Highlight Reel: Division 3-4 Softball Semifinals
June 12, 2015
By John Johnson
MHSAA communications director
The second sessions of MHSAA Softball Semifinals were played Friday at Secchia Stadium at Michigan State University. Monroe St. Mary Catholic Central and Bronson in Division 3 and Kalamazoo Christian and Unionville-Sebewaing in Division 4 advanced to Saturday’s championship games.
Click the headings below for highlights from all four Semifinals broadcasts on MHSAA.tv.
Division 3
Monroe St. Mary Catholic Central 6, Pinconning 0
Kestrel Chalk Chaser Monroe St. Mary Catholic Central scored four runs in the first inning against Pinconning, the first plated by this double down the third base line by Julianne Venier.
Danielle Doubles Danielle Michael hits a long double for Monroe St. Mary Catholic Central to drive in a first-inning run against Pinconning.
Watch the entire game and order DVDs by Clicking Here.
Bronson 5, Montague 0
Robinson Singles Two Runs In Bronson scored four times in the fifth inning, the first two tallies coming on this bases-loaded single by Kelsey Robinson.
Sobeski Drives In Two More Skyler Sobeski helps her own cause in the Bronson fifth inning by driving in two runs with a two-out single.
Watch the entire game and order DVDs by Clicking Here.
Division 4
Kalamazoo Christian 13, Hillman 2
Lemmer Plays Long Ball Aliyah Lemmer of Kalamazoo Christian gets the Comets started with a double in the gap to drive in two runs against Hillman.
Rozeveld Triples Two Home Kalamazoo Christian put the game away with seven runs in the fourth inning, the last two on this triple off the fence by Jill Rozeveld.
Tigers Score Hillman picked up two runs in the fifth inning when Eden Hunt tripled to center and then scored on an errant throw on the same play.
Watch the entire game and order DVDs by Clicking Here.
Unionville-Sebewaing 4, Holton 1
Patriots Go Up Erica Treiber delivers the first run of the game for Unionville-Sebewaing on a single.
Two-Out Double Delivers Kayla Gremel knocks a two-out double to the fence to give Unionville-Sebewaing a 3-0 lead.
Stone Triples For Holton Jackie Stone gets Holton on the board in the sixth inning with a triple down the right field line.
Watch the entire game and order DVDs by Clicking Here.
Ford Field Trip Gives Students Taste of Football Finals Broadcasting
By
Jon Ross
MHSAA Director of Broadcast Properties
December 7, 2021
Four levels above them, in the press box, a group of prospective broadcasters were touring the facilities. The high school students had spent the Fall sports season streaming games to the NFHS Network and now were learning about a career in broadcasting from Eric Vandefifer, a Montrose High grad currently serving as the radio voice of Saginaw Valley State University basketball and as a contributor to a variety of high school broadcast channels including the MHSAA Network.
Seven years ago, Vandefifer was in a similar situation. He was part of a field trip to Ford Field for the Finals that helped him realize sports broadcasting was a career he wanted to pursue. Those field trips were headed by Tom Skinner and Thom Lengyel, who became mentors to Vandefifer. As a high school junior in 2017, Vandefifer was named Best Student Broadcaster nationally by the NFHS Network.
“With Tom Skinner now deceased and Thom Lengyel retired from the broadcast business, I just felt like I had to continue this and their legacy,” Vandefifer said. “It was important to me to keep it going because when I was in school, it was something I looked forward to.”
Nearly 50 students from Lowell, Montrose, Lake Orion, Mount Pleasant and Ann Arbor Greenhills high schools made the Nov. 26-27 trip to Ford Field. They were able to film highlights, interview players, practice announcing the games, meet other members of the press and more. For Vandefifer, giving back to students who are in the position he once was is very rewarding.
“We had the ability to feel like real media members for a day. I wanted to be able to give other students that same opportunity,” Vandefifer said. “Seeing kids who have a love for sportscasting and that drive to get better gives me real hope for the next generation in this business.”
And after the field trips were done each day, Vandefifer put his headphones on, got behind the microphone and called the two afternoon games for the MHSAA Championship Network.
PHOTOS (Top) Eighth grader Sam Belill, left, and freshman Owen Leitelt from Montrose practice calling a game from the Ford Field press box. (Middle) Mount Pleasant make a stop at the press conference room. (Photos provided by the Montrose and Mount Pleasant School Broadcast Programs.)