Speigl entering the season, with plans of already attending Grand Rapids Community College before the season, then again leveling up from there.
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According to MaxPreps' Michigan baseball strength of record, measuring a team's strength of schedule against its wins and losses, Petoskey's ranks third in the state, regardless of division.
At 29-5, all five losses have come against ranked opponents across Divisions 1, 2 and 3, including Division 1 No. 3 Rochester Adams and No. 4 Hudsonville.
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'You just take it as a challenge,' Speigl said on his mindset entering the season. 'With moving up, you see a little better pitching and it obviously gets better in college too."
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Speigl has been used to challenges this time of year already, having helped Charlevoix to a regional final appearance as a sophomore, before a state semifinal run last season. The challenge continues as regionals begin Wednesday in Cheboygan against Kingsford.
"It's always good to have a challenge," Speigl said. "With challenges we all grow. I feel like it's been really beneficial this year to really challenge myself.'
Petoskey's AJ Speigl has put together another all-state level season, this time leveling up at the Division 2 ranks after back to back all-state seasons with Charlevoix.
While he's happy to lead where he can, Speigl knows it's not just on him. There's seven other players that have started at least 28 games batting .290 or better in the PHS lineup.
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'All of our lineup this year has been stacked,' he said. 'We've got guys that can hit the ball one through nine.'
They'll need all the bats they can get ahead, as they work to make it back to at least a hosted regional and quarterfinal tournament Saturday, June 7 at Turcott Field.
First up is the Flivvers at 5:30 p.m., Wednesday, June 4 in Cheboygan.
Contact or send game stats/info to Sports Editor Drew Kochanny at dkochanny@petoskeynews.com. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @DrewKochanny, and Instagram, @drewkochanny
This article originally appeared on The Petoskey News-Review: Petoskey's AJ Speigl igniting a different team through the postseason
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