Weight room commitment should give Livonia Churchill baseball an edge

The Livonia Churchill baseball team had a stellar regular season in 2025, winning 25 games and going 11-1 in the Kensington Lakes Activities Association-East. But come tournament time — both for the league championship and a Division 1 district title — their runs ended in their first games. They lost to Howell 2-1 in the conference semifinal and then fell to Salem 7-5 in the district semifinal.

Losing early in both tournaments with such a talented roster was a motivator this offseason. They got back to work, and for most returning seniors, took the game more seriously than ever. “The kids are responding,” seventh-year coach Lawrence Scheffer told Hometown Life on March 16.

They certainly have been. Aside from fall ball and four-person workouts, their commitment in the weight room has never been higher, with most Chargers lifting at least three days a week. And they plan to continue through the spring, unlike last season when several players skipped lifting to focus solely on playing 3-5 games per week.

“I’d say the main thing for me is putting on size and weight and keeping it,” said 6-foot-3, 207-pound senior Lucas Brown, a four-year varsity player and a Case Western Reserve commit. “Last year, at the end of the year, I lost a lot of weight, so I was maybe 185-190 pounds. I’m sitting at almost 210 right now, and I plan to keep it that way.