Mold Remediation in Byron Center, MI

BYRON CENTER, MI – After taking over Byron Center’s baseball program in 2019, it didn’t take head coach Pat MacKenzie long to foresee a talented pitching staff developing for the 2025 season.

Senior right-hander and University of Nevada signee Kellen Payne headlines the current group and has been as dominant as expected, boasting a 5-0 record, 0.21 ERA and 0.515 WHIP with 54 strikeouts in 33 innings.

But perhaps the biggest strength of the rotation isn’t its ace, rather the depth behind Payne.

All eight of Byron Center’s eight pitchers that have logged at least 10 innings have an ERA below 3.00, which is a big reason the Bulldogs are 25-4 and ranked No. 16 in Division 1.

“We’ve actually known for a couple years that we would have a deep pitching staff this year, based on when you start going through who was in the different grades and how they were doing,” MacKenzie said. “It’s certainly been the strength of our team.”

Among those with the highest upside is sophomore Keaton Van Kampen, who is building upon a strong freshman season with an even better 2025 campaign.

The 6-foot-2, 175-pound righty has proven himself to be a reliable contributor as a starter and out of the bullpen, posting a 1-1 record with a 2.14 ERA, a 0.915 WHIP and 20 strikeouts in 19 2/3 innings. Van Kampen also has collected one save, in which he struck out four and allowed one hit in 2 2/3 innings of relief in an 8-4 win over Caledonia on May 15.

Van Kampen’s impressive play this year prompted MLive readers to vote him the Grand Rapids area’s top sophomore athlete from the spring sports season, and MacKenzie thinks his ceiling could be even higher.

“He certainly has the capability to be one of the best players not just in Grand Rapids, but I think in the entire state for his grade, especially when you put together being able to play both ways and being a good hitter and defender and pitcher,” MacKenzie said of Van Kampen. “I don’t want to put a number on where he would end up in that, but he definitely is making a good case for why he’d be a top player in the 2027 class, for sure.”

As a freshman for the 25-13 Bulldogs, Van Kampen posted a 4-1 record with a 3.00 ERA, 1.571 WHIP and 18 strikeouts in 21 innings.

When he wasn’t pitching, he played spot duty at third base, but a .153 batting average didn’t compel the coaches to make him an everyday infielder.

This season, Van Kampen is Byron Center’s most improved hitter and has earned a spot in the heart of the order by batting .375 with four doubles, two triples and one home run, while driving in 22 runs and scoring 15 more. Once on base, he has put pressure on opposing defenses by stealing eight bags without getting caught.

The hitting, in particular, has been a pleasant surprise, just because that’s where he made a bigger jump in his production from last year,” MacKenzie said. “You think that sophomores aren’t going to be as big of a factor offensively as seniors would be, but going into the year, we certainly knew that he was going to play a big role. We knew that even last year when he was a freshman, which was a reason why we had him up with us on varsity to try to help develop him for this year.

“We knew he was going to be good because he has a lot of talent, and he’s kind of capitalizing on that and putting together a good year.”

In addition to his offensive prowess, Van Kampen has played a steady third base, holding a .804 fielding percentage from the hot corner with 10 errors in 51 total chances.

“There were times last year where he really struggled since he was a freshman, and I know for any freshman that is playing on varsity, that’s probably the first time you’ve ever struggled, so I’m just really proud of him for going through that, and then using it to make himself better for this season,” MacKenzie said. “That’s kind of the thing you like to see is kids go through some struggles, but then they overcome it. I’d rather see that than them get to be the greatest player of all time on JV and then they don’t make any improvements, so I want to just give him credit for that.”

Of course, it doesn’t hurt to be surrounded by talented players, and having Payne and junior Jake Hill (3-0, 1.00 ERA, 27 strikeouts in 28 innings) occupying the top two spots in the pitching rotation takes a lot of pressure of Van Kampen when it’s his turn to take the mound.

“For Keaton to have a guy like Kellen Payne, who’s a couple years older than him that’s been kind of going through the same process that he can learn from, I think certainly helps,” MacKenzie said. “In previous years, we’d probably be having to throw Keaton in either Game 1 or Game 2, but this year, we have enough guys to where we can keep him playing third base and not have to throw him in those first two games.

“That kind of highlights the depth of our pitching staff and how our program has grown, because that used to not be the case. A guy like Keaton would have had to be throwing in one of those first two games, even as a sophomore.”

While having arm talent helps, MacKenzie also credits his brother and the Bulldogs’ pitching coach, Kyle MacKenzie, for building chemistry among the group.

“My brother is actually the pitching coach, and I think he does a great job with developing guys, and they kind of have a culture amongst themselves, within the team,” MacKenzie said. “Much like any baseball team, the pitchers almost form their own little group, and they do a good job of working with each other. Guys will mess around with different grips or pick things up from other guys, so there’s fair amount of that, and you get into the identity and the culture, and I think it gives other guys confidence, too.”

Payne and Blake Stelma (5-0, 1.99 ERA, 28 strikeouts in 24 2/3 innings) are the only two seniors in Byron Center’s regular rotation, so the Bulldogs should continue to be a force in 2026 and beyond, with Van Kampen playing a key role.

As someone who has coached future Division-I athletes and played ball at Central Michigan University, MacKenzie can recognize college-bound athletes, and Van Kampen fits that profile.

“The biggest thing is that he is very athletic and has very natural actions as a baseball player, particularly with throwing,” MacKenzie said. “I think his highest ceiling is probably on the mound, just because of the athleticism and the frame, and I know if any college coaches see him throw, they’ll probably notice right away the arm action that’s pretty high-level.

“It’s kind of tough to say right now just because he’s been arguably our best hitter or most clutch hitter or just most consistent hitter throughout the year, and then he’s made a lot of really good plays at third, and he has pitched pretty well. The thing that he brings to the table that’s different than a lot of kids is his natural athleticism and his arm at both third and on the mound.”