The high school baseball season that concluded this month will be one that Grosse Pointe South coach Dan Griesbaum will never forget. This season, he became just the eighth coach in state history to win 800 games as he guided Grosse Pointe South to its second Division 1 state championship with a 33-12 record, setting a new program record for wins in a season in the process.

Quite simply, Griesbaum's 35th year at South this spring may have been his best ever.

"Really, I'm overwhelmed," Griesbaum said after winning the state title. "I have to praise God because he put me in this situation. I thought at some point I'd play professionally, but it didn't happen and God put me here and it's been an unbelievable 35 years."

On Thursday night, it got just a little better when he was named the Coach of the Year by the Michigan High School Baseball Coaches Association.

Although the wins record and state championship indicate an excellent season, it was far from an easy one for Griesbaum and his boys. After accomplishing the first 10-0 start in program history, South lost its top two pitchers to injuries for a large portion of the season. First, it was senior Nate Budziak, who broke his thumb while sliding home in a mid-April game against Grosse Pointe North. Then, it was Shook, who dislocated his knee during an at-bat against Macomb Dakota in early May.

Yet, South had many players step on the mound and Griesbaum rallied his troops into the playoffs as both Budziak and Shook were both able to return to form for the tournament run.

"We went through some bumps with the injuries," South coach Dan Griesbaum said. "Our number one and number two our for about four weeks each. This team just overcame it. They overcame. The pitchers stepped up and the hitters stepped up. We fielded the ball. Everybody did just an unbelievable job in picking up when those guys were out."

Griesbaum's 810 wins is seventh all-time according to the Michigan High School Athletic Association records.