Gladwin Slugger Clears Fence at Record Rate
June 2, 2016
By Bill Khan
Special for Second Half
GLADWIN — The outfield fence looked so far away, so unreachable whenever Gladwin senior Dayna Fennell stepped to the plate as a youngster.
And it was — back then.
"It was in high school the first time I hit one over," Fennell said. "When I was in Little League, I thought, 'I don't understand how people have the strength to hit one over.' When I hit my first home run, I was very surprised."
Nobody is surprised when Fennell clears the fences these days. In fact, it's almost disappointing for Gladwin players and fans when a game goes by and she doesn't hit a round-tripper.
With her 19th home run of the season last Saturday against Linden in a tournament at Ogemaw Heights, Fennell broke the MHSAA single-season record shared by Pentwater's Melinda Van Gillis (1979), Williamston's Camri Grace (2014) and Romeo's Madison Jones (2015).
The home run hit the top of the fence in left-center field and rolled over.
"I didn't even think it went over," Fennell said. "I just thought it would be a solid double. I thought it bounced inside the fence. Then I heard everyone cheering. I looked at the umpire while he was doing the whole circle motion; it was a home run. I was so ecstatic."
It was also an opportunity to exhale a bit. By hitting one home run in each of the three games of the Ogemaw Heights tournament, Fennell put the record pursuit behind her as Gladwin prepares for the Division 2 District on Saturday at Cadillac.
"It was actually a relief," Fennell said. "Everywhere I went, everyone's asking me how I was doing. It was a little bit of pressure. I'm glad I finally broke it."
The possibility of breaking the record became a hot topic in Gladwin when Fennell hit eight home runs in her first eight games. Before spring actually felt like spring, she eclipsed the school record of six that she set last year.
"I think I had 11 or so and thought there was no way I could hit eight more," she said. "Everyone was like, 'You've only got eight more.' I'm like, 'Yeah, I probably won't get it.' I never thought I was going to come close to it."
Fennell has tied or broken the school record in all four of her seasons with the Flying G's, equaling the modest former standard of three as a freshman and bumping it to four as a sophomore. With 32 career homers, she is tied for 10th on that MHSAA all-time list.
"My parents live 30 minutes away," Gladwin coach Jill Keefer said. "People are asking my dad about her. I'll be at the gas station, and people will say, 'I want to see her hit one out.' She's putting Gladwin on the map, in a sense, in softball."
Fennell has done a good job of handling the attention she's received for chasing and breaking the record, her coach said.
"She's very humble about it," Keefer said. "She just wants to play softball and wants to win. She's very passionate about the game. If she broke it, she broke it. Yes, she wanted to do it once she got that close to it. There was a little more hype the closer she got. People put pressure on her as she got close, even her teammates — 'C'mon, hit one today!' There were a few teams that didn't pitch to her, too; you had that factor. Now she's focused on winning Districts."
Fennell is a three-sport athlete, also playing volleyball and basketball for Gladwin. But no matter what sport was in season, she found a way to put in the work necessary to more than double her previous career home run total.
"Softball is my number one sport, my favorite sport always," Fennell said. "I had time to fit it in. I make time for it. Even if it's an hour, I go in and hit and do whatever I have to do. During the winter time, I was in the gym every weekend with my dad (Gladwin assistant coach Steven Fennell). I practiced hard when I went. I did extra reps."
Fennell is averaging one home run every 6.5 at bats. With 19 homers, 11 doubles and a triple among her 57 hits in 123 at bats, she has a whopping 1.032 slugging percentage. She has driven in 65 runs and is hitting .463. She has struck out only nine times, walking 16.
The fences on Gladwin's home field are 200 feet from home plate, but it's not as if Fennell is benefitting from a short porch. Nine of her home runs are at home and 10 have been on the road. She has come within inches of tacking on a few more home runs to her record total.
"We were at (Midland) Dow last Tuesday," Keefer said. "She hit the fence twice, and it was a 225-foot fence. If she'd been on our field, they would've been out. (Tuesday at Standish-Sterling) she hit the fence again, and it was a 214-foot fence."
Fennell is more than just a slugger. Playing primarily shortstop, she has a .900 fielding percentage. The versatile Fennell has also pitched and played catcher.
"She's a smart player," Keefer said. "She sees the field very well. She sees runners very well. She can pitch, she can catch, she can play anywhere in the field. I'd put her in the outfield, too. She has such a strong arm."
Fennell will continue her playing career at Delta College.
"They have a good dental assistant program that I'm looking into," she said. "A couple of my teammates from travel ball are going there. The coach seemed really interested and said I'd have a starting spot on the team."
Before she puts on a Delta uniform, she will try to win a District championship. The Flying G's are 29-9 heading into a District Semifinal matchup with Ogemaw Heights at noon Saturday at Cadillac. In the other semifinal, a Cadillac team that received honorable mention in the last coaches' rankings will face Gaylord at 10 a.m.
"That would be amazing to win, especially with Regionals being at home," Fennell said. "That would be awesome to have our whole crowd cheering us on."
Bill Khan served as a sportswriter at The Flint Journal from 1981-2011 and currently contributes to the State Champs! Sports Network. He can be reached at [email protected] with story ideas for Genesee, Lapeer, St. Clair, Sanilac, Huron, Tuscola, Saginaw, Bay, Arenac, Midland and Gladwin counties.
PHOTOS: (Top) Gladwin's Dayna Fennell prepares to connect with a pitch during this season's Beaverton Invitational. (Middle) Fennell throws to first base against Ithaca. (Click to see more from HighSchoolSportsScene.com.)
Flashback 1981: Softball Showcase Makes Ranney Park Home
By
Ron Pesch
MHSAA historian
May 28, 2021
After years of grouping the championship games by classification across various diamonds in the state, talks about creating a new format for both the Michigan High School Athletic Association baseball and softball championships began following the 1980 spring tournaments.
“Baseball and softball coaches have been complaining about spreading the tournament sites throughout the state,” according to an article in the Lansing State Journal. “They feel if football championships can be held at the Silverdome and basketball at Crisler Arena in Ann Arbor, why not showcase their sports (at a single location).”
“The coaches are certainly in favor of the four-class finals at the same site and were looking into it,” said Vern Norris, executive director of the MHSAA in June 1980. “There are several exceptional sites right now.”
In September, the Association announced that the 1981 Baseball Finals would be held at Central Michigan University’s Alumni Field, and that the Softball Finals would be played at Lansing’s Ranney Park, a sports complex that featured nearly $70,000 in recent renovations. Rain delayed all four championship games, scheduled for Saturday, June 13. Instead, they were played on the following Monday.
Class A: Lansing Eastern 8, Warren Cousino 0
Lefty Sally Sohn allowed just three hits as Lansing Eastern shut down once-beaten Warren Cousino, 8-0. It was Sohn’s 17th win on the year without a defeat. Diane Gentry, previously unbeaten in 19 games, took the loss.
Eastern pounded out 13 hits, scoring once in the first inning and twice in the second for a quick 3-0 lead. Leftfielder Sue Spagnuolo, who went 4 for 5 at the plate, piled up a double and three singles in the championship game, drove in one of the runs in the second inning, and then followed with two more RBI in the third. Senior Kelley Keyton, who led the team in batting with a .412 average and six home runs, singled in two more runs in the third. Playing first base, she was one of three sisters, including Lesley Keyton (second) and Michelle Keyton (third), who occupied the infield for the Quakers. Sophomore shortstop Rachel Dexter added three hits and was outstanding defensively. The team’s final run came in the fifth.
Dexter, Lesley Keyton and Gentry would all later become teammates at Michigan State, while Sohn would carve out an outstanding career at Ferris State. Spagnuolo would attend Alma College, earning all-MIAA honors and setting multiple Scots records on the basketball court.
In eight postseason contests, Eastern outscored its opponents 79-9, with the Cousino win marking the only tournament shutout. In 1995, the Quakers’ team was honored with induction into the Greater Lansing Sports Hall of Fame.
Class B: Saginaw MacArthur 8, Eaton Rapids 4
Saginaw MacArthur’s Liz Alfano held Eaton Rapids to four hits, all coming in the fifth inning, to lead her team to an 8-4 win over the Greyhounds. MacArthur, which lost its 1980 Regional Final to eventual Class B champion Fenton, finished the season with a 20-5 record.
The Generals opened up a 6-0 advantage early in the contest.
After walking in her first at bat, Pam Carpenter scored the game’s opening run on a Greyhounds throwing error in the bottom of the first inning, and then doubled in two runs in the second. A bloop single by Alfano in the third pushed across another run. That was followed by a single by Jenny Scoggin that scored two more runs, giving MacArthur its lead.
Alfano hadn’t allowed a hit through the first four innings before a bad hop on a grounder in the top of the fifth allowed Eaton Rapids to score a run. Trailing 6-1, the Greyhounds filled the bases with nobody out. MacArthur’s second baseman Cindy Devers came up big defensively, turning a double play on a grounder by tagging the runner headed from first to second before making the easy toss to first. While the runner at third scored, it appeared that “MacArthur might escape without further damage, “ according to Mike Thompson of the Saginaw News.
“However, an infield error allowed a third run to score. Another error, followed by a base hit, produced another run and cut MacArthur’s lead to 6-4.
With “the tying runs in scoring position … Generals Coach Sue Skulley made a trip to the pitching rubber.” Skulley knew Eaton Rapids had a reputation as a strong comeback team, and hoped a little break might help Alfano on this hot, muggy day.
‘“It was nearly 90 degrees out there,’” said Skulley. “’She was tired and she let up a little.’”
Following the mound visit, Alfano got the third out of the inning on a fly to right field.
Devers scored in the fifth and Carpenter scored again after notching a triple in the sixth to seal the victory.
Alfano finished with a 16-3 win-loss mark on the year. Eaton Rapids ended with a 14-9 record as Denise Miller was tagged with the loss.
Class C: Vandercook Lake 5, Breckenridge 4
Five walks, two hit batters, and eight errors – including a pair in the ninth inning – helped the Vandercook Lake Jayhawks (14-4) earn a surprise 5-4 win over Breckenridge (18-6).
>Vandercook Lake blew an early 3-1 lead, and with the game tied, 3-3, a lead-off triple by Breckenridge first baseman Brenda Rohn in the top of the seventh appeared to set the stage for a comeback win by the Huskies. “However,” according to Lansing State Journal coverage, “an unsuccessful squeeze play and two pop ups got Jayhawks pitcher Beth Eagle out of the touchy situation.” With Vandercook Lake unable to score in the bottom half, the teams headed for extra innings.
In the top of the ninth, Rohn, who finished 4 for 4 from the plate, notched her third triple of the day, and then scored on a two-out single by Claudia Parfitt to break the tie, 4-3.
But Vandercook Lake scored twice in the bottom of the inning to grab the title.
“Barb Boyt reached first for the Jayhawks on a throwing error then moved to third after a wild pitch and a passed ball,” stated the Jackson Citizen Patriot years later, recalling the drama. “After Breckenridge issued a walk to put the game-winning run on first, Coach Yvonne Freeman put Sherry Gilbert in to pinch run. Boyt scored on another error and Gilbert moved to second. With two outs, Paula May hit a groundball to third base and Gilbert slid under the tag for a 5-4 win.”
Freeman had only four players turn out for varsity tryouts that spring, and junked the JV squad to compile a team.
Breckenridge’s Evelyn O’Boyle, who allowed two hits on the day, was unbeaten entering the match-up and took the loss.
Class D: Portland St. Patrick 3, Wyoming Lee 2
Portland St. Patrick opened up an early 3-0 lead, then held on for a 3-2 win over Wyoming Lee before a crowd of 500. It was the Shamrocks’ 26th win on the year against two losses.
“We’ve played well all year,” St. Patrick coach Dick Willemin told the Journal correspondent Steven Waite following the game. “We got super play out of our infield today. But I’ve said all along we’d go as far as (pitcher) Jane (Rogers) took us.”
Sophomore Karen Kramer opened the St. Patrick scoring in the bottom of the first inning. In the second, Carmen Simon “walked, moved to second on a wild pitch and scored on Laurie Hoppes’ single to center,” according to the Journal’s account of the game. “(Freshman Laurie) Leik was safe on a fielder’s choice, stole second, and took third on a passed ball. She scored on catcher Doreen Schrauben’s ground out.”
Lee (21-8) rallied back in the fourth, as Tammi Melinn doubled, moved to third on a Cassie McCann single, then scored on a single by Cheryl DeLaat. McCann, who had advanced to third on DeLaat’s hit, scored “on an ensuing ‘pickle play’” as DeLaat was thrown out attempting to steal second. “Rogers got St. Patrick out of further trouble by forcing the next two batters to pop out.”
Rogers’ strong pitching combined with solid defense sealed the victory. Just a junior, Rogers allowed four hits and fanned five to end the year with a 21-2 mark. She struck out more than 100 during the season and established Shamrocks records for strikeouts in a game, season, and career, as well as wins in a season with 21 against two defeats.
A special thanks to Saginaw’s Jeffrey Cottrell at the Castle Museum and Stacy McNally at the Hoyt Library for their assistance in gathering reference materials.
Ron Pesch has taken an active role in researching the history of MHSAA events since 1985 and began writing for MHSAA Finals programs in 1986, adding additional features and "flashbacks" in 1992. He inherited the title of MHSAA historian from the late Dick Kishpaugh following the 1993-94 school year, and resides in Muskegon. Contact him at [email protected] with ideas for historical articles.
PHOTOS: The 1981 Portland St. Patrick softball team celebrates 40 years since its championship season during a May 20 reunion. Back row: Coach Tom Russman, Michelle (Simon) Nakfoor, Laurie (Leik) Kinne, Karen (Kramer) Trierweiler, Julie (Schrauben) May, Coach Ralph Willemin, Carmen (Simon) Stiffler, Jane (Rogers) Wheaton, Rhonda (Lehman) Goodrich. Front row: Joyce (Gensterblum) Werner, Sherri (Fox) Gensterblum, Kaye (Schrauben) Sandborn, Brenda (Schrauben) Smith. Missing: Maureen (Eddy) Devota, Renee (Vallier) Haneghan, Lisa (Cook) Barrone, Barb (Manning) Renterghem, Lori (Kissane) Rademacher, Doreen (Schrauben) Spohn, Head Coach Dick Willemin (deceased). (2) Lansing Eastern's Kelley Keyton celebrates following the final out of the Class A championship game in 1981. (3-6) Team photos from the 1981 champions. (Photos collected by Ron Pesch.)