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.)

Boyne City Soccer Seniors Make Marks on Record Book

By Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor

August 10, 2021

Boyne City has joined girls soccer’s elite over the last four years, finishing Division 3 runner-up this season in its first trip to a championship game while earning a number of team and individual record book entries along the way.

The Ramblers were added for scoring 138 goals this spring, allowing only 10 and posting 19 shutouts over 25 games – with their shutout streak of 15 the fourth-longest in MHSAA history.

Senior twins Jordan Noble (35) and Taylor Noble (33) both made the single-season goals list this spring and the career list with 97 and 101, respectively, despite seeing their junior season canceled due to COVID-19. Jordan also made the season (29) and career (71) assists lists and the season (64) points list as well, and senior Inanna Hauger also made the single-season assists list with 23.

She’ll continue her career at Minnesota-Crookston, while the Noble sisters will continue at Muskegon Community College.

See more recent record book additions in baseball, girls lacrosse and girls soccer below.

Baseball

Grant Dittmer allowed one run during his senior season of 2017, finishing with a 0.10 ERA to tie for third-lowest in MHSAA history. The Bay City All Saints standout went on to play at Delta College.

More than 50 years later, Dennis Bushey’s name has been added to the record book for his 21 strikeouts in an eight-inning game against Carsonville on May 22, 1969. A senior, Bushey pitched Kinde North Huron to a 3-1 win, while his Carsonville counterpart Terry Phipps struck out 19 batters in defeat. Bushey went on to sign with the Detroit Tigers and pitched at two Class A levels in 1970.

Also a half-century later, Harper Woods Bishop Gallagher’s Greg Boos has received two entries in the records. He struck out 24 hitters over 15 innings during a 1-0 win over Royal Oak Shrine Catholic on May 10, 1971, and he finished that season with 184 strikeouts – which rank 10th all-time on that list.  He went on to play at Wayne State and for a season in the New York Mets minor league system.

Corey Holtrust returned with Zeeland West to the diamond this spring and finished his high school career with an MHSAA record. He was hit by 34 pitches across 42 games – five more HBPs than the previous record set in 2015.

North Muskegon’s run to the Division 3 Quarterfinals this spring was bolstered by a potent offense that made the records in four categories. The Norsemen finished third all-time with 211 stolen bases (in 226 attempts), and also received entries for 411 hits, 84 doubles and a .382 team batting average across 40 games.

Alex Daniels earned entries for stolen bases in a game twice within two weeks this spring, with five against Grand Rapids Union on May 13 and then five again against Muskegon on May 28. He was a senior this season for Holland.

Girls Lacrosse

Hannah Huebner became the latest standout from her school to make the records with eight goals in Caledonia’s 20-3 win over Grandville on April 14. Huebner was a senior this spring.

A pair of Huron Valley United standouts earned single-game record listings, with one also making the single-season points list. Sophomore Emily Prell was added three times for single-game goals, with a high of eight against Novi on April 16, and twice for single-game assists including six against Walled Lake United on May 10. She finished with 81 points, including 47 goals. Junior teammate Jenna Hoppe was added for seven goals against Grand Blanc on April 9 – a game during which Prell also scored seven times.

Girls Soccer

Gabrielle Novak earned three entries for goalkeeper saves this spring as a junior for Parchment. She twice saved more than 30 shots in a game – 32 against Schoolcraft on May 19 after 33 against Kalamazoo Christian on May 12 – and she finished with 256 saves to rank fourth all-time on the single-season list.

PHOTO: Boyne City’s Jordan Noble (5) steps into a pass during this spring’s Division 3 Final at Michigan State University.