Dylan Chesnut is 'the man' for Walled Lake Central baseball

Pitcher Dylan Chesnut let his team down in last year’s 5-4 loss to West Bloomfield in the Division 1 district semifinal.

So the Lansing Community College commit wasn’t about to let that happen again in Walled Lake Central’s 8-7 victory over South Lyon East in its Lakes Valley Conference opener on April 8.

And that’s saying something because the senior wasn’t planning to pitch Game 1 of the series. But after the Cougars scored five runs in the third inning, including Jaxson Gochenour’s three-run homer to left field that erased the Vikings’ 6-1 lead, third-year Central coach Tyler Troyer needed to make a switch on the mound.

In came Chesnut, who threw three scoreless innings, struck out two and walked three while gutting out an incredible seventh that secured the Vikings (1-3, 1-0) their first win.

Walled Lake Central's Dylan Chesnut pitches during a Lakes Valley Conference baseball game on Wednesday, April 8, 2026.

The right-hander put two runners in scoring position with no outs, prompting Troyer to visit the mound for a chat.

“He was just talking to me about keeping that same mentality I’ve had and not letting the nerves get to me,” Chesnut said. “He was talking to me, saying, ‘You’re the man. We’re going to need you in the district championship, and this (situation) is no different.’ He said, ‘I’m the man, so be the man,’ and that’s all I needed to hear.”

Central quickly recorded two outs, but East laid down a bunt that pushed home Alex Warrick to cut the deficit to one run.

Brady Bush stepped into the box with the tying run in scoring position and worked a full count against Chesnut.

A walk would’ve kept the Cougars alive. A hit likely would’ve tied the score. Instead, Chesnut struck out Bush and was instantly mobbed with hugs in front of Central’s dugout.

“That’s our guy, man,” Troyer said. “He came in last year in the West Bloomfield game, in a high-pressure situation, and didn’t perform as well as he wanted and how we wanted. When I went out there, I just told him that he’s our guy, he’s our man. These are the situations we need him in this season, and we trust him to be in them.”

Walled Lake Central's Dylan Chesnut and Cameron Rehling celebrate an out during a Lakes Valley Conference baseball game on Wednesday, April 8, 2026.

It didn’t help that the Vikings put runners in scoring position in three straight innings without plating a single run to give Chesnut breathing room. A couple scores would’ve made pulling out the win easy. So, Chesnut had to put his team on his back.

“That just says everything about him,” Troyer said. “He’s cool, he’s collected. I look over in the dugout, and he’s always locked in and ready to go. I was a pitcher, too, so I know it’s tough, and it sucks, when you see so many guys in scoring position, and they don’t come home. So that’s a true testament to the work he’s put in to get ready for this season. I’m so proud of him, and I’m putting Dylan Chesnut out there in that position 10 out of 10 times.”

More: Walled Lake Central baseball chasing 1st district title since 2011

That also speaks to the work Chesnut has done with the Michigan Bulls travel team over the past year.

He admitted it took months to get over letting his team down in last year’s district tournament, but he used it as motivation to improve over the summer and through fall training.

He worked on everything, from mechanics to conditioning, knowing he had to be better for his team to pull out a gutsy win like the one against East.

Walled Lake Central's Colton Sims makes the tag at home plate during a Lakes Valley Conference baseball game on Wednesday, April 8, 2026.

“I was training maybe four or five days a week, getting my mind right because it was eating away at me for weeks, and I just couldn’t get that loss out of my head,” Chesnut said. “I just had to get used to the fact that it’s over, and I had to grind my way into setting a new standard for this season. I knew I had to be better and knew I had to play the best I can every day.”

Added Troyer: “He’s in a lot better shape, he’s stronger and he’s throwing better. He’s pounding the zone better. Really, his leadership and composure on the mound is what impresses me. Since I first saw him as a sophomore, he’s grown so much, and I’m so, so proud of him, and I love him to death. It’s been his mindset that has really impressed me.”

Troyer said Chesnut played like a “bulldog,” just like the whole team did after East tied the score at 6. Justin Fenberg walked in a run, and Nick Shaw’s sacrifice fly brought home the winning score in the bottom of the third inning.

Other Vikings contributing included Tyler Malczewski going 2 for 3 with two RBI and a double, Caden Buckley walking three times and Colton Sims making a game-saving tag at home plate in the sixth while also driving in a run.

South Lyon East's Jaxson Gochenour pitches during a Lakes Valley Conference baseball game on Wednesday, April 8, 2026.

But it all started with Chesnut, who entered in relief, put his team on his back for its first win of the season and finally righted the wrong from losing to the Lakers in 2025.

“When we’re playing for a district championship in two months, he’s going to be in the same spot,” Troyer said. “Today, it was him or nothing. And it will be in two months, too. We ride or die with Dylan Chesnut.”

Brandon Folsom covers high school sports in metro Detroit for Hometown Life. Follow him on his new X.com account at @folsomwrites.

This article originally appeared on Hometownlife.com: Dylan Chesnut is 'the man' for Walled Lake Central baseball