Local coaches list Reeths-Puffer junior Lainey McDanel as one of the best pitchers in the area.
(Photos courtesy of Joe Lane II)By Nate Thompson
LocalSportsJournal.co
MUSKEGON – Could this spring be considered the “Golden Age” for the amount of talent in the Muskegon area for softball?
A lot of coaches and fans of the sport seem to think so.
One of the more passionate local followers, Red Pastor, definitely agrees. Pastor, who was a long-time assistant coach at Oakridge and is entering his eighth year as the president of the West Michigan Sabercats travel team, said he spends an average of 3-4 nights a week throughout the spring watching Sabercats alums or other standouts throughout the state, so he has a pretty good grasp on who deserves the headlines. And there’s more than he can count on who’s worthy of praise.
“I’d say there’s just as much talent as in year’s past, if not more,” he said. “The thing is, it seems like it’s spread out all over. It’s just not one or two programs that have college-bound kids.”
So coming up with a top 10 in the area is an extremely difficult task. Even listing a top 15 might be leaving out a few extremely talented players. But Pastor said his list of players would start with a pair of programs that could contend for state championships this season, Reeths-Puffer and Ravenna.
Reeths-Puffer junior Lainey McDaniel was one of the consensus among area coaches as one of the best pitchers in the area. The Ferris State University-bound McDaniel was a key reason why the Rockets went 34-5-1 overall last season, won a district title and was knocked out of the Division 1 tournament by eventual state champion Hudsonville. It was the first regional finals appearance in school history for the Rockets and head coach Sarah Bayle.
McDaniel, who is an outstanding centerfielder when she isn’t in the pitching circle, hit .538 with 32 stolen bases and was 16-3 as a pitcher with 186 strikeouts.
“She runs like a deer,” Pastor said. “Very dangerous on the base paths as a slap hitter.”
Added Oakridge coach Joe Coletta, “She can track down any ball in center and she’s a great hitter. But as far as pitching goes, I’d say she’s the best in the area.”
Rockets’ senior pitcher and utility player Mady Snyder was one of the first R-P players since the 1990s to earn first-team all-state honors, as she tallied a .407 batting average, along with four home runs, 38 RBIs, and a 9-1 record as a pitcher. She’s committed to play at Siena Heights University.
Pastor said Rockets’ senior Abbie Critchett is one of the more consistent hitters in the area, and also excels in the middle infield.
Several coaches are labeling Ravenna as one of the favorites to capture a Division 3 state championship this spring, and ninth-year head coach Dave Sherman said this is his most talented squad he’s fielded.
“We’ve only got two girls on our roster who don’t play travel ball,” he said. “One through 10, we’re pretty solid.”
Two of the best are seniors Emma Herremans and Addie Gillard, who are both taking their talents to Ferris State next season.
Herremans is a three-time all-state player, who Sherman said “hits the ball with power.”
“Probably as hard as anyone I’ve seen,” he said. “She also plays an outstanding third base for us. She really shuts down any team looking to play small ball because she has such a great throwing arm and fields the position so well.”
Herremans suffered a serious knee injury that wiped out half of her junior season, but she appears to have fully put it behind her, as she’s off to a roaring start this spring, already hitting .528 through the first month of the season.
Gillard excels in the pitching circle and at the plate. So far this season, she’s hitting a red-hot .576 and also sports a minuscule 0.99 earned run average for the Bulldogs.
Sherman said he also cannot overlook players like sophomores Natalie Rosel, who currently has a 1.12 ERA, or Reese Herremans and Emily Postema, who each make the Bulldogs’ lineup dangerous top to bottom.
At Grand Haven, ninth-year head coach John Hall has a pair of extremely talented juniors who are already committed to Division 2 college programs in Lorelei Chciuk and Bri Borgman. He also agrees that the talent level along the Lakeshore is up a couple notches this spring.
“There’s pockets of really good softball players all over,” he said. “You’re seeing girls who are playing nationally (in the summer). They won’t play in the state. They’re playing in tournaments all over the country. Then you’ll have girls who play more regional. The game is so different. You didn’t have (the amount of travel ball) when I was a kid.”
Chciuk and Borgman both dominate in the pitching circle, but in different ways. Chciuk, who is committed to Saginaw Valley State, baffles hitters with outstanding movement on her pitches, while Borgman, who is going to Ferris State, overpowers batters with a fastball that reaches 65 miles per hour.
“Lorelei is dominant of a pitcher as we’ve had, and she comes at you in a lot of different ways,” Hall said. “That’s what made Mariano Rivera a Hall of Famer – his cutter. That’s the same with Lorelei. Nothing she throws is flat. It’s always up and down or twists and turns.”
She sports a 7-1 record this spring with 95 strikeouts and has limited opposing hitters to a .164 average. Borgman is also a serious threat at the plate, as she’s hitting .426 with home run power.
Oakridge also has two of the better pitchers in the area as well in sophomore Kelcey Osborne and senior Kylee Willea.
“Willea is pitching with a lot of confidence for us,” said her coach, Joe Colletta. “She’s been a rock for us since her freshman year.”
Willea is committed to play at Muskegon Community College, while Osborne is already on a path at playing at the next level as well. She was an Honorable Mention all-state selection in Division 3 a year ago as a utility player and Colletta said she’s equally dangerous as a hitter as she is in the pitching circle.
Colletta said there’s rarely not a week that goes by when Oakridge doesn’t see a college-level player, whether it’s in its own conference or weekend tournaments.
“There seems to be an uptick on (the talent level) around here,” he said. “Ravenna has come a long way and their program is rock-solid. So has Reeths-Puffer and Mona Shores is starting to make that climb. Grand Haven is up there, too. Just a lot of quality programs and players in the area.”
One shouldn’t forget Division 4 power Holton, either, which reached last season’s Division 4 state title game, but couldn’t prevent a fourth-straight championship from Unionville-Sebewaing. The Red Devils’ ace, Kenzie Greene, gained invaluable big-game experience during that tournament run, and is off to an outstanding start this spring. The Aquinas College signee recently struck out 15 batters from North Muskegon during a doubleheader sweep of the Norse on April 23.
Pastor also loves the talent of Fremont sisters Kam Clark, a sophomore, and junior Gracie Clark. Each possesses home-run power at any at-bat, while Kam is becoming a feared ace in the pitching circle. The sisters, in fact, have formed a pitcher-catcher battery, as Gracie can play catcher, third or first.
LocalSportsJournal.co
MUSKEGON – Could this spring be considered the “Golden Age” for the amount of talent in the Muskegon area for softball?
A lot of coaches and fans of the sport seem to think so.
One of the more passionate local followers, Red Pastor, definitely agrees. Pastor, who was a long-time assistant coach at Oakridge and is entering his eighth year as the president of the West Michigan Sabercats travel team, said he spends an average of 3-4 nights a week throughout the spring watching Sabercats alums or other standouts throughout the state, so he has a pretty good grasp on who deserves the headlines. And there’s more than he can count on who’s worthy of praise.
“I’d say there’s just as much talent as in year’s past, if not more,” he said. “The thing is, it seems like it’s spread out all over. It’s just not one or two programs that have college-bound kids.”
So coming up with a top 10 in the area is an extremely difficult task. Even listing a top 15 might be leaving out a few extremely talented players. But Pastor said his list of players would start with a pair of programs that could contend for state championships this season, Reeths-Puffer and Ravenna.
Reeths-Puffer junior Lainey McDaniel was one of the consensus among area coaches as one of the best pitchers in the area. The Ferris State University-bound McDaniel was a key reason why the Rockets went 34-5-1 overall last season, won a district title and was knocked out of the Division 1 tournament by eventual state champion Hudsonville. It was the first regional finals appearance in school history for the Rockets and head coach Sarah Bayle.
McDaniel, who is an outstanding centerfielder when she isn’t in the pitching circle, hit .538 with 32 stolen bases and was 16-3 as a pitcher with 186 strikeouts.
“She runs like a deer,” Pastor said. “Very dangerous on the base paths as a slap hitter.”
Added Oakridge coach Joe Coletta, “She can track down any ball in center and she’s a great hitter. But as far as pitching goes, I’d say she’s the best in the area.”
Rockets’ senior pitcher and utility player Mady Snyder was one of the first R-P players since the 1990s to earn first-team all-state honors, as she tallied a .407 batting average, along with four home runs, 38 RBIs, and a 9-1 record as a pitcher. She’s committed to play at Siena Heights University.
Pastor said Rockets’ senior Abbie Critchett is one of the more consistent hitters in the area, and also excels in the middle infield.
Several coaches are labeling Ravenna as one of the favorites to capture a Division 3 state championship this spring, and ninth-year head coach Dave Sherman said this is his most talented squad he’s fielded.
“We’ve only got two girls on our roster who don’t play travel ball,” he said. “One through 10, we’re pretty solid.”
Two of the best are seniors Emma Herremans and Addie Gillard, who are both taking their talents to Ferris State next season.
Herremans is a three-time all-state player, who Sherman said “hits the ball with power.”
“Probably as hard as anyone I’ve seen,” he said. “She also plays an outstanding third base for us. She really shuts down any team looking to play small ball because she has such a great throwing arm and fields the position so well.”
Herremans suffered a serious knee injury that wiped out half of her junior season, but she appears to have fully put it behind her, as she’s off to a roaring start this spring, already hitting .528 through the first month of the season.
Gillard excels in the pitching circle and at the plate. So far this season, she’s hitting a red-hot .576 and also sports a minuscule 0.99 earned run average for the Bulldogs.
Sherman said he also cannot overlook players like sophomores Natalie Rosel, who currently has a 1.12 ERA, or Reese Herremans and Emily Postema, who each make the Bulldogs’ lineup dangerous top to bottom.
At Grand Haven, ninth-year head coach John Hall has a pair of extremely talented juniors who are already committed to Division 2 college programs in Lorelei Chciuk and Bri Borgman. He also agrees that the talent level along the Lakeshore is up a couple notches this spring.
“There’s pockets of really good softball players all over,” he said. “You’re seeing girls who are playing nationally (in the summer). They won’t play in the state. They’re playing in tournaments all over the country. Then you’ll have girls who play more regional. The game is so different. You didn’t have (the amount of travel ball) when I was a kid.”
Chciuk and Borgman both dominate in the pitching circle, but in different ways. Chciuk, who is committed to Saginaw Valley State, baffles hitters with outstanding movement on her pitches, while Borgman, who is going to Ferris State, overpowers batters with a fastball that reaches 65 miles per hour.
“Lorelei is dominant of a pitcher as we’ve had, and she comes at you in a lot of different ways,” Hall said. “That’s what made Mariano Rivera a Hall of Famer – his cutter. That’s the same with Lorelei. Nothing she throws is flat. It’s always up and down or twists and turns.”
She sports a 7-1 record this spring with 95 strikeouts and has limited opposing hitters to a .164 average. Borgman is also a serious threat at the plate, as she’s hitting .426 with home run power.
Oakridge also has two of the better pitchers in the area as well in sophomore Kelcey Osborne and senior Kylee Willea.
“Willea is pitching with a lot of confidence for us,” said her coach, Joe Colletta. “She’s been a rock for us since her freshman year.”
Willea is committed to play at Muskegon Community College, while Osborne is already on a path at playing at the next level as well. She was an Honorable Mention all-state selection in Division 3 a year ago as a utility player and Colletta said she’s equally dangerous as a hitter as she is in the pitching circle.
Colletta said there’s rarely not a week that goes by when Oakridge doesn’t see a college-level player, whether it’s in its own conference or weekend tournaments.
“There seems to be an uptick on (the talent level) around here,” he said. “Ravenna has come a long way and their program is rock-solid. So has Reeths-Puffer and Mona Shores is starting to make that climb. Grand Haven is up there, too. Just a lot of quality programs and players in the area.”
One shouldn’t forget Division 4 power Holton, either, which reached last season’s Division 4 state title game, but couldn’t prevent a fourth-straight championship from Unionville-Sebewaing. The Red Devils’ ace, Kenzie Greene, gained invaluable big-game experience during that tournament run, and is off to an outstanding start this spring. The Aquinas College signee recently struck out 15 batters from North Muskegon during a doubleheader sweep of the Norse on April 23.
Pastor also loves the talent of Fremont sisters Kam Clark, a sophomore, and junior Gracie Clark. Each possesses home-run power at any at-bat, while Kam is becoming a feared ace in the pitching circle. The sisters, in fact, have formed a pitcher-catcher battery, as Gracie can play catcher, third or first.
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