Talented Escanaba Pursuing Title Repeat
May 14, 2019
By Dennis Grall
Special for Second Half
ESCANABA – Ever since softball became part of the Escanaba High School athletic program in 1997, it has been among the best and most consistent offerings in the state.
Last year the Eskymos confirmed their elite prep status by winning the MHSAA Division 2 title, and they again are in the thick of this year's championship picture. Escanaba belted South Haven 5-0 in last season’s Final, after clipping Eaton Rapids 2-0 in the Semifinal two days before.
The Eskymos won their final 13 games last year to finish 31-3. Gabi Salo, then a sophomore, fanned 11 of the title game's opening 13 batters and allowed three hits while punching out 13 batters total. Salo and Escanaba yielded just two runs over seven postseason games. The six EHS seniors on that team compiled a 131-18 record during their four seasons.
Escanaba previously was Division 1 runner-up in 2003 and lost in Division 2 Semifinals in 2016 and 2017.
Salo has helped the Eskymos to a 15-1 record in this weather-marred spring, and Escanaba was ranked No. 1 in the state before losing to Kent State recruit Gabbie Sherman and Division 3 top-rated Millington 3-0 on Friday in Escanaba. Sherman, another of the state's prime pitchers, also throttled Escanaba 2-1 last year.
The Eskymos rebounded from Friday's loss in grand style on a frigid Saturday, whipping Marshfield, Wis., 9-5 and then clipping arch-rival Gladstone 7-0 behind a perfect game by Salo, who whiffed 14 batters.
Gladstone manager John Nevala said "if her control is good and she can get the corner called, she can be called unhittable. We had been hitting the ball pretty good until we faced Gabi."
Salo demonstrated better location and control against Gladstone than the previous night's rare loss. "She is in a class of her own," said Nevala. "She has to be one of the top pitchers in the state. She had very good movement.
"She has excellent speed (around 64-65 mph) and an excellent changeup. She changes speeds so well. She probably has three different speeds. You can't really dig in on one location at the plate."
This season Salo is 10-1 with two saves and sports a dominating 0.02 ERA. She has struck out 136 batters in 69 2/3 innings, but has also issued eight walks and hit four batters during wicked spring conditions the opening month. (NOTE: After a pair of no-hitters Monday and Tuesday against Marquette and Gladstone, respectively, Salo is 12-1 with 161 strikeouts in just under 84 innings pitched.)
A University of Wisconsin recruit since last spring, Salo felt she threw well against Millington and Gladstone, but indicated she was "pretty tight" in the freezing opener. She said her curveball and changeup worked better against Gladstone.
She didn't pay attention to keeping Gladstone off the bases. "I try not to think about those things. I feel like it is a jinx," she said.
Salo worked hard last year to develop her back-breaking change-up and now terms it her favorite pitch. "It is spot-on," she said. "It throws the hitters off their game. I go out, focus and attack the hitter. I like getting swinging strikes." She is not afraid to use her change on a 3-2 count.
She fires her fastball down-and-in or inside-and-high and loves to get her pitches inside on the batter's fists.
The Escanaba first-year manager is her father, Gary, who was the pitching coach for the Eskymos last year under Jamie Segorski, who resigned as coach just as practice began this spring. Gary and Gabi have been together for several years on different summer travel teams.
He signals the pitches from his dugout perch, using input from his daughter and junior catcher and Ferris State commit Dakota Cloutier, who also handled that spot last season.
Senior right fielder Lexi Chaillier, a three-sport, four-year standout, leads the Eskymos with a .481 batting average and five home runs. Gabi Salo leads with 18 RBI and hits .378, while sophomore first baseman-pitcher Nicole Kamin is hitting .477 with 14 runs driven in. Cloutier is hitting .356 with 12 RBI.
Expect that quartet to lead the way this weekend when the Eskymos play in a highly-competitive 20-team invitational tournament in Ann Arbor. The strong field is what the Eskymos search for in compiling a schedule, with trips into Wisconsin and lower Michigan to find high-quality opponents.
Referring to other top hurlers, along with Millington's circle ace, Gary Salo said "we want to go up against elite pitching if we want to go to the next level." And now, with a state title, he said the Eskymos know "we are going to get everybody's best game."
After Friday's loss and the twin wins Saturday, the Escanaba skipper said "our kids are very resilient. We licked our wounds."
Much of the high school program's success is credit to a tremendous Little League program. Gabi Salo began pitching at age 10 when her youth coach asked if anyone wanted to throw. For many years she has received extensive coaching from Pat Brower in Ann Arbor. "He has developed Gabi into the pitcher she is," said her dad. "It is well worth driving six-and-a-half hours each way."
Gabi Salo began her travel ball experience with the Escanaba Heartbreakers at age 10, then joined downstate teams, playing with Wixom Finesse the past three summers. The opportunity to play against quality travel teams in addition to high school has been crucial to her development.
Travel ball has taken the Salos to Atlanta, Huntington Beach, Calif. and Boulder, Colo. in addition to such destinations as the Grand Canyon. Gary Salo drives the family RV everywhere, with just father-daughter on most jaunts.
"Softball has given us a summer-long vacation," said Gary Salo.
"Definitely travel ball has helped me see parts of the country I would never get to see," said Gabi, who plans to enter the nursing field at UW and works at Christian Park Nursing in Escanaba. She also bowled for EHS and participates in dance, saying she would skip a softball game but would not skip a dance recital.
"The travel ball and high school competition is pretty equal," she said. "We play the best competition there is in the country."
Escanaba, which also excels in the classroom (a state-best 3.83 GPA), knows a title repeat will be difficult to achieve because teams like Richmond, Muskegon Oakridge, Eaton Rapids, Spring Lake, Detroit Country Day, Freeland and Stevensville Lakeshore are very dangerous.
"It is not a seven-game series. They are seven-inning games," Gary Salo said of the postseason dynamics.
"A lot of teams are playing really, really well," he said. "Any team has the opportunity to get lucky like we did."
Denny Grall retired in 2012 after 39 years at the Escanaba Daily Press and four at the Green Bay Press-Gazette, plus 15 months for WLST radio in Escanaba; he served as the Daily Press sports editor from 1970-80 and again from 1984-2012 and currently is in a second stint as the interim in that position. Grall was inducted into the Upper Peninsula Sports Hall of Fame in 2002 and serves as its executive secretary. E-mail him at [email protected] with story ideas for the Upper Peninsula.
PHOTOS: (Top) Gabi Salo makes her move toward the plate during last weekend’s Escanaba Invitational. (Middle) A championship banner at the Eskymos’ home field celebrates last season’s Division 2 championship. (Below) Gary Salo has taken over the varsity this spring. (Photos by Dennis Grall.)
Performance: Schoolcraft's Lydia Goble
May 31, 2018
Lydia Goble
Schoolcraft senior – Softball
The Eagles’ standout shortstop has enjoyed a career full of highlights, and added to her most memorable over two games May 23 against Delton Kellogg. Goble drilled three home runs during the doubleheader to set the MHSAA single-season record at 25 – and counting – and earn the Michigan Army National Guard “Performance of the Week.”
Goble had hit 23 home runs total over her first three high school seasons. But she entered the Delton Kellogg games with 22 this spring, which at the time tied her for the record set last season by both Taylor Dew of Muskegon Mona Shores and Brooke Nadolny of Harrison Township L’Anse Creuse. A shot to right field against the Panthers put Goble alone atop the list, and that accomplishment will join the 17 other entries in the record book that she’d earned entering this season. This spring she’s hitting .564 with 25 home runs and 62 RBI, and heading into this weekend she’s tied for 11th in MHSAA history with 230 career runs scored, tied for 11th with 31 career triples, tied for fifth with 48 career home runs and tied for fifth all-time with 229 career RBI.
Schoolcraft is 26-3 this spring and will play Saturday at Comstock for its third straight Division 3 District title. Goble also the last two seasons led the girls basketball team to a pair of Regional titles, the first in that program’s history. She made basketball all-state this winter averaging 19.5 points, 4.8 rebounds and 3.8 steals per game as the Eagles finished 25-1 and lost only in the Class C Quarterfinals. Goble will continue her softball career next season at Grand Valley State University, where she’ll study exercise science, and she graduated high school with a 3.7 grade-point average while also taking classes at Kalamazoo Valley Community College. But a few final high school memorable moments could be in store over the next few weeks – she’s only two behind in the race for the career home runs record, and a Regional title in softball would be a program first as well.
Coach (and father) Jim Goble said: “I remember when Lydia was 5 years old and went to a soccer camp. The guy running the camp was coaching a team that age and right away asked if Lydia could play for him even though she had never played before. He saw that she just (went) all out every time she had an opportunity to get the ball. Thirteen 13 years later, it hasn't changed. She doesn't know anything less than going all out. She does it in basketball and does it in softball and really anytime playing a competitive sport. The other thing I have found unique with her is she is committed to the current sport she is playing. When it is basketball season, we do occasional batting lessons and she'd go to travel ball practices, but her focus and passion was on basketball. Now we are in softball season, and that is what is getting all of her attention. … She loves the game inside of the game! Watching and observing her opponent to take advantage of any weakness she sees, especially when running bases – she loves the challenge of stealing a base. … Lastly, she recognizes that the player she is and the success she has isn't just due to her (but because of) her teammates, her family, her coaches, her friends. I believe that is due in part to her life experiences, her faith in God and just who she is.”
Performance Point: “Before the game I was tied for the record, and my team made sure I knew about that. So I was actually pretty nervous and just wanted to get it over with,” Goble said of the matchup with Delton Kellogg. “My goal was to hit (the record homer) as soon as I could so I could stop worrying about it. They were like, 'Oh, you're tied. Better not strike out.' They were just messing with me. They know it won't get to my head, but they like to have some fun with it. ... (The first homer) just sounded weird coming off the bat, kinda like it was an indoor (foam practice) ball, so it didn't feel very good. I was just hoping it would keep going, and it actually did, so I was just thanking the Lord that I got it over with. (After that) it didn't really matter anymore, so I was just playing my game.”
Power surge: "In the fall before basketball season I worked out with a personal trainer. I definitely found that helped me during basketball season, and I'm assuming that carried over to softball too. That was something different I had never done before. He worked a lot on our core and our endurance – because your core plays into pretty much every part of your body. I just think it overall made me a better player and person."
Multi-sport crossover: “I see my jumping ability, that gets a lot better with basketball and it helps me on the field when I get a line shot over my head and I can go up and get it. And basketball, definitely with my hand-eye coordination from being a shortstop. And being able to read people, what they're about to do on the basketball court helps me see base-runners -- sometimes I can tell when going to steal because they have a different stance, so that helps me.”
Thanks Coach Dad: “It's definitely pretty rough sometimes because he's telling me what to do at home and he's telling me what to do on the field. … (But) at the end of the day he's doing it to help me, and he wouldn't even be coaching if it weren't for me. So it's a good bonding thing for us and definitely strengthened our relationship at our house as well as on the field.”
What a way to finish: “I didn't have any expectations coming into this year for basketball or for softball. God has just blessed me a lot this year. … (Team success) has meant a lot. Last year was the first year we won Regionals for girls basketball; honestly, it felt like we won the state. The school was just so proud of us, and it was a place personally where the girls had never gone. And just to be a part of that and help lead that was amazing. And then to come back this year after losing five seniors and do the same thing again was truly amazing – I didn't even think we'd be able to do it this year. We just came out and played hard every night and it ended up being a great season. Then for softball, freshman year we lost in Districts, and that was a pretty tough loss (3-2 to Gobles in the District Final). Then the next year we ended up winning Districts, and the past two years we’ve lost to Coloma in Regionals – so it's been rough having to see them each year and having them take us out. But we're hoping to change that this year.”
- Geoff Kimmerly, Second Half editor
Every week during the 2017-18 school year, Second Half and the Michigan Army 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 protect lives and property of Michigan citizens during a local natural disaster.
Previous 2017-18 honorees:
May 24: Corinne Jemison, East Kentwood track & field - Read
May 17: Reagan Wisser, Richland Gull Lake soccer - Read
May 10: Clayton Sayen, Houghton track & field - Read
May 3: Autumn Roberts, Traverse City Central tennis - Read
April 26: Thomas Robinson, Wyoming Lee track & field - Read
March 29: Carlos Johnson, Benton Harbor basketball - Read
March 22: Shine Strickland-Gills, Saginaw Heritage basketball - Read
March 15: Skyler Cook-Weeks, Holland Christian swimming - Read
March 8: Dakota Greer, Howard City Tri-County wrestling - Read
March 1: Camree' Clegg, Wayne Memorial basketball - Read
February 23: Aliah Robertson, Sault Ste. Marie swimming - Read
February 16: Austin O'Hearon, Eaton Rapids wrestling - Read
February 9: Sophia Wiard, Muskegon Oakridge basketball - Read
February 2: Brenden Tulpa, Hartland hockey - Read
January 25: Brandon Whitman, Dundee wrestling - Read
January 18: Derek Maas, Holland West Ottawa swimming - Read
January 11: Lexi Niepoth, Bellaire basketball - Read
November 30: La'Darius Jefferson, Muskegon football - Read
November 23: Ashley Turak, Farmington Hills Harrison swimming - Read
November 16: Bryce Veasley, West Bloomfield football - Read
November 9: Jose Penaloza, Holland soccer - Read
November 2: Karenna Duffey, Macomb L'Anse Creuse North cross country - Read
October 26: Anika Dy, Traverse City West golf - Read
October 19: Andrew Zhang, Bloomfield Hills tennis - Read
October 12: Nolan Fugate, Grand Rapids Catholic Central football - Read
October 5: Marissa Ackerman, Munising tennis - Read
September 28: Minh Le, Portage Central soccer - Read
September 21: Olivia Theis, Lansing Catholic cross country - Read
September 14: Maddy Chinn, Pontiac Notre Dame Prep volleyball - Read
PHOTOS: (Top) Schoolcraft's Lydia Goble winds up to throw out a runner during a game this season. (Middle) Goble powers through a swing. (Photos by Lingering Memories Photography.)