Title IX at 50: Holmes' Strikeout Record Rarely Approached, May Be Unbreakable
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
April 19, 2022
When Farmington Hills Mercy freshman Kaitlyn Pallozzi struck out all 21 batters she faced in a 1-0 win over Ann Arbor Greenhills on April 8, she became one of only 12 pitchers in MHSAA history to strike out that many hitters in a seven-inning game.
But her total also tied for third on the seven-inning, single-game K list – which is topped by a record that may never be broken.
On May 5, 1992, Canton’s Kelly Holmes struck out 24 hitters over seven innings during a 7-2 victory.
Yes, 24.
According to a report by the Observer & Eccentric recalling the performance in May, 2021, Holmes was throwing to a back-up catcher making her first varsity start and struck out five hitters during the first inning alone. The runners who reached base after dropped third strikes allowed for Holmes to face – and strike out – additional hitters, which is how she ended up with 24 strikeouts for what’s almost always a 21-out game.
Holmes’ 24 strikeouts also remain the national record for a seven-inning game, with Niles’ Jenna Ignowski one of two tied for second nationally with 23 strikeouts, Ignowski’s coming in 2007.
Holmes pitched Canton all the way to the Class A championship game that spring of 1992, before her team eventually finished runner-up with a 1-0, nine-inning loss to Jenison during which Holmes struck out 12. She went on to star at University of Michigan, especially as a senior, and finished with a 76-27 record for the Wolverines.
Second Half's weekly Title IX Celebration posts are sponsored by Michigan Army National Guard.
Previous Title IX at 50 Spotlights
April 12: Anticipation High as 45,000 Girls Return to Spring Sports - Read
April 5: Regina's Laffey Retiring as Definition of Legendary - Read
March 29: Edison's Whitehorn named 2022 Miss Basketball - Read
March 22: Carney-Nadeau Sets Girls Hoops Standard with 78-Win Streak - Read
March 15: Binder Among Voices Telling Our Story on MHSAA Network - Read
March 8: 28 Years, Thousands of Cheers - Read
March 1: Kearsley Rolls On Among Girls Bowling's Early Successes - Read
Feb. 22: Marquette Ties Record for Swim & Dive Finals Success - Read
Feb. 15: Jaeger's 2004 Winter Run Created Lasting Connection - Read
Feb. 8: Marian's Cicerone to Finish Among All-Time Elite - Read
Feb. 1: WISL Award Honors Builders of State's Girls Sports Tradition - Read
Jan. 25: Decades Later, Edwards' Legend Continues to Grow - Read
Jan. 18: Iron Mountain Completes Championship Climb - Read
Jan. 11: Harrold's Achievement Heralds Growth of Girls Wrestling - Read
Dec. 20: Competitive Cheer Gives Michigan Plenty to Cheer About - Read
Dec. 14: Evelyn's Game Had Plenty of Magic - Read
Dec. 7: Council Term Ends, But Leinaar Leaves Lasting Impact - Read
Nov. 30: Basketball Season Ready to Add to Rich Tradition - Read
Nov. 23: Marysville Builds Winning Streak Yet to be Challenged - Read
Nov. 16: Wroubel Has Championed Girls School Sports from Their Start - Read
Nov. 9: Pioneer's Joyce Legendary in Michigan, National Swim History - Read
Nov. 2: Royal Oak's Finch Leading Way on Football Field - Read
Oct. 26: Coach Clegg Sets Championship Standard at Grand Blanc - Read
Oct. 19: Rockford Girls Set Pace, Hundreds After Have Continued to Chase - Read
Oct. 12: Bedford Volleyball Pioneer Continues Blazing Record-Setting Trail - Read
Oct. 5: Warner Paved Way to Legend Status with Record Rounds - Read
Sept. 28: Taylor Kennedy Gymnasts Earn Fame as 1st Champions - Read
Sept. 21: Portage Northern Star Byington Becomes Play-by-Play Pioneer - Read
Sept. 14: Guerra/Groat Legacy Continues to Serve St. Philip Well - Read
Sept. 7: Best-Ever Conversation Must Include Leland's Glass - Read
Aug. 31: We Will Celebrate Many Who Paved the Way - Read
Jackson Northwest's Kloack 'Doubles' Up Record Book Achievements
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
October 13, 2023
Jackson Northwest standout Campbell Kloack reached the MHSAA record book for single-season doubles for the second time this spring, hitting 18 for the second season in a row. But she’s also now on the career list with one more season to play.
The now-senior has 51 doubles over her first three seasons. She’s committed to sign with Saginaw Valley State to continue her softball career after she’s done at Northwest.
See below for more recent additions to the MHSAA softball record book.
Softball
Rylee Scheurer made a significant impact on Portland St. Patrick as a sophomore in 2022, making record book lists with 70 runs and 70 hits both over 36 games as the Shamrocks as a team made the records with 399 hits, 88 doubles, 308 RBI and a .407 team batting average. Senior teammate Lydia Meredith also was added after being hit by three pitches in one game that May 31, 2022, against Ionia. Scheurer then earned another entry this spring, for RBI in one game, while eighth-grade teammate Graceyn Rockey earned listings for home runs in her first two varsity at bats and 11 home runs for the season. St. Patrick as a team again was added as well, this time for 278 RBI and a .446 team average over 28 games – the team average ranking fifth all-time.
Olivia Turner’s big numbers as a Grass Lake sophomore in 2022 earned her three more individual record book entries and put her on three career lists as well. Turner’s 27 doubles over 42 games tied for fifth-most in one season, and she also hit 12 home runs and totaled 84 RBI – the latter ranking 11th for one spring. She’s on those career lists as well with 50 doubles, 28 homers and 176 RBI over 78 games before this past season.
Edwardsburg’s Caitlin Tighe will be playing her senior year of softball next spring, but has been added for several achievements from her freshman season. On April 22, 2021, she had three home runs, in consecutive at bats, and eight RBI in her team’s win over Niles, and she also was added for 17 doubles and 10 homers total that season. Teammate Abby Bossler was added for back-to-back homers in the same inning during the second game that day against Niles – as the Eddies made the team record book with five homers total that contest – and then 16 doubles the following spring in 2022. As a team, Edwardsburg also was added for 394 hits, 81 doubles and 293 RBI over 37 games in 2021 and 418 hits, 83 doubles, 34 home runs and 276 RBI over 37 games in 2022. Bossler graduated this spring and is continuing at Radford University in Virginia, and Tighe is committed to Western Michigan.
Hillman senior Nicole Barbeau earned her school’s first softball record book individual entry as a sophomore in 2022. She hit 12 home runs over 35 games to make the single-season list in that category.
Parchment’s Kassidy Butler put together one of the most impressive careers over the last quarter century of MHSAA softball, and it’s reflected with 13 record book entries. Among the most notable, Butler tied for 10th on the single-season doubles list with 25 as a freshman in 2012 and is tied for seventh with 69 for her four-season career; her 20 home runs as a senior in 2015 are tied for 12th on that list, while her 243 RBI are third-most for a career and her .581 batting average ranks 13th. She went on to play at Kellogg Community College.
Kinde North Huron enjoyed a power-packed 2022 season, making the team record list with 34 home runs over 28 games and with Brooke Gordon and Maggie Koroleski both making the individual homers list with 12. Gordon was a senior and signed with Northwood, and Koroleski was a senior this spring and signed with Cleary.
Algonac’s Kenna Bommarito became the fifth pitcher to record all 18 outs of a six-inning game by strikeout, doing so during a no-hitter April 11 against Algonac. She also just missed the single-game RBI list with five. She’s a senior this school year.
Abby Fowler was a catalyst for Holton’s lineup during its 22-3 win over Grand Rapids Covenant Christian on April 26. The senior drove in 10 runs, tying for third on the single-game RBI list.
Niles Brandywine’s Chloe Parker added four more record book entries this spring as a junior to her sophomore listing for doubles. She bested that 2022 total by one with 21 doubles and now has 54 for her career with a season to play. She also made lists for back-to-back home runs and seven RBI in a game. Teammate Adelyn Drotoz also was added for a seven-RBI game this spring as a sophomore.
Petoskey’s Andi Gasco tied the single-game extra-innings strikeout record on June 1, 2009, when she struck out 32 batters during a 21-inning Quarterfinal loss to Clio. She also has been added to the record book for 409 strikeouts that season and 1,364 for her career – which ranks 11th on that list. She went on to star at Trine. More recently, Kenzie Bromley turned a powerful senior season into a pair of record book entries in the spring. The Petoskey senior hit 18 home runs over 33 games to make the single-season list in that category, and also made the career list with 34 over three seasons. She’s continuing at Kent State.
A pair of Holt standouts were added for offensive contributions over the last two seasons. Jadyn Joseph, a 2022 graduate, was added for scoring 73 runs over 39 games as a senior. Marlie Rehm, now a sophomore, was added for 16 doubles over 36 games in the spring as a freshman. Joseph plays at Ferris State.
Three decades later, Susie Ritums has been added for her back-to-back no-hitters as a Comstock senior on May 5 and May 7, 1993. Ritums struck out 22 hitters over the 11 innings needed to earn that pair of victories.
PHOTO Jackson Northwest’s Campbell Kloack owns three record book listings for doubles as she prepares for her senior season next spring. (Photo courtesy of the Jackson Northwest softball program.)