Baseball

Ed Papes was a three-sport star for Free Soil High School, graduating in 1967. In track and field, he held the school record in the 100-yard dash (10.4 seconds) and also helped set school records in the 880- and mile relays. As a basketball player, Papes was a key member on Pirate teams that advanced to the Class D state semifinals in 1966 and 1967. He led the latter squad in scoring at 18.2 point ...Read More...

Brandon Melchert lettered three times in both baseball and football and twice in basketball. In football, he was the team’s co-captain and most valuable defensive player. As a junior, he was first team All-West Michigan Conference, all-district and all-area in baseball, earning the team’s Most Valuable Player Award. He also earned All-WMC Scholar Athlete honors in each of his varsity se ...Read More...

Nick Allen, of Mason County Central, lettered four times in cross country and wrestling and three times in baseball, and was named Mason County Central’s Senior Male Athlete of the Year. In wrestling, Nick earned All West Michigan Conference honors, as well as all-district, all-area, and all-state honors and served as the Spartan’s team captain. He set a school record with 56 victories in t ...Read More...

A 1963 graduate of Mason County Eastern, Rich Leonard was one of that school's finest all-around athletes. He was the leading scorer and rebounder during one of Eastern's most successful runs in basketball. He was also an outstanding athlete in track and field, baseball, and football. Growing up on a farm in Fountain, Leonard grew into a 6-foot, 3-inch, 220-pound slugger who is arguably the finest ...Read More...

Bob Organ earned all-state honors in 1989 and 1990 in football and was a member of the Detroit News Blue-Chip team signifying the best 11 players in Michigan. He was also listed as one of the top 100 prep players in the nation by Street & Smith magazine. His junior year he caught 13 passes for 215 yards and five touchdowns and Ludington, which was 9-1, was champion of the Seaway Conference. Th ...Read More...

Russell Houk led Ludington High to Big Seven basketball championships in 1938, 1939 and 1940 and was the Orioles leading scorer his senior season. He was the president of his class, graduating with honors. One of the area's premier athletes in the 1940's and 1950's, he attended Central Michigan University where he played center at 6-feet, 4 inches and 170 pounds, in 1941 and 1942 before enlisting ...Read More...

Chad is the only Mason County athlete to earn first-team All-West Michigan Conference, All-Area and All-State honors in football, baseball and basketball in the same season. In 1998, he made the Associated Press All-State football team as a punter in the fall. During the winter season, he was the leading scorer and rebounder and a consensus first-team All-Stater on a 26-1 team whose only loss was ...Read More...

Jim Schulte got his first taste of organized athletics playing junior high football for the Scottville Blues under Coach Jim Lemire. At Mason County Central from 1966 to 1969, Schulte played two years of basketball, participated in track and field for four years, football for four years and wrestling for two years. “Football was my sport,” said Schulte, who played for Barry Aspenleiter, Sam Or ...Read More...

Wally Sadosty’s athletic career began at the age of seven under the wing of basketball standout Pete Tillotson, who was a member of the first Mason County Sports Hall of Fame class in 2005. Sadosty played baseball in the spring and summer, football in the fall and basketball outside in the winter. In high school, he was the starting quarterback for Ludington High for three straight years. As a s ...Read More...

With a grade point average of 4.102, Thomas Marshall finished fourth in his class and was a member of the National Honor Society.   In athletics, he earned two varsity letters in basketball and one in baseball, tennis and golf.  He played freshman basketball and junior varsity baseball as a freshman.  In his sophomore year, he played on the junior varsity in baseball and basketba ...Read More...