Escanaba Finds Home as Softball Champ
June 26, 2018
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
Relative to the other 15 softball teams playing in the MHSAA Semifinals two weekends ago at Michigan State University’s Secchia Stadium, the Escanaba contingent was far from home.
Escanaba not only advanced to play in its first MHSAA championship game since 2003, but returned home to the Upper Peninsula with its first MHSAA Finals title in the sport – and first in any sport with a unified tournament (both peninsulas together) since the football team won Class A in 1981.
The Eskymos gave up two runs total over six postseason games, shutting out Eaton Rapids 2-0 in a Semifinal and South Haven 5-0 in the Division 2 championship game to earn the honor as the final MHSAA/Applebee’s “Team of the Month” for 2017-18.
“It had been so long since we’d had a group down here, I think it was kinda nerve-wracking for them to be down on that field,” said Escanaba coach Jamie Segorski of the 2016 team, the first to return to the Semifinals since that 2003 Division 1 runner-up. “The last couple of years we’ve been fortunate enough to get down there, develop a comfort level, and we’ve come up with a nice schedule that’s convenient and comfortable and helped the girls stay with their norm.
“We expect to make it down there. Will we make it every year? Absolutely not. The competition is fierce. But in their minds, they know they can do it.”
Escanaba finished the spring 31-3, its only losses to eventual Division 3 runner-up Millington, Division 3 semifinalist Clinton and Rice Lake of Wisconsin. All three defeats were by just a run.
The Eskymos, as noted, also had advanced to the 2016 and 2017 Division 2 Semifinals, and they entered this playoffs ranked No. 3 by the state coaches association. So opening with District wins of 4-0 over Cheboygan and 11-1 over Petoskey wasn’t shocking. But a 10-0 shutout of No. 8 Muskegon Oakridge followed by a 12-0 shutout of Remus Chippewa Hills in the Regional certainly grabbed some attention.
Escanaba followed those with a 9-1 Quarterfinal win over annual power Saginaw Swan Valley, before finishing the run with two more shutouts – and a combined postseason scoring edge of 53-2.
Sophomore Gabi Salo without question is one of the best pitchers in the state. She came in in relief during the 2017 Semifinal loss to Richmond, but returned to Secchia to throw 14 shutout innings, giving up a combined seven hits and one walk with 20 strikeouts. She has added four mph to her fastball over the last year, dialing up 66 during the final inning against South Haven. For the season she finished 21-3 with a 0.40 ERA and 287 strikeouts in 156 innings pitched – and she’s already set to play at University of Wisconsin after graduation.
Her nearly unhittable performance was matched by plenty of hitting from her teammates. Junior rightfielder Lexi Chaillier hit .510 with eight home runs and 27 stolen bases from the leadoff spot. Senior second baseman Claire McInerney (.439, 16 SB), senior shortstop Taylor Gauthier (.400, 37 RBI) and senior third baseman Madison Griffin (.430, 6 HR, 46 RBI) filled in the next three places in the lineup, respectively. Eight starters entered the final week of the season batting at least .371, and all nine starters this season had at least one home run. Freshman Nicole Kamin batted fifth both games of Finals weekend and finished the season hitting .526 over 13 games, while going 10-0 with a 1.26 ERA from the pitching circle.
Gauthier and McInerney were three-year starters in the middle of the infield, and the rest of the team’s seniors all came up for the 2016 tournament run and had made all the trips to MSU. The team is well-traveled during the regular season as well, frequently heading downstate and into Wisconsin to find tough competition. The Eskymos find plenty at home too, as Delta County also includes Gladstone and Rapid River – ranked No. 8 in Division 3 and No. 9 in Division 4, respectively, heading into the postseason.
Football is king in Escanaba, and basketball rules the girls sports scene across the Upper Peninsula. But Eskymos softball came home as first-time-in-a-long-time champion, toppling history, clichés about the weather and any remaining misconceptions that teams traveling over the Bridge will sooner or later run into a rocky road.
“It’s fun to watch the girls develop that grit – being from the U.P., they always feel like they’re not looked at like everybody else, like they’re not as good, like how can they be good when they have snow until July,” Segorski said. “I think it really helps determine that higher sense of determination to win games.
“They’ll bask in the glory. They’ll enjoy it. And the younger girls were able to see what happened, see the fun and what we got done, and they’ll come in next year very determined.”
Past Teams of the Month, 2017-18
May: Brownstown Woohaven baseball - Report
April: Detroit Catholic Central boys lacrosse - Report
March: Brighton hockey - Report
February: Marquette girls and boys skiing - Report
January: Sterling Heights Stevenson competitive cheer - Report
December: Cadillac boys bowling - Report
November: Ottawa Lake Whiteford football - Report
October: Beaverton volleyball - Report
September: Shepherd girls golf - Report
PHOTOS: (Top) Escanaba gets ready for its turn at bat after holding South Haven to another scoreless inning during the Division 2 Final. (Middle) Lexi Chaillier lines up a pitch during the championship game.
Standish-Sterling, Whiteford Aces Set for Season-Finale Face-Off
By
Tom Kendra
Special for MHSAA.com
June 16, 2023
EAST LANSING – The final game of the 2023 MHSAA Softball Tournament has the makings of a pitchers’ duel for the ages.
Standish-Sterling senior Devri Jennings and Ottawa Lake Whiteford junior Unity Nelson were equally dominant in Friday evening’s Division 3 Semifinals at Michigan State University’s Secchia Stadium, setting the stage for a Saturday night showdown.
“Two great pitchers are going to duel tomorrow, that’s for sure,” said fourth-year Whiteford coach Matt VanBrandt. “But at the same time, both teams can hit the ball. So it should be very interesting.”
In the first game, Jennings stymied a Ravenna offense that already had earned several entries in the state’s record book, limiting the Bulldogs to three singles in a 10-1 win.
Nelson was even more impressive in the second D3 Semifinal, keeping her perfect record and minuscule ERA intact with a two-hitter in an 8-0 win over Laingsburg.
Standish-Sterling (37-7) will be shooting for its first softball state championship, while Whiteford (37-4) will be looking for its first since 1987 when they meet at 5:30 p.m. Saturday.
In addition to outstanding pitching, both teams also got their bats operating late in Friday’s semis.
Whiteford, which lost in the Division 4 Final last year and hasn’t missed a beat in a larger-school division, gradually pulled away from Laingsburg – scoring three runs in the third inning, three more in the fifth and capping the scoring with two runs in the sixth.
Junior Kaydence Sheldon led the way for the Bobcats, going 3-for-4 with three RBIs. Patrina Marsh ripped two hits and two RBIs and Karlei Conard also knocked in two runs.
That was more than enough offensive production behind Nelson, who kept her perfect season record intact at 23-0. She also boasts a scant 0.53 ERA and added 11 strikeouts Friday, bringing her season total to 305, which is more than two strikeouts for every inning pitched.
“I definitely came in with my A game today,” said Nelson. “My screwball was my go-to pitch, and I was hitting it on the inside corner.”
Laingsburg (36-7), which had a breakthrough season this spring by winning its first Regional title since 1978, received hits from Ashley Bila and Addyson Buchin. Buchin went the distance and took the loss, allowing just two earned runs.
Whiteford, which knocked off No. 2-ranked Algonac in the Quarterfinals, has won three softball state titles. The Bobcats have finished runner-up four times since the 1987 championship run.
VanBrandt said his players were excited when they learned they would be moving up to D3 this season.
“A lot of our players were excited for the challenge – that’s the way these girls are,” said VanBrandt. “We got to see some new teams, and we stepped up to the challenge.”
Standish-Sterling 10, Ravenna 1
Ravenna came into the Semifinals boasting eye-popping offensive numbers, but the Bulldogs bombers met their match in Jennings.
She set the tone from the start, striking out five of the first six batters she faced as her team seized control.
“We have worked so hard since winter, and it feels great to be here and to show everyone what we’ve got,” said Jennings, who tossed a three-hitter with no walks and seven strikeouts to completely shut down the Ravenna machine. She improved her season record to 26-2.
Instead, it was the Panthers’ offense which applied steady pressure up and down the batting order to build a 5-0 lead after five innings, then put the game away with five runs in the bottom of the sixth.
Senior Lexi Mielke went 3-for-4 with two RBIs, and Addi Fetters and Jennings both went 2-for-3 with two RBIs. Macy Fegan added two hits, and Sami Kopasz knocked in two runs.
The Panthers (37-7), who knocked off No. 1-ranked Evart during Regionals and then No. 5 Gladstone in the Quarterfinals, were in the Semifinals for the third time in the past four years. They now will play in the softball championship game for the first time in school history.
“We worked really hard on how we were going to pitch those batters,” explained ninth-year Standish-Sterling coach Rich Sullivan. “Devri Jennings was awesome. She hit her spots, and she was able to do what we needed her to do to stop that offense.”
Ravenna (36-6), in the Semifinals for the first time since 2005, scored its lone run in the sixth inning on a sacrifice fly by senior Emma Gillard, who was the starting pitcher.
PHOTOS (Top) Whiteford's Alyssa VanBrandt cranks a pitch during her team's Semifinal win Friday.(Middle) All eyes are on the next pitch as the Bobcats rally against Laingsburg. (Below) Standish-Sterling’s Devri Jennings winds up during her team’s Semifinal win. (Photos by Adam Sheehan/Hockey Weekly Action Photos.)