MHSA(Q&)A: Mount Pleasant Sacred Heart's Sara Hansen
July 26, 2012
By Brian Spencer
Second Half
Mount Pleasant Sacred Heart's Sara Hansen helped her softball team this spring to its first MHSAA Semifinals appearance since 1994. That, in itself, was plenty to celebrate.
But she achieved some unforgettable individual accomplishments as well. Hansen tied a national record with 82 runs scored. (Click to see the national record book.) She set an MHSAA record with 100 hits. She'll carry a 56-game hitting streak -- going back to May, 2011 -- into her junior season next spring.
She's got a few other things on her mind first -- like setting her volleyball team this fall and running the point for the Irish's basketball team this winter.
We caught up with her as she finishes up a short summer before fall practice begins Aug. 8.
How long have you been playing softball?
I’ve played softball pretty much my whole life. I started playing tee ball when I was little and moved from level to level as I grew older.
Out of the three sports you play, which of them is your favorite?
I don’t necessarily have a favorite. To be honest, it all depends on the season that I am in. I play point guard in basketball; I’m a setter in volleyball and am shortstop in softball. All of them are fun while I’m in their respective seasons.
With all the success that you’ve had with softball, what is your next goal that you wish to achieve in that sport?
I really haven’t thought about it that much, to be honest. I didn’t expect to achieve as much as I did this year. It’s been a lot of fun and makes me excited for the upcoming year. I would definitely like to get back there (MHSAA Semifinals at Bailey Park) as well as win Districts.
Have you started looking at colleges? If so, which colleges look the best to you right now?
Not too much, being that I’ll only be a junior this upcoming year. I am just wanting to focus on what is immediate rather than the future, at this moment.
Do you want to continue to play softball in college?
Yeah, I’d love to play any sport in college. Due to the fact that I’m not sure what sport is my favorite, I don’t know which one I’d like to play the most. But I’d love to compete in something at the college level.
Who is your favorite professional athlete, and why?
I don’t really have any particular favorite, to be honest.
What has been the most helpful lesson you’ve learned in high school thus far?
I guess to just work hard, take extra time to work on your trade, and keep learning. By doing those things, you’ll improve more every year.
While both sides of the ball are important, what do you enjoy playing the most in softball -- offense or defense?
I like the offensive side of softball just a bit more. Both are a lot of fun, but I do like to hit.
Lakeshore Thrives Under Pressure Again in Title-Clinching Comeback Win
By
Dean Holzwarth
Special for MHSAA.com
June 18, 2022
EAST LANSING – The Stevensville Lakeshore softball team has become accustomed to playing in close games.
Saturday’s Division 2 Final provided another tightly-contested matchup until the Lancers pulled away in the late innings.
The Lancers (40-4) rallied to defeat Trenton 6-2 at Secchia Stadium and won the program’s eighth Finals championship and first since 2014.
Lakeshore’s previous three games all were decided by one run, and this one wasn’t decided until the Lancers scored six runs over the final three innings to erase a 2-0 deficit.
“We tried to instill in the team that pressure wasn't a hardship, it was an honor,” said Lancers senior Anna Chellman, who had two hits and two RBI.
“It was an awesome opportunity to be put in these high-pressure situations because that’s how you make it through to the state finals.”
Chellman and senior Gianna Kerschbaum were on the 2019 squad that lost to Escanaba, 7-3, in the Division 2 Final.
“I can’t fathom this,” Chellman said. “I was here as a freshman when we got second, and Gianna and I have been dreaming about this since that day we lost. Just the way we were able to work through COVID and our junior year. Everyone was on board, and we knew we could pull together and win this.”
Trenton (33-11) was in a Final for the first time since 2005 and seeking its first championship.
The Trojans grabbed the early lead with RBI singles from Annika Segedi and Aleah Tanguay in the third and fourth innings, respectively.
The Lancers, however, mounted a comeback in the top of the fifth.
A single from Gabby Solloway and an error scored two to knot the score at 2-2. Solloway advanced to third on the error and then scored the go-ahead run on a ground out.
“We had one hit every inning early so we saw that we could hit her,” Chellman said. “If we kept attacking her then we knew it would happen, and it did. Gabby had a great hit, and it broke it open for all of us.”
Lakeshore extended its lead in the sixth inning thanks to a leadoff double by Pallas Dominion, who scored on a fielder’s choice.
The Lancers added a pair of insurance runs in the top of the seventh. A double by Chellman that glanced off the glove of the left fielder scored Kerschbaum, and a sacrifice fly from Eden Gray brought home Solloway.
Lakeshore coach Denny Dock, the third-winningest in MHSAA softball history, pointed to his defense as the turning point after his team fell behind early.
“We’ve played some unbelievable teams and we’ve played unbelievable defense, especially the last half of the year,” Dock said. “From the third inning on I thought defense started to carry us again like it has been, and a huge play was Eva (Kerschbaum) throwing that girl out at second base, and then the last out Gianna makes a phenomenal running catch to get that third out.”
Junior Ava Mullen and sophomore Avery Atwood combined to allow six hits and one earned run. They struck out six and walked one.
“We pitched around the plate, and both girls did fine,” Dock said. “It’s been that way all year with them, and we just hung on and pitched a great seventh (inning).”
Trenton coach Rick Tanguay was pleased with where his team stood after four innings, but two errors proved pivotal in the Lancers’ comeback.
“We battled, and we had them, but we made a couple of mistakes and that’s what cost us,” Tanguay said. “We just made a couple bad decisions on a couple of balls, but the girls were trying their hardest.
“We came into the season with high hopes. We lost a very good player (Michigan recruit Lillian Vallimont, who missed the season with an injury) before the season started, but this team responded and went to the Finals without her. I'm proud of them.”
Segedi, a sophomore, was the only Trojan to collect multiple hits.
PHOTOS (Top) Stevensville Lakeshore raises its championship trophy after Saturday’s Division 2 Final win. (Middle) Lancers catcher Natalia Najera puts a tag on Trenton’s Jordyn Emery (3).