Todd Rose | Daily Press Gladstone baseball coach Joe Darmogray talks to the team during an MHSAA Division 3 Region 33 Semifinal against Houghton in Gladstone Wednesday.

GLADSTONE – It’s tricky to find a high school baseball program with the success which Gladstone has achieved in a decade.

Since 2014 the Braves have brought home nine district championships, a half-dozen regional championships and four berth’s to the Division 3 state semifinal round.

But 2024 brings a new challenge for the purple and white. Coach Joe Darmogray is no longer at the helm of the program, opting to join bay College’s staff.

Taking his place, ironically enough, is a former member of Bay College’s baseball staff, and a name familiar to those who follow high school baseball in the central U.P.

Tyler Swanson, who had previous stints at Bark River-Harris and North Central, takes over as skipper for the Braves.

“Gladstone’s always had a quality program and has a great little league system that funnels talent all the way up to the stream,” Swanson said. “Super excited to be here. Thankful for the opportunity for sure. Excited to get to work with these guys who have already been working really hard.”

While the purple and white are losing their top 3 pitchers and starting catcher thanks to graduation, they still have a quartet of arms chomping at the bit to keep the established standard in place.

“That’s going to be opportunities for guys to step up,” Swanson said. “The seniors and juniors we have on this team have always… not to say kind of played in the shadows, but haven’t had to have the leading role ever, even through Little League. So I’m excited for these guys to finally be able to step up and have that opportunity for them… to come through and really be relied on to be the core of our team.”

While the situation gives new players an opportunity to rise, Swanson admitted that it does create a layer of anxiety on the program.

It’s forcing Swanson and the entire coaching staff to be at their best at all times.

“You got to try to find ways to connect with kids to get them to buy in, and it’s exciting to watch them kind of blossom in opportunities that they haven’t had before,” Swanson said. “I’m excited to see that, but we’re gonna coach them up every day. We’re gonna give them opportunities. If you’re not successful right away that’s not to say you’re never gonna get an opportunity again, we’re gonna keep running out there, keep working on things and we’ll refine it at the end of the season. It’s exciting because I think this team is going to grow a lot from now until June.”

The Braves start their 2024 season today against Iron Mountain at 4 p.m.