Performance: Mercy's Abby Krzywiecki
May 4, 2016
Abby Krzywiecki
Farmington Hills Mercy senior – Softball
Krzywiecki appears in the MHSAA softball record book eight times – and that doesn’t include the incredible numbers she’s putting up again in this, her final high school season. This spring she’s hitting .464 with eight home runs and 38 RBI in 17 games – and she had the winning hits in both games of Friday's 2-1, 5-2 sweep of reigning Division 1 champion Warren Regina to earn the Michigan National Guard Performance of the Week.
The senior first baseman dropped a bloop single to drive home the winning run in the sixth inning of the first game, then drilled an opposite-field three-run homer in the first inning of the second to lead the No. 2-ranked Marlins, who now sit 16-1 this season after advancing to the Division 1 Semifinals a year ago. Regina had beaten Mercy in three straight games, but the Marlins now have control in the Detroit Catholic League Central race.
Krzywiecki’s 36 career home runs in 109 games over the last four seasons rank seventh on the MHSAA career list, and she should climb at least a few more spots as she pursues the record of 49. She ranks 13th currently with 182 RBI and has a .497 career batting average, and she’s also 43-5 pitching over her varsity career. Krzywiecki committed to play collegiately at South Alabama as a sophomore and is interested in studying business.
Coach Alec Lesko said: “As a senior and four-year starter, Abby has become a tremendous leader. Both on and off the field, Abby has shown character that helps make everyone around her better. Recently, off the field, Abby was walking the halls of Mercy High School and saw a teammate underclassmen all stressed out. Of course, Abby asked, ‘What was wrong?’ Apparently this young lady was having a tough time with a big assignment. Abby immediately stopped what she was doing and helped find the right resources and people, other teammates, to assist this fellow student to understand and complete this assignment. When I heard of this, I was by no means surprised. Abby does this all the time on the field! She has a calming effect with the team, (and) she helps younger players at practice as well as games. She is perhaps the biggest cheerleader in encouraging everyone all the time. Abby's own work ethic and dedication to her softball life is evident during games. Her stats speak for themselves. Abby is getting an incredible amount of attention this season with awards, scholarship opportunities, and top player awards and people to watch. This could be a difficult distraction to deal with, and Abby has taken it all in stride. … Abby, along with our other two senior captains, are bringing this team closer together.”
Performance Point: “I had a day when I was off (April 26 against Livonia Ladywood), so I went home and worked harder than I had in a while. I knew Regina would be a roadblock, so I worked hard to be the best player I could be not for myself but for my team. It’s not about getting my stats higher, but getting base runners in position to score for the team. I thought more about placing the ball, not hitting it as far as I can but as hard as I can. I’ve learned to not swing for the fences; if you swing hard enough with a perfect swing, it’s going to out, and I’m getting better at that mentality.”
Work pays: “To be able to see the results of my hard work paying off is pretty incredible. To know the feeling that I wasn’t wasting my time, that if I had to miss a social event, go to practice or a tournament … the numbers like the records I’ve achieved, wow – look what I can do if I set my mind to something. It blows me away how well I did just because of the support of my team, my family and my coaches, and I’m working harder than ever. It’s reassuring to know if you work really hard at something you love – softball is one of the priorities in my life – to know that if you have to miss out on things, it comes out to be the best thing for you. I’ve noticed that throughout high school.”
Sounding off: Krzywiecki’s teammates often catch her making a clicking sound with her mouth – she mentally prepares by trying to imitate the sound of the ball coming off her bat. “When I’m walking up there, you can hear me or I might do it before game one (of a doubleheader). If I’m struggling, you can see me doing it a couple of times; I’m trying to get the sound of the bat perfectly; especially with my bat, I can tell when I hit it perfectly. A lot of these girls are my best friends, and they know if I’m making that clicking noise, they let it go.”
Unfinished business: “We’re just super excited about how much potential we have. We have a lot of talent, but we have even more chemistry and teamwork and positivity. We have a great attitude, and when you have great human beings surrounding you, you’re excited to keep pushing forward to see how good you can get. It’s unrealistic to think we’ll win every single game, especially in an unpredictable sport like this, but it will be fun to see how far we get together.”
Passport ready: “I’m thinking business (at South Alabama), but I’m really into the entertainment industry. So I’m interested in working at Universal (Studios), behind the scenes there, or in international business because I like to travel. I’ve been to over half the states, I went to Paris when I was younger, obviously Canada, Hawaii twice, and Boulder, Colorado, which is my favorite place in the world. And my family is planning a trip to Italy in two summers for my parents’ anniversary. I’m comfortable being uncomfortable … so I just love to travel.”
– Geoff Kimmerly, Second Half editor
Every week during the 2015-16 school year, Second Half and the Michigan National Guard will recognize a “Performance of the Week" from among the MHSAA's 750 member high schools.
The Michigan Army National Guard provides trained and ready forces in support of the National Military Strategy, and responds as needed to state, local, and regional emergencies to ensure peace, order, and public safety. The Guard adds value to our communities through continuous interaction. National Guard soldiers are part of the local community. Guardsmen typically train one weekend per month and two weeks in the summer. This training maintains readiness when needed, be it either to defend our nation's freedom, or protecting lives and property of Michigan citizens during a local natural disaster.
Previous 2015-16 honorees
April 27: Mike Mokma, Holland Christian baseball - Read
April 20: Abby Divozzo, Cadillac girls soccer - Read
March 30: Cassius Winston, Detroit U-D Jesuit boys basketball - Read
March 23: Kierra Fletcher, Warren Cousino girls basketball - Read
March 16: Jacob Montague, Grosse Pointe South swimming & diving - Read
March 9: Kyle Tuttle, St. Charles boys bowling - Read
March 2: Brittney Schnicke, Caledonia girls bowling - Read
Feb. 24: Kamari Newman, Detroit East English boys basketball - Read
Feb. 17: Jason Whitens, Powers North Central boys basketball - Read
Feb. 10: Rachel Hogan, Grand Ledge gymnastics - Read
Feb. 3: Nehemiah Mork, Midland Dow swimming & diving - Read
Jan. 27: Mardrekia Cook, Muskegon girls basketball - Read
Jan. 20: Sage Castillo, Hartland wrestling - Read
Jan. 13: Rob Zofchak, Dexter swimming & diving - Read
Jan. 6: Tyler Deming, Caro wrestling – Read
Dec. 15: Jordan Weber, East Jordan boys basketball – Read
Dec. 8: Kaitlyn Geers, Kent City girls basketball – Read
PHOTOS: (Top) Farmington Hills Mercy's Abby Krzywiecki is greeted at home plate by her teammates after a home run. (Middle) Krzywiecki powers through another swing. (Photos courtesy of the Mercy athletic department and Krzywiecki family.)
Allen Park, Dakota Hold On for Close Semifinal Wins to Set Up High-Profile Decider
By
Tom Kendra
Special for MHSAA.com
June 16, 2022
EAST LANSING - Things were not going according to plan for Allen Park early in Thursday morning’s Division 1 Semifinal at Secchia Stadium.
Mattawan, fresh off an upset of top-ranked South Lyon on Tuesday, came out in giant-killer mode again, jumping out to a quick 2-0 lead against the No. 2-ranked Jaguars.
“Those nerves, they got us early, but we came back to play,” said third-year Allen Park coach Michael Kish, whose team will try to take the final step Saturday after last year’s D1 runner-up finish.
Allen Park scratched back to tie the game with single runs in the bottom of the third and fourth innings, setting the stage for junior Mia Hool’s two-run single in the bottom of the sixth to complete the come-from-behind, 4-2 victory.
“I knew that I was due,” said Mia Hool of her hit to right field, which scored Madilyn Ramey and Ashten Omodio. “It feels great to know that I had my team’s back. When we get behind, we know we have to stay up and keep the energy. Our bats will come around.”
Both of Thursday’s Division 1 Semifinals featured cross-state matchups, with the east side prevailing in both contests.
Allen Park, 37-4-1, will go for its first softball Finals championship at 10 a.m. Saturday against No. 3 Macomb Dakota, which hung on for a 2-1 victory over Hudsonville. The Final should be a classic between the strong hitting of Allen Park and the dominant pitching of Dakota junior Megan Nuechterlein, who struck out 15 in her team’s Semifinal win.
It took the Jaguars a couple of innings Thursday to adjust to Mattawan junior Madison Vrba, and it was a run-scoring single by freshman Kiley Carr in the bottom of the third inning which broke the ice and changed the momentum of the game.
Allen Park tied it in the fourth, as Avery Garden smacked a leadoff triple and was driven in on a single by junior pitcher Morgan Sizemore.
Sizemore, who improved to 21-4 with the victory, allowed seven hits during the first three innings, then pitched no-hit ball over the final four innings.
“I usually do better pitching once my team scores,” explained Sizemore, who pitched last year’s Final when Allen Park lost to South Lyon, 5-0. “I start thinking different on the mound when my team is hitting behind me. Once we started scoring, the energy changed.”
Sizemore and Carr both finished 2-for-3 at the plate to lead the Jaguars, who finished with seven hits.
Mattawan, which also finished with seven hits, came out aggressively and with no sign of nerves – although none of its players had advanced out of Districts before this spring.
Alyssa Bloomfield and Eliana Ruhrup both singled in the first inning, before freshman Audrey Ford brought them both home with a single to right field. Ford and Ruhrup both went 2-for-3 for Mattawan (24-16), which put it all together in the postseason for a memorable run to the Final Four.
“It was a great start, and we also had a lot of runners on base in the second and third innings, but we couldn’t get that key hit to keep it rolling,” said 22nd-year Mattawan coach Alicia Smith, whose team finished second in the Southwestern Michigan Athletic Conference. “It’s a big environment and a big game, and I think the girls got just a little bit tight.”
Macomb Dakota 2, Hudsonville 1
Megan Nuechterlein was dominant on the mound – and at the plate – as Macomb Dakota won its 21st consecutive game.
The Cougars scored runs in the third and fourth innings to take a 2-0 lead and were cruising, until the young Hudsonville team made a charge in the seventh inning.
After a single by Jessica Dobias, sophomore leadoff hitter Megan Beemer lined a triple into the gap in right-center to score Dobias and put the tying run 60 feet away.
That set up a showdown between Nuechterlein, a junior who has a 0.84 ERA and has committed to Kent State University, and Hudsonville junior shortstop Ella Reifschneider, the Eagles’ leading hitter with a .536 batting average and 41 RBI.
Reifschneider got around a pitch but pulled it directly to Dakota first baseman Madison Franzoni, who grabbed the ball and touched her glove to the base to end the game.
“There were definitely some nerves there, but knowing that I have great defense behind me really helps,” said Nuechterlein, who improved to 17-2 on the season and added 15 strikeouts. “I try to spin the ball more and change up speed more as it gets later in the game.”
Jenna Higgins, a freshman outfielder, went 2-for-2 to lead Dakota at the plate. Alexis Olterdorf singled in Higgins in the third inning to open the scoring, and Nuechterlein had a long solo home run over the left-centerfield fence in the fourth inning.
Those two runs turned out to be all the Cougars needed, thanks to the overpowering pitching of Nuechterlein.
“I’ve been saying that she’s probably the best pitcher in the state of Michigan right now,” said third-year Dakota coach Dan Vitale, whose team won the Macomb Conference Red. “We know we are going to have our hands full (Saturday). We have to hit the ball better.”
Hudsonville, 34-7, finished with seven hits, compared to six for Dakota. Junior third baseman Ashley Sorrell finished 2-for-3 to lead the Eagles, who had just two senior starters.
“There is no quit at all in this team,” said 41st-year Hudsonville coach Tom Vruggink, who has won 1,124 games during his career. “That was a very good pitcher we faced, but we kept battling and hung in there and we were that close to tying it up.”
PHOTOS (Top) Allen Park’s Mia Hool lines up a powerful swing during Thursday’s opening Division 1 Semifinal. (Middle) Macomb Dakota’s Angela Petrovitch begins her sprint to first base. (Click for more Hockey Weekly Action Photos.)