Performance: St Mary's Meghan Beaubien
June 22, 2017
Meghan Beaubien
Monroe St. Mary Catholic Central senior – Softball
One of the most successful careers in MHSAA softball history came to a close Saturday with one last major feat extending an incredible list. Beaubien pitched St. Mary to a third straight Division 3 championship, striking out 16 and allowing two hits and just one walk in a 13-1 win over Napoleon to earn the final Michigan Army National Guard “Performance of the Week” for the 2016-17 school year.
Beaubien, also the team's lead-off hitter, was 3 for 3 from the plate as well, scoring three runs and driving in two. To get the Kestrels back to the title game, she shut out Shepherd 1-0 in Friday's Semifinal, striking out 15 without a walk while giving up two hits. Over 40 innings and three Finals weekends at Michigan State University’s Secchia Stadium – home of the championships the last three seasons – Beaubien gave up just one run and six hits, and that run was unearned. She also continued to surge in the championship game last weekend despite losing her all-state catcher, senior Kenna Garst, to an injury during the third inning against the Pirates.
Beaubien finished this season 23-1 with a 0.34 ERA and 341 strikeouts with only 11 walks, plus a .458 batting average. While her career numbers are being confirmed for record book purposes, unofficially she went 100-14 and struck out 1,445 batters over four seasons – those career strikeouts would rank eighth in MHSAA history. Beaubien also finished high school with a 4.7 grade-point average and will study and play softball at University of Michigan. She plans to major in biochemical engineering on the way to eventually becoming a doctor.
Coach John Morningstar said: “She’s the most durable, dominating, resilient, tough, strong – all the attributes that you look for in an athlete, she has them. And she doesn’t falter. Even in adversity she stands in there, and I think she actually kinda likes it.”
Performance Point: “Obviously, you don’t want to go down early,” Beaubien said of working out of a first-inning jam against Napoleon, when she stranded two runners with two strikeouts to end a potential rally. “We definitely wanted to prevent them from scoring. Being able to get those strikeouts and keep them from scoring kept us mentally in the game. … (The three championships) have all been different. This one was by the largest margin. It’s just as exciting as the others.’’
Switching up: “When (Garst) first got hurt and she stayed in, I was a little concerned. I kept throwing all my pitches. When she went out, our second catcher Brooke (Angerer) did a great job calling pitches and catching the ball. It didn’t affect me greatly because she did a great job.’’
Setting the standard: “Honestly, as a freshman I wasn’t even thinking state championship. I was just thinking league and Districts. I did not have my goals set that high. Sophomore year we thought ‘OK, we’re good enough. We could maybe do it.’ And we did it. Since then we have this standard, and this is our goal every year.’’
Leaving a legacy: “To come into the program and leave it with three straight championships … to know that we (she and senior Grace Mikesell) made a mark. … We’re leaving the program better than we found it. I think that means a lot to both of us.’’
Next level: “Four years of high school were great. The three state championships were great. But every good thing comes to an end. I’m ready for the next level and to go after some championships up there.’’
- Perry A. Farrell, Second Half correspondent;
Geoff Kimmerly, Second Half editor
Every week during the 2016-17 school year, Second Half and the Michigan Army National Guard recognized 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 protect lives and property of Michigan citizens during a local natural disaster.
Previous 2016-17 honorees:
June 15: Isabelle Scane, Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood lacrosse – Read
June 8: Hunter Eichhorn, Carney-Nadeau golf – Read
June 1: Grace Stark, White Lake Lakeland track & field – Read
May 25: Brendon Gouin, Gaylord golf – Read
May 18: Hannah Ducolon, Bay City All Saints softball – Read
May 11: Mason Phillips, Salem track & field – Read
May 4: Lillian Albaugh, Farwell track & field – Read
April 27: Amber Gall, Shepherd track & field – Read
April 20: Sloane Teske, East Grand Rapids tennis – Read
March 30: Romeo Weems, New Haven basketball – Read
March 23: Jaycie Burger and Maddie Clark, Pittsford basketball – Read
March 16: Camden Murphy, Novi swimming & diving – Read
March 9: Ben Freeman, Walled Lake Central wrestling – Read
March 2: Joey Mangner, Chelsea swimming & diving – Read
Feb. 23: Isabelle Nguyen, Grosse Pointe North gymnastics – Read
Feb. 16: Dakota Hurbis, Saline swimming & diving – Read
Feb. 2: Foster Loyer, Clarkston basketball – Read
Jan. 26: Nick Jenkins, Detroit Catholic Central wrestling – Read
Jan. 19: Eileene Naniseni, Mancelona basketball – Read
Jan. 12: Rory Anderson, Calumet hockey – Read
Dec. 15: Demetri Martin, Big Rapids basketball – Read
Dec. 1: Rodney Hall, Detroit Cass Tech football – Read
Nov. 24: Ally Cummings, Novi volleyball – Read
Nov. 17: Chloe Idoni, Fenton volleyball – Read
Nov. 10: Adelyn Ackley, Hart cross country – Read
Nov. 3: Casey Kirkbride, Mattawan soccer – Read
Oct. 27: Colton Yesney, Negaunee cross country – Read
Oct. 20: Varun Shanker, Midland Dow tennis – Read
Oct. 13: Anne Forsyth, Ann Arbor Pioneer cross country – Read
Oct. 6: Shuaib Aljabaly, Coldwater cross country – Read
Sept. 29: Taylor Seaman, Brighton swimming & diving – Read
Sept. 22: Maggie Farrell, Battle Creek Lakeview cross country – Read
Sept. 15: Franki Strefling, Buchanan volleyball – Read
Sept. 8: Noah Jacobs, Corunna cross country – Read
PHOTO: (Top) Monroe St. Mary's Meghan Beaubien prepares to unload a pitch during Saturday's Division 3 Final. (Middle) Beaubien swings at a pitch against Napoleon; she was 3 for 3 from the plate.
Laker Following Mother's Path as Wayland Multi-Sport Standout
By
Steve Vedder
Special for MHSAA.com
March 5, 2024
When Wayland junior Harmony Laker opted to embrace athletics many years ago, she never worried about following some pretty impressive footsteps nor matching the hefty accomplishments of someone very close to her, a mentor who had herself been a standout three-sport athlete in high school.
In fact, Laker has wound up starring in the same three sports in which her mother, 2000 Wayland grad Kara Potter, also excelled in high school – basketball, volleyball and softball.
Kara was all-conference in all three sports and earned all-state recognition in volleyball and basketball. Harmony has been all-league since her freshman season in the same three, and all-region in volleyball and basketball.
Just a chip off the old block? Maybe, says Harmony.
But if there is anything mother and daughter have in common it's a love of sports.
"They introduced me to sports, and I've always strived to be like my parents," Harmony Laker said. "I was always drawn toward basketball, volleyball and softball. That's where my heart has always been, on a court or a field.
"I always wanted to play three sports; that's been my goal since middle school. Like my mother, I've always taken them seriously."
Like her mother, Laker hasn't just lettered in three sports – she's been outstanding. As a junior, she's already shattered the 1,000-point career basketball mark, reaching the milestone when she scored 38 points against Grand Rapids South Christian in late January. She's averaging 19 points, seven rebounds, four steals and three assists per game.
In volleyball, Laker had 864 kills, 513 digs, 80 blocks and 64 aces while serving 90 percent this season.
In softball, Laker has a 29-4 record as a pitcher over her first two seasons while batting .449 with six doubles and three homers as a sophomore. She's twice made all-conference in that sport, leading Wayland to two conference titles.
Kara Laker – also Wayland’s volleyball coach – said she and Harmony's father, Lance, a former varsity basketball coach at Middleville Thornapple Kellogg, never tried to edge their daughter toward athletics.
But when Harmony took up a variety of sports, the parents had one standing rule: Commit to the sport you're playing at the time. Worry about the other sports when it's time.
"Sports has always been a big part of our lives," Kara said. "We've never pushed our kids, but we've told them if you're going to be successful, you have to put in the time. My parents wanted us to do what we could (in sports). It was always in our prayers that our kids would truly love all sports. We're a competitive family, and we've always been drawn to sports."
The Laker family navigates a busy sports schedule. Liberty Laker plays volleyball at Grace Christian University, eighth grader Charity plays the same three sports as her mother and sister, and third grader Christian plays football, baseball and basketball.
"We divide and conquer," Kara said of her and her husband following the robust schedules of four children.
Harmony's first memories of sports involve supplying water to her father's basketball players. From there, she progressed to copying the three sports in which her mother excelled.
Kara won Wayland's coveted Multer Award as the school's top multi-sport athlete. Harmony hasn't won the award yet, but seems a shoo-in before she graduates in 2025.
Kara said it's tougher for athletes now to play three sports as AAU and travel sports often collide with high school athletics. But in terms of playing three, she said that decision has always been left to the kids.
"It's harder these days, but we were three-sport athletes who wanted to be good in all three," said Kara, who admits she's had discussions with Harmony about narrowing her participation list.
"It's actually a discussion we're having at this moment," she said. "A lot of it comes down to coaches and having them all work together so Harmony can play."
In order of preference, Harmony lists her favorite sports as basketball, volleyball and softball. But when it comes to cutting out a sport, Harmony hedges. If she plays all three as a senior – and that's currently the plan – she'll leave Wayland with 12 varsity letters, a rarity in today's high school sports world.
Harmony said the advice offered by her parents is the same that trickled down from their parents (her grandparents). Play as many sports as you choose, but also be well-rounded off the courts and fields.
Harmony is a member of the National Honor Society, leads the Wayland chapter of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, is a member of the student council and has gone on numerous mission trips through her church.
But when it comes to athletics, Harmony is quick to revert to what she was taught early.
"I just want to work at my craft. You're only as good as the time you put in," she said. "My mom and dad have always said it's the heart that makes sports great. There are so many moments which are trials in sports and games, but ultimately that is what's going to make you better.
"Playing with pressure is a privilege. If a game is close and you have to execute, that's a privilege. God has put you out there for a reason, and you take the moments as they come."
PHOTOS (Top) Wayland’s Harmony Laker lines up for a free throw while playing her favorite sport, basketball. (2) Harmony, right, is successfully following in the multi-sport footsteps of her mother, Kara Laker. (3) Harmony Laker (12) soars to get a hand on a ball during volleyball season. (4) Laker makes her move toward the plate as a pitcher during the spring. (Action photos by Shannon N Jessica Photography.) mother/daughter photo courtesy of the Laker family.)