Brandywine baseball poised to win first district championship in 18 years

EDWARDSBURG – The Brandywine Bobcats have failed to win a district title since 2008, but as the No. 6-ranked team in MHSAA Division 3 with a 22-3-1 record after beating MHSAA Division 2 No. 8 Edwardsburg Thursday, May 14, this could be the season they finally make a run in the state tournament once again. The one link between those two teams, 18 years apart? Head coach David Sidebender.

The 25-year leader surpassed 500 career wins earlier this season, and like most in his situation, he tried his best to pass on the credit for that sustained success.

“I’ve been lucky – very lucky – to have talent. They’ve bought into what I’m trying to teach them, and I just let their talent flow,” Sidebender said. “It’s been great. It’s a baseball kind of place; Brandywine always has been.”

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Such talent this season has come from three seniors – Kyler Marshall, Ryder Richard and Kaeden Warfield – who for four years have been knocking on the glass ceiling the Bobcats are desperately trying to break through. From 2022-24, the MHSAA Division 3 state champions all came from the same district as Brandywine when Bridgman, Buchanan, and Watervliet went back-to-back-to-back.

Last season, when the Bobcats headed into the district field with 23 wins, they lost to Bridgman by just one run. The year before, a 22-win Brandywine squad fell 2-1 to Buchanan.

Although the Bobcats still have seven regular-season games left, Warfield knows his final chance may be his best chance to make a deep state tournament run.

“We’ve been working our butts off since freshman year, and we know we’ve had tough games in districts, but we just want to get out of that,” Warfield said. “It shows us what we can do and what we can be.”

Brandywine’s starting quarterback and standout centerfielder broke the MHSAA single-season record for stolen bases last season with 66. Through 26 games in his senior campaign, Warfield has 45, including four against the Eddies on Thursday.

Sidebender said Warfield adds a whole new dimension to the Bobcats’ offense, and there isn’t much sign-calling between the two when Warfield is on base. Warfield operates under a constant green light unless Sidebender tells him otherwise, depending on the situation.

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Batting lead-off for Brandywine, chances are Warfield will find himself on base more often than not for junior Emerson Gogley, Richard, sophomore Hudson Aalfs, or Marshall to drive him in batting two through five.