Dakota’s James Nuechterlein wanted to be just like his senior pitcher.

After the No. 1-ranked Cougars’ had Luke DeMasse shut out the Brother Rice Warriors to win a Division 1 regional championship on Saturday morning, Nuechterlien, a junior, followed in his older teammate’s footsteps by shutting out the Lake Orion Dragons in a 4-0 win, clinching Dakota a spot in this week’s baseball state semifinals at Michigan State.

“I just want to be exactly like them (DeMasse) and not let them score, but I know I have a great defense behind me, so it’s pretty easy to have a shutout with that defense,” Nuechterlein said.

“It’s pretty crazy that we haven’t allowed any runs in two games.”

Dakota's James Nuechterlein throws a pitch in a Division 1 state quarterfinal game at Grand Blanc HS on Saturday,

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