Record-Setting Slugger Powers Mercy
August 15, 2016
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
The Farmington Hills Mercy softball team enjoyed one of the winningest seasons in MHSAA history this spring bolstered by one of most accomplished hitters ever to step into the batter’s box in this state.
The Marlins finished 43-2 – tying for third-most wins in a season – and won their first MHSAA title, clinching in Division 1. Meanwhile, senior Abby Krzywiecki hit a single-season record 20 home runs to go with 18 more listings in the MHSAA record book as she finished her high school career.
Her 82 runs this spring are tied for eighth-most, her 48 career home runs are second on that list, her 94 RBI this season sit third most and her 238 career RBI place second on that list. She was named Miss Softball as the top position player in 2016 and will continue her career at South Alabama.
Two teammates also made the MHSAA records this spring; junior Sophie Van Acker with 82 hits and sophomore Anna Dixon with 72. The team’s 510 hits were second-most in MHSAA history and only two off the record.
Click to see where all three rank in the MHSAA softball record book, and see below for other recent additions in softball, baseball, girls soccer and boys lacrosse. (Click on the sport heading to see those record books in full.)
Baseball
Traverse City West celebrated its most successful season this spring, including its first trip to the MHSAA Semifinals, and tied for seventh-most wins in a season in MHSAA history with a final 41-3 record. The Titans also made the team record lists with 431 hits, 427 runs, 361 RBI and a .369 team average, and their 70 times hit by pitch were second-most for one season. Individually, senior Alex Strickland was added for 74 RBI this spring and senior Nick Brzezinski for 73 hits, 68 runs and eight triples. Brzezinski will continue at Aquinas College this fall.
Austin Putman earned two record book entries with three home runs against Suttons Bay on May 12. The Charlevoix senior not only made the list for most homers in one game, but also for most in consecutive at bats tying for eighth on that list by hitting them in three straight plate appearances as his team won 7-4.
Dearborn Fordson senior Hassan Jaafar made his way around the bases quite a bit during a 13-12 win over Dearborn Henry Ford Academy on April 13. Jaafar stole seven bases, tying for second most in one game and ending up just one shy of tying the MHSAA record.
Boys Lacrosse
Detroit Country Day’s back-to-back MHSAA Semifinal runs the last two seasons were led by a foursome of standouts who are now all over the MHSAA record book for the sport. Emilio Sosa graduated in 2015 and now has five entries including 181 goals, seventh most. Cooper Belanger was a senior this spring and is listed 10 times, most notably for 317 career points, which rank sixth on that list, and 149 career assists, which rank fourth. David Pohl’s three entries before graduating in 2015 included tying for second-most assists in a game, nine, against East Grand Rapids his senior season, and 116 career assists that tie for eighth. And goalie Jackson White finished up this spring with 11 entries including four seasons on the single-season saves list – his 257 in 2015 rank second – and 872 career saves, which also rank second. Sosa played this spring at Kenyon College in Ohio, and Belanger is slated to begin his collegiate career this fall at Colgate in New York.
New Baltimore Anchor Bay’s William Moses joined the single-game scoring list in April. The recent graduate netted eight goals in a 16-1 win over Warren Mott to break his school’s record by two goals.
Fenton goalkeeper Abby Quesnelle earned her second entry for shutouts in one season with 13 this spring as a junior in 24 games to go with 15 shutouts as a sophomore in 2015. Fenton reached the Regional Final in Division 2 before falling to eventual MHSAA champion Pontiac Notre Dame Prep.
Her team may have fallen 3-0, but Jennifer Gutierrez did her part to keep Caro close to Millington on May 4. The recently-graduated keeper had an MHSAA record 50 saves for the Tigers as the Cardinals put 53 shots on goal.
Softball
Lauren Kanai was perfect in her team’s 17-0 five-inning win over Greenville on May 19 – the Ada Forest Hills Eastern junior pitcher tossed the perfect game in part by striking out 14 of 15 batters faced to make the MHSAA list for most strikeouts in a five-inning game. She also had two RBI.
Howell’s Veronica Pezzoni is a perfect 75 of 75 on stolen base attempts over the last two seasons, good for the fourth-longest streak in MHSAA history. The senior-to-be needs only 25 more without getting caught to set the MHSAA record. Junior teammate Jordan Humitz also made the MHSAA records with 13 home runs this spring. Howell as a team made lists in multiple categories over the last two seasons – with 454 hits, 93 doubles, 339 RBI and a .400 team batting average in 2015 when it finished 32-9-1; and for 493 hits, 93 doubles, a .415 average and 330 RBI this spring in finishing 30-11.
PHOTO: Farmington Hills Mercy's Abby Krzywiecki steps in against Macomb Dakota during this spring's Division 1 Final.
Coleman Scores Records Recognition
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
August 21, 2020
With Jaden Berthume playing a leading role, Coleman made three straight Division 4 Semifinals trips in softball from 2017-19 – and her work has resulted in her ranking among the best in multiple MHSAA record book categories.
Berthume has entries for 189 runs, 257 hits (tied for 12th all-time) and 175 RBI over 166 games and four seasons before graduating in 2019. Coleman as a team was added to the records for winning 35 games both in 2017 and 2019 and for a variety of other stat totals over her career.
Additionally, teammate Faith Barden was added for striking out 14 Ashley batters in a five-inning game in 2018 and driving in six runs in a 2019 win over Morrice, and Liz Dana was added for six RBI in a 2017 win over Carson City-Crystal.
Berthume plays at Northwood University, and Barden plays at Lawrence Tech. Barden graduated in 2018, and Dana graduated in 2017.
Click to see the softball record book, in full and check out below more recent record book additions in girls basketball, hockey, boys soccer, boys tennis and volleyball.
Girls Basketball
Stephenson’s Tori Wangerin had one of the most prolific rebounding games in MHSAA history Feb. 3, 2015 against West Iron County. Wangerin grabbed 28 rebounds in the 51-28 win. She went on to play at University of Wisconsin at Marinette.
Plymouth was added to the team record book for attempting 482 3-pointers and making 155 over 23 games last season, led by then-junior Ella Riley’s 75 3-pointers to make the individual record list. She had seven as Plymouth made the single-game list with 14 3-pointers in a Jan. 17 win over Salem.
Hockey
Nicklas Lockhart became the second player in the category for two goals scored during the shortest amount of time. He tallied two over six seconds for Caledonia/Lowell against East Kentwood on Feb. 8, at 13:19 and 13:13 to play in the second period, as his team went on to a 7-2 victory.
Boys Soccer
Zachary Cepo completed one of the most notable high school careers in Michigan history last fall, finishing his fourth varsity season at Monroe St. Mary Catholic Central with 41 goals, 33 assists and 74 points. All three made record book lists, as did his career numbers of 102 goals, 146 assists and 248 points. The career assists extended the MHSAA record he reached as a junior; he also owns the single-season assists record set as both a sophomore and junior. His career points rank third all-time.
Boys Tennis
The No. 2 pair of Trevor Teunis and Jared Berghorst and No. 4 of Chad Koenig and Josh Sommers were among strong doubles that helped Hudsonville qualify for last season’s Lower Peninsula Division 1 Finals. Teunis and Berghorst made the record book finishing 28-6, as did Koenig and Sommers finishing 31-5. Both No. 2 players were seniors last fall, and both No. 4 players were sophomores.
Volleyball
Spring Lake setter Kyla Kobylak finished her sophomore year last fall with an MHSAA record after tallying 71 assists over five games against Grand Rapids Catholic Central on Oct. 8. Spring Lake won 25-27, 31-29, 25-23, 21-25 and 15-11.
Melina Robertson just missed making the single-season assists list as both a junior in 2018 and a senior last fall, when she totaled a career-high 1,054 for Sault Ste. Marie. But with those four seasons together, Robertson ranks 21st with 3,730 career assists.
Hopkins senior Brianna Miller will be working to move up the MHSAA career lists in kills and aces this fall after reaching both as a junior. She has 1,435 kills and 289 aces over 405 games and three seasons with one to play, and she also was added for 675 kills last year. Teammate Ashley Bultema also was added to the records last fall as a senior with 11 aces during a two-game win over Grand Rapids Union on Oct. 12.
Makenzie Bonnell finished her Marshall four-season varsity career last fall with the ninth-most assists in rally scoring history, 4,225, and three listings on the single-season assists list. Her single-season high came as a senior, with 1,293, and she also topped 1,200 as both a sophomore and junior.
PHOTO: Coleman’s Jaden Berthume crosses the plate during a 2019 Division 4 Semifinal at Secchia Stadium.