2-Sporter Makes Multiple Record Books
August 8, 2018
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
Schoolcraft’s Lydia Goble powered through a final season this spring to finish her four-year varsity career among the most accomplished softball players in MHSAA history – and a multi-sport record book honoree.
Goble’s 26 home runs broke the previous record for one season, and she ended her career with 49. Her 270 runs scored rank second all-time, her 264 hits are seventh, her 32 triples are tied for eighth, her 231 RBI tied for fourth and her .566 career batting average sits 11th on that list.
Goble also starred on the basketball court during the winter and was added for 78 3-pointers last season over 25 games.
Her offense on the diamond helped Schoolcraft to team record list performances of 47 home runs and 297 RBI – the homers tied for fifth most in a season.
Goble will continue her softball career at Grand Valley State University.
Read on for more recent record book additions in softball, baseball, football, boys lacrosse and girls soccer and click on the headings to see the record books in full for those sports.
Baseball
Marine City’s Josh Headlee drilled home runs in the third, fifth and sixth innings of a game against Madison Heights Lamphere on May 14, making the record lists both for homers in one game and in consecutive at bats with three straight. Headlee was a sophomore this spring.
Football
Holland Christian’s Will Van Wieren was added for catching 15 passes in two games last season, against Byron Center on Sept. 8 and Hudsonville Unity Christian on Sept. 29. He will be a senior this fall.
Boys Lacrosse
Orchard Lake St. Mary’s Jace Conley capped his four-year varsity career this spring with 14 record book entries – and atop the list for single-season goals. Conley netted 109 this past season, breaking the previous record by seven, and his 150 total points rank third on that list. He finished his career with 227 goals to rank third all-time, and with 333 points to rank fourth in that category. He will continue his career at Albion College.
Vicksburg senior Tim Gearig netted 76 goals to make the MHSAA records this spring, and his 219 for his four-year career place him fifth on that list. He also graduated with 293 points to tie for eighth on that career list. His second-highest goal total came in 2015, when he had 60; for that season, Justin Gearig was added for 69 goals and 95 points and Blake Rankin for 42 assists and 101 points. Tim Gearig will continue playing at Alma College, while Justin Gearig (class of 2016) plays at Trine and Rankin (2017) plays on the GVSU club team.
Girls Soccer
Muskegon Mona Shores senior Sarah Mikesell earned her second single-season entry for goals this spring, knocking in 32. She finished her four-year varsity career with 104, which also made the records.
Softball
Muskegon Mona Shores’ Taylor Dew graduated with 10 record book entries including for 52 home runs (second all-time), 64 doubles (tied for ninth) and 219 RBI (seventh) for her career. Teammate Veronica Kastelic also finished with 10 entries, with her 82 hits and 17 home runs this spring both tied for 13th most in a single season in those categories. Together, Dew and Kastelic helped Muskegon Mona Shores hit 42 home runs as a team, eighth most all-time.
Lansing Catholic’s Mikayla Sanford finished her junior season in the spring making the single-season stolen base list with 61, the career list with 172 over three seasons – and with the record for consecutive steals at 112 straight. Sanford started her record run May 21, 2016, against Lansing Waverly and wasn’t caught until this past May 10 against Portland.
Byron made the team record book in five categories in 2018, for 413 hits, a .405 average, 75 doubles, 32 home runs and 296 RBI over 38 games. Senior Alexis Andrews played a significant part; she concluded a 40-game hitting streak, third longest in MHSAA history, to go with 13 home runs and 72 RBI. She also made the record book with 38 career doubles, 29 career home runs and 166 career RBI over three seasons. Senior teammate Payton Beard was added for 46 career doubles and 187 runs over four varsity seasons, and Ryleigh Arndt was added for 35 career doubles over her three-year varsity career. Junior Greta L’Esperance was added for 67 runs for the spring and will carry a 24-game hitting streak into next season.
Caledonia captured the Division 1 championship this season making the record book with 396 hits, 65 doubles, 34 home runs and 248 RBI over 35 games. Four-year senior Samantha Gehrls led the way and finished with eight record book entries including for 39 career doubles, 46 career home runs (to rank 10th all-time) and 193 career RBI. Sophomore Abby Mitchell was added for 11 home runs and 2016 graduate Hannah Horvath was added for 210 career hits. Horvath plays at Lansing Community College, while Gehrls is set to begin her collegiate career at GVSU.
PHOTO: Schoolcraft shortstop Lydia Goble prepares to unload a throw during a game this spring. (Photo by Lingering Memories Photography.)
Evart Reaches Record Book 23 Times During Run Including 2022 Finals Trip
December 26, 2023
Evart was added to the MHSAA softball record book 23 times for achievements during an outstanding three-season run that has included a Division 3 runner-up finish in 2022.
Then-junior Katelyn Gostlin twice was included for hitting streaks, of 26 straight games during the 2022 season and 22 straight this past spring. She also was added for 23 doubles in 2022, and then-senior Addysen Gray was added for 16 doubles in 2023. Ally Theunick was added for 11 home runs this spring and 23 over her first three seasons with one more to play. Gostlin, Theunick and 2021 graduate Ryenn Baumgardner all were added for single-game accomplishments.
Among team record listings, Evart had 405 hits, 419 runs, 85 doubles, 35 home runs and 328 RBI over 39 games this spring. Gostlin has signed with Mid-Michigan College, and Gray is playing softball and basketball there this school year.
See below for more recent additions to the MHSAA softball record book:
Olivia Mikowski followed up her Maple City Glen Lake team’s Division 4 basketball championship in March with a national record this spring on the diamond. She tied the MHSAA and national records with 20 triples, over 35 games, among five record book entries she earned. She also is listed for 74 RBI this past season, while now-junior Jessie Pugh earned a listing with 66 runs scored over 37 games. Mikowski is continuing at Schoolcraft College.
Essexville Garber finished a combined 71-14 over the last two seasons and reached the Division 2 Semifinals in 2022 after winning its first Regional title since 1997, along the way achieving several record book performances for both team and individual lists. The Dukes hit 53 home runs over 41 games this past spring, tying for sixth most as senior Sarah Basket set a program record and made the individual list with 12. Basket also was added for 21 doubles in 2022, with Laney Kokaly making the doubles list that season with 16 and Ella Wagner making it was 16 this past season. Kortney Kotenko set the previous Garber home run record in 2022, making the record book list with 11. All four were seniors in 2023. Kotenko is continuing at Madonna, while Basket is playing at Lawrence Tech and Wagner at Northwood. Kokaly is playing volleyball at Northwood.
Three Rivers and now-senior Ava Forman made the single-season hits list with 75 over 41 games and the single-season doubles list for 22 last spring and also 18 over 40 games as a sophomore. Three Rivers as a team made the records for 423 hits, 101 doubles and 277 RBI over 42 games in 2023.
Armada’s Taylor Capozzo had 19 doubles in 2023 to make that single-season list, plus hit back-to-back home runs in a game against Yale, and Natalie Sauer drove in six runs in a game against Brown City. Capozzo is a sophomore this school year, and Sauer graduated in the spring and is continuing at St. Clair County Community College.
Schoolcraft’s Lauren Evans hit 31 doubles in 2023 as a junior, the second-most in MHSAA history, as the Eagles totaled 118 over 41 games – also the second-most doubles on the team list. Schoolcraft also made record lists for 436 hits and 316 RBI for the season and five home runs in a game against Battle Creek Pennfield (which included back-to-back homers by Evans). Teammate Sydney Drenth, then a sophomore, made the doubles list with 22, and senior Alayna Meade made the same list with 16. Meade is continuing at Cornerstone, and Evans has committed to sign with Saginaw Valley State.
Farmington Hills Mercy finished 29-1 in 2023, earning four record book entries along the way. The Marlins tied for second-fewest runs allowed, giving up only 16. They also made lists for 11 consecutive shutouts, 385 strikeouts and a .435 average and just missed the single-season shutouts list with 23.
Unionville-Sebewaing’s 2022 Division 4 championship season produced another series of record book-worthy accomplishments. As a team, USA set an MHSAA record with 128 doubles over 40 games and was fourth on the team RBI list with 391, while also earning entries with 44 runs scored, 485 hits and 48 home runs. Individually, then-sophomore Gabriella Crumm was added for 80 hits, 21 doubles and 11 home runs, and then-senior Laci Harris was added for 11 home runs as well plus 72 hits, 19 doubles and career totals of 31 home runs, 170 RBI, 170 runs scored and 51 doubles over 123 games despite her sophomore season of 2020 being canceled due to COVID-19. Then-junior Oliva Jubar was added for 18 doubles, and then-sophomore Ella Neumann was added for 17. Harris is continuing her career at Madonna.
Paige Ratliff finished her Battle Creek Lakeview career in the spring with 10 record book entries across a variety of categories. Most notably, she totaled 37 doubles, 30 home runs and a .520 career average over three seasons and 108 games. She’s continuing at Lake Forest College (Ill.).
Hudson then-freshman Taylor Kopin opened her high school career in the spring by scoring 65 runs to make the individual record book. In doing so, she also helped Hudson make the team record book list with 417 runs scored over 39 games.
Haslett’s Payden Whitmore earned her school’s first softball record book entry since 2007 by hitting 12 triples over 38 games in the spring. She’s a junior this school year.
Mancelona has a pair of softball players who reached career lists last season with more to play. Now-senior Ella Jones was added for 20 doubles as a sophomore in 2022 and 19 this spring, and made the career doubles list with 39 and a season to play. Now-junior Ella Schram was added for her 13 triples as a freshman and .650 average this spring, and she’s on the career triples list with 23 and will qualify for the career average list if she keeps hitting at this pace over her next seasons.
Mount Pleasant Sacred Heart hit the second-most triples in MHSAA history on the way to the Division 4 Semifinals in the spring. The Irish piled up 48 over 43 games, led by freshman Mairin Wheaton, who hit 12 over 42, respectively.
Reed City made the team record lists with 78 doubles and 252 RBI over 39 games in the spring, and a pair of standouts also were added. Morgan Hammond, then a freshman, and then-sophomore Paityn Enos both were added for single-game RBI, plus Enos was added for 72 hits and 20 doubles and Hammond was added for 22 doubles.
Manton now-junior Adriana Sackett earned her first record book listings in the spring. Twice she hit back-to-back home runs in games, and she also was added for 11 homers total over 26 games.
A trio of Ravenna standouts put up a series of record book-caliber totals over the last two seasons, including some of the highest-ranking all time. Emma Gillard graduated in the spring with nine record book entries, including for 85 runs (fourth most) and 13 triples (tied for 20th) this past season, and she made career lists with 200 runs, 27 triples and a .532 average over 111 games and three years. Emma Herremans is just a junior but has 11 record book listings after two seasons including for 25 doubles (11th-most) as a freshman in 2022 and a .652 average and 73 RBI this past spring, and she’s already on career lists for doubles and triples. Kara Postema graduated this spring with six record book entries, including season and career records for times hit by pitch (23 and 49, respectively), and she also made career lists with 36 doubles and 153 RBI over 111 games and three seasons. Gillard is continuing at Ferris State and Postema at Cornerstone.
PHOTO Evart's Riley Brigham connects during her team's Division 3 Final against Millington in 2022.