Roseville’s Nathan Hammer tabbed MVP By Brad D. Bates Roseville High’s Nathan Hammer didn’t have an ideal start to his senior season, so he made sure the ending was a different story. Hammer missed the first six games of the season after breaking his foot prior to tryouts, but he shook the injury and missed time, as evidenced by six hits in his first six at-bats in 2010, to take home league MVP honors in the Macomb Area Conference Silver Division. “It held me back early because I couldn’t do everything I wanted to do to get ready,” Hammer said of the injury. “But when I got back, I wanted to work and make sure that my senior year was everything it was supposed to be and win MVP.” Hammer held off a host of competitors for league MVP. The award, which usually goes to the top player from the league champion, was contested by players from the three squads that split the 2010 title. “Each team in first nominated a guy, and it came down to Hammer’s reputation over three years,” Roseville coach Keith Marzec said. Hammer’s time with the Panthers’ varsity squad dates back to his sophomore season, and he said it was his bat that helped him stick with varsity at a young age. “My hitting progressed over the years,” Hammer said. “I’ve always worked on my hitting, even when I was really little — just putting in a little more work every day.” That work paid off, as Hammer hit .500 for the second consecutive season and had 29 RBIs — highlighted by his eight-RBI game against Eastpointe East Detroit that included a grand slam and a two-run home run. “He hit .480 in our league and had half of his RBIs in league games,” Marzec said. “There was nobody in our league that was as feared and as respected as Nathan was.” Along with MVP honors, Hammer was also named All-District by the coaches from the Division 1 districts hosted by Grosse Pointe South and Warren Mott. Hammer’s All-District distinction is even more impressive given the five All-State players who came out of his district pool. “This was a rough year for Nathan — at the start with the injury — but he came back and really did a good job,” Marzec said. “He didn’t make All-State, but All-District is pretty good, too.” Hammer graduated with more hits, doubles and stolen bases than any Roseville player during Marzec’s nine-year tenure as skipper. Some of those records, however, might fall, as Hammer’s protégé follows in his footsteps “He has the stolen base record, but that’s not going to last long with Kris here,” Marzec said of sophomore second baseman Kris Capuchina. “(Playing together) was huge for those two. They always pumped each other up, and they fed off what the other was doing. They competed against each other to bring out the best in each other.” And Hammer, who hopes to play baseball at Macomb Community College, said that with a little extra work, Capuchina could be an MVP in his own right. “Great competition,” Hammer said of playing with Capuchina. “Work as hard as you can while you can,” Hammer added when asked what advice he would give to young players. “You’re only in high school for so long, so work as hard as you can before you can’t.” You can reach Sports Writer Brad D. Bates at bbates@candgnews.com or at (586) 498-1029. |
