MUSKEGON — On its face, this summer hasn’t been much different than the ones before it for new Muskegon Clippers head coach Brian Wright. Previously the bench coach for the team, Wright still sits in the dugout when his team is in the field and is still a constant presence at games.
However, he acknowledges that when you’re actually the one making the lineup card and coaching third base, it’s not like any other summer.
“It is different,” Wright said. “I’m getting feedback (on the lineup), but before, I was that guy offering suggestions. Now, I’m trying to process all the suggestions. I don’t think I’m ready for MLB or the seventh game of the World Series, but it’s fun. It’s a good challenge, and I’m blessed getting this opportunity.
“The speed of the game is a lot more than high school. Things are happening. I’ve been burned a couple of times sending guys home where, in high school, that’s an easy score, and here it’s not.”
Wright, who retired as baseball coach and teacher at Shelby after 45 years following this spring’s run to the regional finals, has his Clippers chasing a playoff spot in the Great Lakes Summer Collegiate League. The Clippers pulled off a big sweep against the Flag City Sluggers last week, moving them within a game of the Sluggers - and the second and last playoff spot in the league’s four-team North Division. The Clippers polished off the sweep with a thrilling 9-8 win over the Sluggers last Thursday at Marsh Field, which ended when reserve outfielder Zane Wilson threw out the tying run at home plate.
Muskegon then was swept by the South Division-leading Grand Lake Mariners to drop to 13-14 on the season, but fortunately, the Sluggers also were swept by the Hamilton Joes, so the Clippers remain just a game out of the postseason with seven games left. While the main focus of the GLSCL is to develop players and keep them sharp in between college seasons, Wright and his players certainly want to win, too.
“That’s why we use that scoreboard there,” Wright chuckled. “We make a point of it. It’s about development, but you know what, you put the uniform on, and we’ve got an umpire, we’re trying to win every game.”
Last Thursday’s win was a back-and-forth affair, and the Clippers took advantage of several fielding miscues by Flag City to grab the lead in a four-run third inning. Dalton Dick drove in two of those runs by muscling an opposite-field double into left field, giving his team a 4-2 lead. Newcomer Nick Moss followed with a RBI single to make it 5-2.
Flag City added a couple runs in the fourth to make it 5-4, but Muskegon responded with two more in the bottom of the fourth, including a Brayden Turner RBI single.
Buoyed by three great innings of relief by Maddux Kipling, who struck out six and allowed only two hits, the Clippers added on, benefiting from the Sluggers booting a ground ball to score a run in the sixth. Dick added his fourth RBI of the game later in the inning and it was 9-4.
Wright said the Sluggers’ defensive issues bore no resemblance to the team Muskegon played earlier in the season on the road, a series in which the Sluggers took two of three games.
“When we went down there, they made every play,” Wright said. “This week, they struggled all week defensively. It kills you when you can’t catch the ball.”
At that point, the Clippers all of a sudden became the team making mistakes. A balk with the bases loaded scored a run - and drew a lengthy discussion between umpires and the Clippers’ coaching staff, who disagreed with the call - and a two-run single the Sluggers’ Drew Tajblik made it 9-7.
The Sluggers kept the heat on in the ninth, scoring to make it 9-8. Then a line drive reached the outfield and went to Wilson, whom Wright had promised he’d get into the game to try to get his confidence going. Wilson has struggled at the plate, hitting .109 for the season through Monday.
If Wilson was looking for confidence, his clothesline throw to home plate to cut down the tying run should give it to him. It set off a big celebration on the field as Muskegon basked in their sweep.
“They battled all week. They really did great,” Wright said of his team. “We had good pitching. Today (the pitching) was up and down, not very good, but we swung the bats. In this league, you’ve just got to keep scoring runs.”
In addition to enjoying the challenge of being head coach, Wright, as he has before in his Clippers’ career, is coaching players he once coached against in the Tigers’ dugout. Ben Meyers, a former North Muskegon standout, and Moss, who starred at Montague, are on the roster.
“It’s a blast,” Wright said. “They’re great kids. They’re just baseball players. You never have to worry about them, (whether) they’re ready for something.”
Moss just joined the Clippers last week after Muskegon lost one of their top players, Caden Thelen, who left the team at the end of June to prepare for his return to Grand Valley State University. (He still leads the league in RBI, with 30, despite having been gone over a week.)
The Clippers knew Thelen was going to depart, and after batting around some ideas for a replacement outfielder, they landed on Moss, who plays at NAIA Milligan University and was in town, having not previously planned on playing organized baseball this summer. However, Moss is enjoying playing for Wright and assistant coach Tim Simon, who also coached under Wright at Shelby.
“I met him for the first time (last) Tuesday,” Moss said. “We texted over the phone a little bit, and obviously I heard about his legacy at Shelby and that he’d been a great coach there for years. I was really grateful for the opportunity.
“I was blessed that they saw somebody in the local area and I’m able to come in and help contribute and play my part with the team. Him and Coach Simon, they’ve been great. I’ve only known them three days, but they’re great coaches, great support, give me all the confidence I need.”
Wright, who was on staff for the Clippers’ last postseason bid in 2024, would love to get his team back this year and pursue a GLSCL title, but said he’s made a conscious effort to have more fun doing what he’s doing as the season has progressed.
“It was funny, after our halfway point, I said, ‘I’ve got to have more fun,’” Wright said. “You’re worrying about, ‘We’re not doing this. We’re not (doing that),’ and it’s, ‘Screw it. It’s still baseball.’”
