Bath Ace Leaves Legacy of Perfection

August 13, 2014

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

Ryan Orr’s 34-3 pitching record over four seasons for Bath’s varsity baseball team is impressive on its own. 

But it’s only the start on the legacy he’s left all over the MHSAA baseball record book.

Orr graduated this spring holding or sharing five pitching records, while also placing in three offensive categories.

The Bees ace holds records for longest string of perfect games – remaining flawless over three starts against Vestaburg, Saranac and Laingsburg from April 8-22 in 2013 – and career ERA with a 0.24 over 258 1/3 innings pitched. That string of perfect games also ties for longest no-hitter string and puts him tied atop the career perfect games list, while his 0.09 ERA this spring tied for first in that single-season category.

Orr also tied for fifth with 16 career shutouts and seventh with five career no-hitters. His four walks this spring were second-fewest in one season – to the three walks he allowed in 2012. Orr also ranks fourth in career hits with 205 and tied for 11th in runs scored with 173, and is listed as well for 104 career stolen bases. He will continue his career this fall at Kalamazoo College

Click to see more of how he ranks against MHSAA baseball's best, and read on for additional recent entries into the MHSAA records. Click the headings below to view each sport’s listings in their entirety.

Baseball

  • Saline’s Michael Hendrickson finished an impressive pitching run this spring with a 0.22 ERA and seven shutouts in only 63 innings pitched – his ERA ranks seventh and the shutouts tied for ninth-most in one season. He also ranks 11th with a 0.97 ERA over 145 career innings pitched. Saline made the team records lists with 419 hits, 80 doubles, a .375 average, 1.36 ERA and 330 strikeouts this season in finishing 32-8.

  • May 12, 2005, was a record-setting day for Sanford Meridian’s Rob Marks. He slugged back-to-back grand slams in the first inning of a 16-0 win over Farwell, becoming one of two listed for back-to-back grand slams and tying the record of eight RBI in an inning.

  • Two more Bath graduates also were added this week – Sam Zeeb for his 47 stolen bases in 2009 and 116 over his four-year career and Scotty Kirkpatrick for his 122 walks drawn from 2008-11. Kirkpatrick’s total ranks second only to Brighton star Drew Henson’s 129 from 1995-98.

Football

  • West Bloomfield senior quarterback Robert Powell, Jr., threw his way into the MHSAA record listings in only nine games last fall – making the single-season yardage (2,323), completions (150) and attempts (275) lists.

Boys Lacrosse

  • Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook-Kingswood’s presence in the MHSAA listings was bolstered by some of its top achievers from this season and dating back to the sport’s first with MHSAA tournament sponsorship. Taylor Ghesquiere was added for 243 career goals including 72 this season, and 293 career points including 89 this spring (he will continue his career this fall at Division III Wesleyan University in Connecticut). Dean Stanton was added for 161 goals from 2006-09, including 68 in 2008, and 85 points in 2009; while Andrew Stanton was added for 108 assists from 2007-10 including 50 in 2008, plus 2011 career points. Andrew Miller’s 2005 stats are presently unavailable, but he was added for 119 career assists over his final two seasons – 2006 and 2007 – and 201 career points over those two as well. Current senior-to-be Johnny Wagner was added for his 90 points this season, and Miller and Andrew Stanton also were added for individual game accomplishments. Former goalie Andrew Wells ranked with the second-most career saves, 603, from 2006-09, plus three times for single-season saves; Jon Harlan also made the single-season list for his 201 saves in 2006.

Boys Soccer

  • Grand Rapids South Christian goalkeeper Aaron Bosch helped the Sailors to the 2010 Division 3 championship with near-flawless play in net – he tied for the MHSAA record of 22 shutouts and second-longest streak of 13 straight clean sheets. South Christian gave up only one goal in seven tournament games – to Galesburg-Augusta in a 5-1 Regional Final win. He now plays at NAIA Northwestern College in Iowa.

  • Monroe keeper Brandon Roeske put together a 12-game shutout run last fall that tied for fourth-longest in MHSAA history, and finished also tied for fourth with 18 shutouts for the season and ninth with 39 shutouts during his four-year career. His 659 career saves also rank ninth on that list. He’ll continue his career this fall at Division III Finlandia University.

Softball

  • Utica Ford advanced to the MHSAA Semifinals this season for the first time, a crowning achievement for one of the top hitters in school history. Catcher Gabby Schefka graduated after putting her name into the MHSAA records in six categories – single-season (19) and career doubles (58), single-season (11, twice) and career home runs (30), for two consecutive home runs and seven RBI, both in a win over Sterling Heights Stevenson on April 30. Teammate Carly Asoklis also had seven RBI in that game, and Gabby Dobroczynski had six RBI against Birmingham Groves on May 4.

  • Jackson’s Sienna Surber capped her career as one of her school’s best by making the MHSAA listings for back-to-back home runs in a game this season, seven and six RBI in one game also both this season, 19 doubles as a junior, 12 home runs as a senior, and a number of career totals – hits (201), RBI (190), doubles (61), home runs (28) and runs scored (179). Her doubles are tied for 10th most in MHSAA career history, and her RBI are tied for seventh on that career list. Surber will join Florida State University’s program as a preferred walk-on this fall, according to a Jackson Citizen-Patriot report.

  

  • Mattawan’s Abby Stoner slugged into the MHSAA records before graduating in 2013 and moving on to play at Saginaw Valley State University. Stoner hit 14 home runs as a senior and 31 over her three-year varsity career – both tied for 11th on those respective lists. She helped Mattawan to the Division 1 championship as a senior, with that team’s 35 wins, 394 hits and 249 RBI also making the record book.

PHOTO: Ryan Orr graduated from Bath this spring as an MHSAA record holder in multiple pitching categories. (Photo courtesy of Bath baseball.)

East Lansing's Smith Nets Goals Record

May 23, 2016

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

East Lansing’s Cole Smith took 36 shots in a boys lacrosse game April 18 against Swartz Creek – and made them count.

The senior attack set an MHSAA record with 18 goals in the 27-8 win, his goal total three more than the previous record. He also had an assist for the Trojans, whose season ended in the Regional last week.

Click to check out the boys lacrosse record book in full, and the headings below to see where the following additions fall in for baseball, softball, boys and girls basketball, volleyball and football.

Baseball

Sterling Heights Parkway Christian’s Ryan Stewart became the first from his school to make the MHSAA baseball record book after hitting .484 over his three seasons from 2012-14. He’s currently playing at Calvin College.

Girls Basketball

A pair of juniors led Pittsford to its first MHSAA title this winter and second straight appearance in the Class D Final. Jaycie Burger was added to the records for the second and third time, this season for 78 3-pointers over 27 games and also 172 assists. Teammate Maddie Clark was added for her 314 rebounds, also in 27 games. The Wildcats also finished 27-0 and have lost only two games over the last three seasons.

Evart’s Mara VanOrder also was added to the single-season rebounds list with 342 this winter. She’s signed with Cornerstone University for track & field/cross country.

Boys Basketball

Dylan Patton finished an excellent three-season varsity career at Leslie among all-time career leaders in rebounds and blocks. He had 843 rebounds and 218 blocks in 66 games over the last three winters, and his single-season 302 rebounds and 100 blocks as a junior both made single-season lists as well. His career blocks total ranks 18th. The 6-foot-8 forward also scored 870 points during his career.

Allen Park Inter-City Baptist senior Garrett Kraatz capped a strong four-season varsity career 10th in made 3-pointers with 228 in 575 attempts. The 5-11 guard made a high of 78 this season after connecting on 72 as a junior in 2014-15.

Lansing Catholic record book achievements going back five schools and more than 60 years were added for a number of players. For season and career rebounds were Jim Cassel (998 from 1975-77) and Ralph Coleman (929 from 1953-55), while Tony Poljan, Bob Fata, Doug Watters, Bill Murphy, Rick Kalchick and Pete Perpich made either single-season or career rebounds lists. Rob Beattie made the single-game steals list with 11 in a contest during the 1991-92 season, while Peter Murray and Pat Prichard made the single-season steals list and Joe Watters made the single-season assists list. Austin Nichols' .836 free-throw shooting percentage from 2007-09 ranks sixth on that career list, and he and Tom Churma both were added for single-season free-throw shooting percentage as well. Nichols also made the single-season free throws list with 174 as a senior, and Alex Kulesza, Churma, Poljan, Matt Fata and Coleman also made the career made free throws list. All played at Lansing Catholic but Coleman (Lansing St. Mary), Murphy, Perpich and Churma (Lansing O’Rafferty) and Doug and Joe Watters (Lansing Resurrection). Those five schools also were added for a number of team milestones; among highlights, Lansing Gabriels' 683 free-throw attempts in 1969-70 rank second, as do its 443 made free throws that season. Nichols went on to play at Northwestern University, while Coleman played at Aquinas College. Bob Fata played football at Michigan State, and Poljan will play football at Central Michigan.

Football

A number of listings from Mason’s successful program were added, led by one of the all-time leading rushing scorers in Saylor Lavallii. He made the career list with 482 points scored, and nearly all came on 80 rushing touchdowns – which rank sixth in that category. Kicker Josh Flamme was added for four field goals in a 2013 game against Toledo Scott, plus nine field goals in 2012 and 24 over his three-season career, and Jacob Derby was added for 56 extra points in 2010 and 47 in 2008, and his 142 over three seasons are tied for 10th most. Running backs Dan Kehres, Hunter Holbrook and Jordan Coulter received entries for single-game rushing attempts, and Lavallii also is listed for a 97-yard punt return in 2011. Graduating quarterback Jarrett VanHavel was added for 365 completions in 664 attempts for 5,149 yards over his four varsity seasons, plus six touchdown passes against Detroit Community on Oct. 23, and Nick Vondra was added for 68 catches for 1,016 yards last season and 120 catches for his career. Sean Wren was added for six punt return touchdowns from 2008-10. Lavallii went on to play at CMU, Wren played at Saginaw Valley State University and Kehres played at Alma College, while VanHavel will play at Mount Union in Ohio this fall. Flamme went on to play soccer and University of Detroit Mercy.

Softball

A trio of Millington hitters have been added to the records, including two for RBI in one game this season. Freshman Sydney Bishop was 5 for 5 and drove in seven runs in a 19-1 win over Vassar on April 16, and teammate Kayli Leix was 3 for 3 and drove in six runs in a 25-0 win over Bridgeport on May 13. Taylor Wright also was added for her back-to-back home runs in her last at bat of a first game and first of a second against Chesaning on May 14, 2015. Wright will play next season at Northwood University, and Leix will play at Mott Community College.

Volleyball

Kaitlyn Ill made the single-match aces list with 13 in Millington’s 3-0 sweep of Bridgeport on Sept. 30. Ill is a freshman.

PHOTO: East Lansing teammates carry Cole Smith off the field after his record-setting game against Swartz Creek on April 18. (Photo courtesy of East Lansing athletic department.)