Joshua DeJonge, like his teammate Levi Coatney (another “2011 Player to Watch”) is a four-year Varsity player for Zeeland West and head coach Jeff VanHuis.

“Josh is a complete baseball player. He can hit, pitch and play a number of different positions very well” says VanHuis.

“Josh holds a number of single season and career records at Zeeland West and is looking to add to his totals in 2011. He has been on our Varsity team since he was a Freshman and has developed into a very fine player.”

DeJonge’s 2010 season was very strong on the mound where he carried a 2.33 ERA.

One of the many highlights of his Junior campaign was striking out 11 hitters in one game.

Playing various infield positions when not pitching, DeJonge is also a top offensive player for the Dux.

As a Sophomore, he hit .352 with 12 doubles, 3 triples, 3 home runs and 32 RBI’s.

DeJonge matched that performance last seasons with a .358 average, 9 doubles, 3 home runs and 23 RBI’s.

For his efforts, DeJonge was named All-District as a Sophomore and All-Conference Honorable Mention as a Junior.

His talent on the mound is what will get him to the college level, however.

“Josh’s deepest strength is on the mound, with his side arm delivery that is near 80 MPH, he is a tough pitcher to hit” said VanHuis.

“Josh has many college opportunities, with the most recent school showing interest being Western Michigan University“.

“Central Michigan University, Hillsdale College and Adrian College are a few of the early front runners competing to entice Josh to their school.”

DeJonge will be pitching in college for someone next year and they will be getting the type of player every coach wants on his team.

Says Coach VanHuis: “Josh is a very nice, knowledgeable and most importantly, a coach-able kid who is a good team player and gets along with everyone.”