For the first time, Anchor Bay head coach Jared Biesbrouck brought a freshman baseball player onto his varsity roster.

Except it wasn’t one freshman. There were two — Isaiah Domey and Ty Finkbeiner — and both had obvious potential. They just needed some honing.

That was in 2022. Fast forward to 2025, and those two freshmen, now all-state seniors, are prepared to lead the Tars toward their ultimate goal: winning a state championship.

“Even as far back as when they were 14 years old, they always were a little bit different — yes, on the baseball field, but even as a person,” Biesbrouck said of Domey and Finkbeiner.

“And when I say different, I mean a good different, you know. They’ve always stood out in a positive way, and now, as they’ve grown into seniors, they are just literally the top 1% that I’ve ever coached or have taught in my career.”

Domey is a 6-foot-1, 250 pound first baseman committed to the Michigan State Spartans. He smashed four home runs and eight doubles last season with 27 RBIs and a .440 batting average. He’s got raw power for days, clocking a 104.7 mph max exit velocity and 95.1 mph average velocity with a max home run distance of 398 feet at a recent showcase.

To put that into comparison, through 10 games in the 2025 season, the Detroit Tigers’ Spencer Torkelson’s average exit velocity is 92.2 mph.

He can run, too — Domey was the Tars’ star running back during football season and has been clocked going as fast as 21.2 mph with a 6.60 second 60-yard dash time, meaning not only is he a threat to hit one over the wall, but also to take extra bases when he doesn’t.

Academically, he’s improved his GPA every year since he was a freshman.

“We’ve played together since we were nine years old, so we kind of have always had that same goal,” Finkbeiner said about his longtime teammate. “And having someone keep us in check, you know, it goes both ways. I think that’s huge.”

Finkbeiner is a towering 6-foot-7, 220 pound right handed pitcher. In 40 innings last season, he had an earned run average of 1.40 with 57 strikeouts. He also takes reps at first base and hit .352 with eight extra base hits and 29 RBIs last season.

Also a multi-sport athlete, he was the Anchor Bay basketball team’s starting center.

His future, though, is on the mound — and though he’s committed to Michigan, professional teams might not let him get that far. There were Major League Baseball scouts at the Tars’ game against West Bloomfield. They’ve shown up for bullpen sessions. And they’re certainly going to be making appearances in New Baltimore throughout the season.

It’s easy to see why. Professional teams covet projectability, and there’s nothing more projectable in baseball than a tall, long and strong pitcher — exactly Finkbeiner’s archetype.

His fastball recently clocked as high as 94 miles per hour — up 12 from three years prior. The spin rates on his changeup, curveball and slider are all near 2,000 while his fastball spins at 2,309 rotations per minute — nearly hitting the “elite” mark of 2,500 for professional arms.

“We’ve been playing together for so long, but it’s just, honestly, when he’s out there, I have the most confidence he can shut down a game; win a whole game for us,” Domey said about Finkbeiner.

“And it’s good to have another leader on the team with us to really make sure we’re all all going for the same goal.”

Finkbeiner isn’t just a gem on the field. He totes a 4.0 GPA and is involved in after school activities like Link Crew, a program in which seniors look after designated freshmen to help make their transition into high school as smooth as possible. He also spoke in front of Anchor Bay Middle School about mental toughness and driving to succeed through being 1% better every day.

When they were freshmen, their games and bodies needed work. Biesbrouck noted that Domey’s swing was too long and that Finkbeiner was too skinny. Through hard work in the weight room and with their baseball coaches and trainers throughout their careers, they’ve reached this point — stars.

The irony of their contrasting commitments isn’t lost on anyone, either — and especially not on Domey the Spartan or Finkbeiner the Wolverine.

“We always try to make it a little competition (between us),” Domey said. “I mean, we’re like brothers, but we’re going to become Big Ten rivals. But it’ll be great to play against each other.

“Personally, I think I’m going to do well against him. I’m sure he thinks the same.”

Once, when the Spartans got the best of their rivals, Finkbeiner had to wear green and white to school. That bet is back on for when the two baseball teams meet again this season in Ann Arbor during the last weekend in April.

In the meantime, there’s still work to do at Anchor Bay.

The goal this year is to win the Division 1 state championship after they fell short in the regional tournament last season, losing 1-0 to Rochester in nine innings.

It’s left a sour taste in their mouths that can only be washed away by success.

“We had a few guys returning from last year, so they kind of feel how that loss affected us,” Finkbeiner said. “So I think this off season has been, you know, better than most. I feel like everyone’s got the same goal of, you know, winning the state championship. So everyone’s been grinding really hard and working together.”

Baseball teams require far more than just two players, and the Tars certainly have talent around their stars; shortstop Connor Young started as a sophomore and is back this season. Mason Erikson is going to be the co-ace of the staff with Domey and Austin McMahon is a talented outfielder.

And for the third time, Biesbrouck brought a freshman onto varsity: outfielder Zac Kruper.

“Now he (Kruper) gets to kind of learn from those two (Domey and Finkbeiner), and maybe he can be that next guy to take the step to college ranks and beyond,” Biesbrouck said. “Definitely earned his role on varsity and I think the sky’s the limit for him.”

It certainly worked out for Anchor Bay last time.