Esman's Career Among All-Time Best
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
August 14, 2020
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
Richland Gull Lake’s Lauren Esman was named Miss Softball Pitcher of the Year as a senior in 2019.
But her MHSAA record book legacy all was built at the plate, as she graduated with 19 entries.
Esman ranks on career lists with 216 runs scored (tied for 20th), 225 hits, a .580 batting average (10th), 108 walks (11th), 44 home runs (13th) and 211 RBI (also 13th). She’s playing at University of Michigan.
See below for more recent record book additions in baseball, girls lacrosse, girls soccer and softball, and click on the sport headings to see those record books in full.
Baseball
Former East Grand Rapids standout Ryan Eible has been added in a number of categories for accomplishments over 137 games from 2008-11 before going on to play at Miami of Ohio. His 15 career triples are tied for 11th all-time, and his 176 career runs are tied for 15th. He also was added for a .451 career batting average and twice for being hit by pitches – 15 times as a senior and 35 times over his career.
Cam Schuelke missed out on the opportunity to finish his Byron Center career this spring, but earned a record book entry as a junior with a 0.70 ERA over 69 2/3 innings pitched in going 8-2 on the mound. Schuelke will continue his career at Florida Gulf Coast University.
Girls Lacrosse
Julia Brown took on a significant role for Grand Rapids Forest Hills United as a freshman in 2019, scoring 53 goals. She also made the record book with eight goals in a May 24 game that season against Hudsonville.
A pair of DeWitt standouts both joined the highest scorers all-time during the 2019 season. Then-sophomore Kerrigan Brown finished with 52 goals and 86 points, and then-junior Alexa Beyer scored 57 goals as the Panthers as a team scored 279 over 21 games. DeWitt also was added to the records for 239 goals in 2018 and 264 in 2016. Beyer will continue her career at Youngstown State in Ohio.
Girls Soccer
Ashley Beck set a Charlotte school record and made the MHSAA record book with 30 goals as a senior in 2019. She finished just shy of making the career goals list, ending her four seasons with 65.
Despite playing only three high school varsity seasons, New Baltimore Anchor Bay keeper Ally Gaunt finished with 41 career shutouts to make that record list after adding 11 shutouts as a senior in 2019. She’s currently playing at Saginaw Valley State University.
Longtime St. Clair Shores South Lake coach Marty Shearer was added to the career victories list with a 324-146-48 record from 1990-2017. He led the program to 10 league and seven District championships, and a Regional title in 2000.
Kevin Fiebernitz has coached both girls and boys varsity teams for three decades, and was added to the career wins lists for both. He’s 421-160-61 on the boys side after leading Flint Powers Catholic from 1989-2002 and Linden from 2003-19. He’s 328-162-55 on the girls side after leading Flint Southwestern Academy from 1990-95 and Linden from 1999-2019. He remains coach of both Linden teams, and led the Powers boys to the Class B title in 1996.
Softball
St. Joseph hit 53 home runs in 2019, tied for fourth-most in MHSAA history. Leading the way were then-senior Courtney Farrish with 17 and then-junior Taylor Garey with 12 – both made the single-season individual home run list. Farrish is playing at Western Michigan University, and Garey has signed to join her.
Madelin Skene capped her high school career at Hartland in 2018 with 14 record book listings, including for 239 hits, 63 doubles, 41 home runs and 219 RBI over 143 games and four seasons. The RBI are tied for ninth-most all-time, while the doubles are tied for 13th and the homers rank 16th. Skene is playing at University of Michigan-Dearborn. Additionally, then-senior Brooke Cowan was added to the records for 16 doubles and then-sophomore Delaney Robeson for 11 home runs during the 2019 season. Cowan plays at Davenport University and Robeson has committed to sign with Kent State.
PHOTO: Gull Lake's Lauren Esman readies for a pitch during a 2018 game. (Photo courtesy of JoeInsider.com.)
Pair Powers Mercy Softball to Semifinals
July 16, 2015
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
Farmington Hills Mercy advanced to this spring’s Division 1 Softball Semifinals on the bats of two powerful hitters – one a senior recently recognized as the best in Michigan this season, and the other a junior likely to be a candidate for the same award in 2016.
Alex Sobczak earned the Miss Softball position player award from the Michigan High School Softball Coaches Association and finished her fourth and final varsity season with five career totals in the MHSAA record listings – a .524 batting average, 40 doubles, 40 home runs, 210 runs scored and 112 walks. Her 40 home runs are fifth on that career list and include 17 she hit as a sophomore to tie for third on the single-season list for that category. Sobczak, Mercy’s catcher and leadoff hitter, will continue her career at the University of Michigan.
Teammate Abby Krzywiecki finished her third varsity season making the single-season home runs list with 12 and moving up the career list with 28 to tie for 19th with one more spring to play. She’s also in the MHSAA records four times with at least six RBI in a game plus hit three home runs in a game including two straight in a May 16 win over Mattawan. A first baseman, she’s approaching the career records lists in hits, RBI, batting average and doubles, and hit .574 this season.
As a team, Mercy again made MHSAA lists with 28 home runs this season and 254 RBI over 31 games.
Click the “Softball” heading below to see that sport's record listings in full, and read on for more of this week’s additions in baseball, boys lacrosse and girls lacrosse.
Baseball
- Montague’s 21-9 finish this season included a handful of performances notable for record book inclusion. Junior Jacob Buchberger hit .583 with 11 triples to make those individual lists, while junior Cameron Brayman also made the triples list with eight – those two played large roles as the team finished with 20 triples to tie for third as a team on the single-season list. Junior pitcher Andrew Bobian joined an elite group, walking only five batters in 61 innings pitched. He finished 5-5 despite a 2.52 ERA.
- Mitchell Weber joined a group of players tied for 12th-most doubles in one season, hitting 21 in 37 games this spring. A senior, Weber hit .505 and will play next spring at Kellogg Community College.
- Kaydon Reimer made the single-season hit-by-pitch list with 15 as a junior for Hale, and finished his career in 2014 having been hit with 35 pitches total over four seasons to rank 11th on that career list.
Boys Lacrosse
- Nicholas Lucci continued his climb up the MHSAA career records lists in goals, assists and points with his best season this spring. The Bloomfield Hills junior had 69 goals and 43 assists for a combined 112 points – which tied for ninth on the season points list. He also made the single-game points list with 10 three times and the single-game goals list with eight against Walled Lake Central on March 25. His 221 career points rank 12th with a season to play.
Girls Lacrosse
- Amy Longe finished her four-season varsity career at Hartland as one of the leading scorers in MHSAA history and with 12 entries in the record book. She made the single-season goals list for the second time, this time with 80, and moved up to third on the career goals list with 254. She again made the single-season points list with 112 and moved up to fourth on the career list for that category with 319. Teammates Annelise Kulpanowski and Maddie Thornley both also made records listings multiple times for single-game assists and single-game saves, respectively.
Softball
- Caledonia as a team and freshman Samantha Gehrls among standouts created plenty of buzz this spring as the team advanced past the regional round for the first time, finishing Division 1 runner-up. Gehrls made the record book with seven RBI in a game against Jenison on April 22, and her 15 home runs on the season tied for eighth all-time. Total, Caledonia hit 49 homers – tied for second most by a team, drove in 322 runs to rank sixth on that list and made the team hits list with 429 over 39 games.
- Hudson’s Shian Beekel finished her career with a power-hitting season this spring for the Tigers, driving 23 doubles, which tied for seventh-most for one season. Beekel hit .494 total and also knocked eight home runs.
- Clinton Township Clintondale set a team record for wins in finishing 21-4, and senior Morgan Duda played a starring role. In addition to posting an 11-2 pitching record, she scored the third-most runs in MHSAA history (79), finished the seventh-longest hitting streak (32 games dating to 2014), made records listings with 19 doubles, 10 home runs, and eight RBI in one game and posted the eighth-highest batting average (.692). She will continue her career at Division II University of Minnesota-Crookston.
- Skylar Reed joined an impressive list of Howard City Tri-County players in the MHSAA records with 16 doubles this season, and Alexis Holappa made the list for RBI in a game for the second time, with six April 1 against Evart. They were joined by an older entry now verified – Theresa Dillon had 102 walks from 1983-86, the eighth most now and third most for a career when she graduated. As a team, Tri-County had 397 hits and 249 RBI this season in finishing 16-22.
PHOTO: Abby Krzywiecki (left) and Alex Sobczak teamed up to lead Mercy to a Division 1 Semifinal against Caledonia in June.