Last year, he threw five innings of no-hit ball on opening day.
In the first weekend of the playoffs, his team won a pair of shutouts thanks to his two home runs (one hitting left-handed and one hitting right-handed) and complete-game one-hitter.
In the state championship game, he pitched a complete game again, as his team won 4-3.
So it’s not a complete surprise to find Josh Deeg’s name on a pre-season All-American list.
‘It’s kind of nice to be recognized,? Deeg said of his inclusion on the Louisville Slugger pre-season team. ‘It’s like icing on the cake.?
He added that he doesn’t mind flying under the radar, but being the most recognizable player on a defending state championship team probably means those days are over.
‘He’s very humble about his accomplishments,? said Coach Andy Schramek. ‘He let’s his play do the talking.?
And that play has Deeg on a list that other accomplished Dragon players like Nate Recknagel and Randy Frye missed out on.
‘We’ve never had a pre-season All-American like Josh,? Schramek said. ‘That’s really special. You don’t see a lot of Michigan kids on those lists.?
The Lake Orion senior is a pitcher, outfielder, infielder and, in his spare time, waterboy. Ok, maybe not that last one, but Schramek said Deeg might be able to accomplish another rare feat at some point this season: Play all nine positions in a single game.
‘Josh really doesn’t need practice time at a lot of positions,? Schramek said. ‘You can just throw him out there and he’ll get the job done.?
‘I don’t know that you appreciate Josh watching him play one time,? he added. ‘He’s not 6?4?, but he throws 90 miles per hour. He doesn’t bench press 300 pounds, but he hits two home runs in a district. He’s a great bunter. He switch-hits. He’s hard working and does all those little things coaches appreciate on a consistent basis.?
Deeg said his ultimate goal is to see the team defend their title, calling last year’s 4-3 victory over Farmington ‘the best moment of my life.?
He still sees room for improvement in his game this season, particularly at the plate.
‘I don’t want people to think I’m overrated,? Deeg said of his desire to now make some post-season All-American lists. ‘I want to live up to those expectations.?
Deeg is not the only name to appear on some of these pre-season lists. His team is getting some recognition as well.
The Dragon baseball squad is #25 on the Easton poll and #31 on Rivals? poll. They’re in pretty exclusive company when it comes to schools from northern states (only a team from New Jersey was ahead of them among state’s north of Tennessee).
‘Most of it is based on last year’s success,? Schramek said. ‘And we’ve got a lot of kids coming back.?
‘We have players, like Josh, that have signed with a variety of schools, and that helps to get you recognized,? he added.
The coach said this puts a bulls-eye on his team (they’ll be the state’s top-ranked team to start the season as well), but that could be a good thing.
‘If anything, it might help us because we’re going to have to be at our best in every game,? Schramek said.
Look for a season preview along with a big announcement in next week’s Review.