Today in the MHSAA: 6/4/19
June 4, 2019
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
Nearly half of Baseball and Softball District tournaments finished Monday across the state, with a share of upsets and statement wins making for an exciting afternoon.
1. Baseball: Onsted edged No. 3 Napoleon 4-3 to lock up a Division 3 District championship – Adrian Daily Telegram
2. Softball: No. 2 Clarkston moved on to a Division 1 Regional with a big win over No. 5 Lake Orion – State Champs Sports Network
3. Baseball: Stevensville Lakeshore broke a late-season losing streak and downed No. 6 Edwardsburg 5-3 to earn a third-straight District title – St. Joseph Herald-Palladium
4. Baseball: No. 17 Fowlerville got past No. 5 Mason 5-3 in a District Final matchup of ranked teams in Division 2, and after Mason beat No. 7 Williamston in 15 innings to advance – Lansing State Journal
5. Softball: Addison Cooley hit a pair of home runs to lead No. 7 Bay City Western past rival and honorable mention Bay City Central in a Division 1 District Final – Midland Daily News
6. Baseball: No. 8 Beal City outlasted Breckenridge 16-13 in a Division 4 District Final – Mount Pleasant Morning Sun
7. Softball: Frankenmuth got past Saginaw Swan Valley 7-6 in a matchup of Division 2 honorable mentions, then downed Carrollton to lock up a District title – Saginaw News
8. Softball: Leah Vaughan struck out 15 as No. 6 Spring Lake got past Coopersville 2-0 to win a fifth straight District title, in Division 2 – Grand Haven Tribune
9. Softball: Vicksburg locked down Three Rivers 10-0 and went on to defeat Otsego 7-3 to claim a Division 2 District title – JoeInsider.com
10. Baseball: Oxford downed Lake Orion in Division 1 for its first District title in more than a decade – Oakland Press
Holland West Ottawa Athletics Complex Recognized with National Award
December 12, 2023
Holland West Ottawa Public Schools’ new athletics complex, with architectural firm GMB, has been recognized as the top multi-field facility nationally by the American Sports Builders Association (ASBA), the national organization for builders and suppliers of materials for athletic facilities.
West Ottawa’s new stadium consists of two turf playing fields. The west field was designed deliberately without a surrounding track to bring the stands and field closer together with a central tunnel beneath the grandstands for the home team to enter onto the field. The same synthetic turf, light posts, and state-of-the-art audio/video systems are utilized on both fields for an equitable experience for all users.
Multiple ground-level entry points with access to the fields, barrier-free locker rooms and multiple seating options with elevator access also create accessibility for spectators, players, coaches, and support staff.
“This facility allows our students the opportunity to play in one of the premier complexes in the state of Michigan,” said Jeff Malloch, assistant superintendent of business services at West Ottawa Public Schools. “We have seen continued interest in lacrosse, football, and soccer, and this complex will be utilized by our community youth from elementary age to high school student-athletes.”
Adding elevated fan experiences, such as a concourse level between the upper and lower sections of the home stands, bigger bleachers, and updated concession stands and restrooms establish a venue for multiple sports and attract the entire community to utilize the facility.
“This is a one-of-a-kind facility for West Michigan, and it’s been wonderful to see student-athletes from across the state enjoy the complex’s unique amenities,” said Nate Bosch, a landscape architect with GMB. “The collaboration needed to make this project come to life was an inspiring process to be a part of, and we are so pleased to celebrate this accomplishment with West Ottawa.”
This is the first time a GMB project has been awarded a multi-field facility of the year honor by the ASBA. GMB also has received four Project of the Year honors in the outdoor tennis category and 20 distinguished awards from ASBA for other athletic facility projects over the past 12 years.
(Photos by M-Buck Studio.)