I

t was a great 2024 season for
the West Bloomfield High
School baseball team despite a
frustrating ending.
Josh Birnberg won his 100th
career game in his four sea-
sons as the Lakers’ coach when
West Bloomfield beat North
Farmington 6-0 on the road April
25.
Birnberg is now 115-44 since
he was named West Bloomfield’s
coach prior to the 2020 season
that was cancelled because of the
COVID-19 pandemic.
The 28-year-old has deep ties
to the West Bloomfield baseball
team.
He played for the Lakers for
four years. He was a standout
senior shortstop on the 2014 West
Bloomfield team that shocked
Birmingham Brother Rice in the
state tournament and advanced to
Elite Eight.
The Lakers finished 31-8 overall
in 2024 against a tough sched-
ule and they won the Oakland
Activities Association White
Division championship with a
12-3 record.
They were 23-1 overall at one
point of the season. Three of
their final seven losses were one-
run decisions to OAA White foe
Birmingham Seaholm during the
same week after the Lakers had
clinched the division title.
West Bloomfield was ranked in
the top five in Division 1 most of

the season. The Lakers were No.
12 in the final poll, which was
released in late May, just prior to
the start of the state tournament.
West Bloomfield’s Jewish coach
had five Jewish players, all seniors,
on his roster. Four are moving on
to play college baseball.
Pitchers Ari Klinger and Quinn
Lewis are going to Albion College.
Utility man extraordinaire
Mitchell Rebtoy is off to Macomb
Community College.
Andre Landau, another pitcher,
didn’t play for West Bloomfield
this past spring because of an
elbow injury, but he plans to play
at Lansing Community College.
Catcher Max Gross, son of
Daniel Gross, the cantor at Adat
Shalom Synagogue in Farmington
Hills, won’t be playing college
baseball. He’ll be serving his coun-
try. He’s enlisted in the Air Force
and will report for basic training
in Texas.
“I had an offer to play baseball
at Henry Ford College. I love
baseball, but I think I’m done with
it for now,
” Max said. “I really
didn’t know what I wanted to
study in college, so I thought I’
d
enlist in the Air Force and have
my college paid for when I do
decide what I want to study.
“I wasn’t able to get into the
Air Force Academy. It’s one of the
toughest colleges to get into. So I
enlisted. I’ll be in the Air Force for
four or six years.
”

West Bloomfi
eld High School baseball coach
Josh Birnberg won his 100th career game
and catcher Max Gross was a standout for
the Lakers in a memorable 2024 season.

100 Wins ...
And One
Frustrating Loss

STEVE STEIN CONTRIBUTING WRITER

28 | JULY 25 • 2024
J
N

Josh Birnberg (left) celebrates his 100th win as the West
Bloomfield High School baseball coach with assistant coach
Allen Gill.

SUBMITTED PHOTO

SPORTS

Max Gross

THERESE SHEIDT

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