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Performance: Three Rivers' Kali Heivilin

April 26, 2019

Kali Heivilin
Three Rivers sophomore – Softball

Heivilin, coming off 18 home runs last season as a freshman, already has hit 12 more over 17 games this spring including six over five games last weekend to earn the Michigan Army National Guard “Performance of the Week.” The sophomore shortstop drilled three in Friday’s doubleheader sweep of Plainwell and then one each in all three games as her team went 2-1 at the Constantine Invitational.

Heivilin made the Division 2 all-state first team last spring and is hitting .667 this season with 33 RBI and 46 runs scored to go with her 12 homers. She's been walked 15 times and hasn't struck out; she's carrying an incredible .731 on-base percentage. Three Rivers is 15-3 with its only losses to No. 10-ranked Edwardsburg twice and once to Portage Central. Her athletic talents are not exclusive to the softball diamond; Heivilin is a starting outside and middle hitter on the varsity volleyball team and two-time all-league honoree in basketball. Also this winter, she earned a fifth place at the Michigan High School Powerlifting Association championships.

She also excels academically, carrying a 3.89 grade-point average with her favorite classes in science – particularly anatomy – and aspirations of studying something in the medical field down the road. She’s following the example of senior brother Jalen Heivilin, himself a multi-sport and academic standout at Three Rivers this year, and sports stardom runs in the family – their grandfather Al, a longtime MHSAA official, was a Three Rivers record holder in track & field and competed at Ferris State University after high school. Kali has lots of time to figure out her college future, of course – but is receiving interest from softball programs both north and south. Her big week also earned her recognition from Extra Innings Softball, which named her its National Player of the Week on Monday.

Coach Kendra Kutz said: "She just has a passion and drive for what she does, not just in softball but in life. She's very dedicated to herself and her well-being. She takes care of herself; I had the honor of helping her during basketball season when I was an assistant coach this year, and even on game days she'd go to CrossFit at 6 a.m. before school. She's just a beast -- not a typical 16-year-old girl. She's focused, she has a passion for what she does with her life and she's a great student, and she comes from a very well-rounded family that is very supportive of her. As a freshman, she just had a breakout to begin her career. She's not one of those types of leaders that's verbal. She's just a silent leader; she's young, and she's still trying to find her place as far as what she can say to her players and to feel comfortable in that atmosphere. (But) when she's focused, it's game time, and that to me is the start of leadership. ... I can put that girl anywhere on the field and she can get the job done. She's just a kid every coach wishes they had."

Performance Point: “I’m just having a good spring. I trained really hard in the offseason to make sure I improve from last year and don’t go downhill. I have a really big summer ahead of me. … I’m just doing really good right now, and hoping I stay where I’m at. Since we do CrossFit, and I do powerlifting, it makes me a lot stronger, helps me more at the plate approach and attack the ball. And then in the field it makes me more mobile and able to get places faster and more efficiently because I have more mobility.”

Workout warrior: “I get up every morning and work out before school. It’s just a big motivator for me because I see what it’s done for me in the past. I really like the outcome of it. The place I work out at, we’re all like a family, so we all push each other. We’re cheering for each other. … My brother, his best friend did CrossFit for a long time working out, so my brother joined. I look up to my brother, so I want to do what he did. So I started about four and a half years ago, and I haven’t stopped since.”

We manage: “I love playing everything because I like having things to do. I like my rest time, but I like staying active. So that’s why I do all the stuff I do. I manage it; I talk to my coaches, like I have to be at this place at this time, and they’re like, ‘OK, we’ll do practice from this time to this time.’ I like to make sure I do everything I need to do and want to do … because I like to stay busy. My dad (Shawn) likes me and my brother to be independent and wants us to learn how to manage our time, so he really helped me with it – like, ‘You’re responsible for this. If you want to do it, you have to figure out how to do it, how you’re going to be able to do it.’ So I give credit to my dad for helping to figure all of that stuff out.”

Brotherly love: “I learned a lot of responsibility and confidence from my brother. He’s so good. He’s worked hard to get to be where he wants to be, and I looked up to him to be like, ‘Oh, he did that. I want to do that.’ I learned how to work hard, how to be confident, how to be humble.”

Colleges are watching: “I want to play down south for softball for college … but I will stay up north if that is what fits me best. It’s weird. (Recruiting) comes fast. My parents and my brother are the ones that help me. My dad and brother are probably having the biggest impact – my brother is going through it right now and my dad has experience going through it, and my mom (Crystal) is there for me too. They are the ones helping me do what I need to do, make the right decisions and keep my head where it should be.” 

- Geoff Kimmerly, Second Half editor

Every week during the 2018-19 school year, Second Half and the Michigan Army National Guard recognizes 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. 

Past 2018-19 honorees

March 28: Rickea Jackson, Detroit Edison basketball - Read
March 21: Noah Wiswary, Hudsonville Unity Christian basketball - Read
March 14: Cam Peel, Spring Lake swimming - Read
March 7: Jordan Hamdan, Hudson wrestling - Read
February 28: Kevon Davenport, Detroit Catholic Central wrestling - Read
February 21: Reagan Olli, Gaylord skiing - Read 
February 14: Jake Stevenson, Traverse City Bay Reps hockey - Read
February 7: Molly Davis, Midland Dow basketball - Read
January 31: Chris DeRocher, Alpena basketball - Read
January 24: Imari Blond, Flint Kearsley bowling - Read
January 17: William Dunn, Quincy basketball - Read
November 29: Dequan Finn, Detroit Martin Luther King football - Read
November 22: Paige Briggs, Lake Orion volleyball - Read
November 15: Hunter Nowak, Morrice football - Read
November 8: Jon Dougherty, Detroit Country Day soccer - Read
November 1: Jordan Stump, Camden-Frontier volleyball - Read
October 25: Danielle Staskowski, Pontiac Notre Dame Prep golf - Read
October 18: Adam Bruce, Gladstone cross country - Read
October 11: Ericka VanderLende, Rockford cross country - Read
October 4: Kobe Clark, Schoolcraft football - Read
September 27: Jonathan Kliewer, Grand Rapids Forest Hills Northern soccer - Read
September 20: Kiera Lasky, Bronson volleyball - Read
September 13: Judy Rector, Hanover-Horton cross country - Read

PHOTOS: (Top) Three Rivers' Kali Heivilin powers through a pitch. (Photo courtesy of Three Rivers' athletic department.)

D4 Semis: 2013 Foes Set to Meet Again

June 13, 2014

By Kelsey Pence
Special for Second Half

EAST LANSING – Rebekah VanDam knows opponents are aiming for Kalamazoo Christian.

The senior pitcher let everyone know that wasn’t going to scare her team Friday afternoon as the Comets booked their second straight trip to the MHSAA Division 4 Final with a 6-1 win over Vestaburg (27-9) at Secchia Stadium at Michigan State University.

“Everyone is out to get us, but we are here,” VanDam said after Kalamazoo Christian's Semifinal win. “We are ready to play and beat whoever we got.”

VanDam gave up just four hits, striking out 12, walking one and giving up just one run, the first run of the postseason for the defending champs.

The Comets (28-16) – who will face Rogers City in Saturday’s championship game – scored two runs in the bottom of the first inning on two Vestaburg errors, but added to that significantly in the third inning.

Morgan Locker singled to start the rally, and Tori Sides helped the cause with a hit to left-center. The Wolverines got the first out on a fielder’s choice by Kara Gjeltema. But VanDam followed up with a fielder’s choice that moved the runners ahead; Locker was able to avoid the tag at home plate to make the score 3-0.

Two batters later McKena Razenberg ran out an infield single, bringing up freshman Aliyah Lemmer with the bases full. She just missed a grand slam, smacking a three-run double to left field that put Kalamazoo Christian up 6-0.

“It never happens for me. I was so excited,” Lemmer said. “I just wanted to help my team and make a difference.

“It was really important for us to get some momentum,” she added. “Everyone was nervous we would get down, but we all really knew we could do it, and everyone was just pumping each other up. Our team gets pumped up easily, and that’s what I love about them.”

Karigan Gates was about a quarter inch from a home run for Vestaburg, smacking one to left -enter field in the top of the fourth that bounced off the fence and back in to fair territory. Akisha Benavidez brought Gates home with a single to center field that made the score 6-1.

Both teams were blanked the rest of the way.

“It was timely hitting, but they did give us some errors out there that gave us some base runners,” Kalamazoo coach Terry Reynolds said. “We got a couple nice hits. That’s what we do. It seems if we get a key hit, it seems we get them in clusters. I thought today it would be one at a time and we were prepared for a small game, but it was good we were able to capitalize.”

The Comets have seven MHSAA softball titles and two runner-up finishes. Reynolds is hoping to add another in his first year as coach.

“Taking over there is a little bit of pressure,” Reynolds said with a laugh. “Everyone expects me to win. The girls have come back and worked hard. I couldn’t have asked for anything more.”

Reynolds also talked about his senior pitcher.

“Rebekah has really worked hard this year,” he said. “She has changed physically and mentally. Her and I seem to be on the same page quite a bit. She has four pitches that work, and we used every one of them today. She pitched a heck of a game.”

Gates had two hits for the Wolverines (27-9) and scored their lone run.

“Everybody really wanted this,” Vestaburg coach Dan Rons said. “I love this because it really brings the community together. Mostly I am proud of how they didn’t turn on each other when someone made a mistake.

“I got a little rough on them in the fourth inning because I didn’t feel like we were playing good ball. But my team, after I had chewed everybody out, they went around and said don’t worry about it. I liked the way they came together and took care of each other.”

Click for the full box score.

Rogers City 11, Fowler 1

Regular-season redemption isn’t enough for Morgan Hall.

Kalamazoo Christian beat Rogers City 2-0 in the Division 4 Semifinals last year, and the Hurons avenged that loss earlier this spring with an 8-4 win over the Comets in a tournament.

But there’s still a bittersweet taste in Hall’s mouth.

Rogers City (33-6) is one game away from an MHSAA title after beating Fowler 11-1 in five quick innings Friday.

“Everybody kind of wants redemption,” Hall said of Kalamazoo Christian. “It was nice beating them the first time, but this is the spot that we want to beat them, in Finals again. As long as we keep our heads on and make the plays, I think we can do it.”

The Eagles (26-7) and Hurons were tied 1-1 after two and a half innings, but Rogers opened the lead in the bottom of the third and fourth innings scoring five runs in each.

Cassie Brege singled to get things started in the third and Logan Fleming was hit by pitch. Courtney Streich loaded the bases with a bunt, and Sarah Meredith smacked a two-run single to left field to make it 3-1.

Morgan Hall was up next and brought another teammate home with a single. Rachel Chojancki walked to score another, and Brege’s fielder’s choice made it 6-1.

“We actually didn’t know anything about Fowler,” Hall said. “They were the underdogs coming in unranked, we didn’t know any of their stats or anything. Nobody knew what to expect. When we got here our coach did a little bit of digging around, but we just came out and played our game and thankfully did as well as we did.”

The Hurons put up five more runs in the fourth inning and held the Eagles scoreless in the top of the fifth to make it a short day.

Hall finished 3 for 3 with three RBI and two runs scored, while Brege and Meredith also added two hits each. Brege added three RBI and a run scored and Meredith scored two runs and tallied two RBI.

Kayla Schafer and Brianna Schmitt each had two hits for Fowler.

“This is surreal right now,” Hall said. “Since freshman year this has always been the dream. We’ve been so close especially these last three years. Last year we just fell short in our first game. The worst that we can be is second place, and that is just surreal. Everyone is thrilled with that.”

Click for the full box score. 

PHOTOS: (Top) Kalamazoo Christian catcher Kara Gjeltema fires a throw during her team’s Semifinal win Friday. (Middle) Rogers City’s Kayla Fleury (3) and Courtney Streich (9) celebrate Saturday during their win over Fowler.