Michigan State University, East Lansing 2021 MHSAA Baseball/Softball Finals June 17-19 Welcome Easy as 1-2-3 elcome to the MHSAA Finals! This 44 Wis a classroom like no other, and now is the time for the final exam. Like the aca- demic classroom, some have had good fortune along the way getting here; others have overcome adversity. Even today, a good bounce or a bad bounce will occur. Your athletic skills are put to the test, but more importantly, your discipline will be chal- lenged as well. To wait for the exact moment, use the right touch, make the right cut. Discipline also means testing your people skills. To embrace our diverse opponents as Walk-off wins are always exciting, but usually equals, and to employ common decency – reserved for the offense. Drama took a different every – single – moment. Win or lose. shape to end the 2019 MHSAA Division 4 Softball That’s the beauty of educational athletics. Final, as Unionville-Sebewaing turned a triple play The takeaways today are not the trophies and medals, but the life lessons learned and applied. to thwart a rally and claim the title. Good luck to all! INSIDE the mhsaa baseball & softball finals — Mark Uyl MHSAA Executive Director 2019 Softball Finals Review . .5 2019 Baseball Finals Review . .8 MHSAA Programs and Scope 2021 Baseball Brackets . 11 School Sports Editorial . .MHSAA-1 2021 Baseball Finalists . .14 Scholar-Athlete Award . .MHSAA-2 2021 Softball Brackets . .23 2021 Softball Finalists . .2 Finals Apparel . .MHSAA-4 5 2019 Softball Champions . .37 Fall Sports Finals on the Air . .MHSAA-5 2019 Baseball Champions . .40 Student Advisory Council . .MHSAA-6 Baseball/Softball Records . .44 Representative Council . .MHSAA-8 Finals Notes . .46 MHSAA Finals programs are produced by the Michigan High School Athletic Association, Inc., 1661 Ramblewood Drive, East Lansing, Mich.; Executive Director Mark Uyl. The Finals program series is designed by Rob Kaminski, and edited by Kaminski and Geoff Kimmerly. Printing by Spartan Printing, Lansing, Mich. Advertising sales by Royal Publishing, Peoria, Ill. The rest of the MHSAA staff includes: Tony Bihn, Jordan Cobb, Sam Davis, Andy Frushour, Nathaniel S. Hampton, Scott Helmic, Dan Hutcheson, Cody Inglis, John Johnson, Camala Kinder, Cole Malatinsky, Peggy Montpas, Andrea Osters, Thomas M. Rashid, Brent Rice, Laura Roberts, Adam Ryder, Jamie VanDerMoere, Faye Verellen, Tricia Wieferich, Kathy Vruggink Westdorp, Paige Winne, and Karen Yonkers. Cover Photos – Hockey Weekly Action Photos MHSAA Finals 4 2019 Softball Review – Perry A. Farrell, Special for Second Half Hockey Weekly Action Photos Unionville-Sebewaing turned an improbable triple play to end the 2019 EasyEasy asas 1-2-31-2-3 season and begin the celebration. hat a way to win a championship. In a top-play Chants of “USA, USA, USA’’ rang through the Patriots Wmoment, Unionville-Sebewaing turned a triple play in crowd. It was the sixth title for the Patriots (31-9) since 2009. the seventh inning to secure a 3-1 victory over Kalamazoo USA had a first-inning threat as Zimmer tripled with one out, Christian in the 2019 Division 4 softball championship game at but she was left on base. Michigan State’s Secchia Stadium. Polega mowed through Kalamazoo Christian hitters, striking With runners on first and second base, the Comets’ Sammy out eight through three innings and getting out of a jam in the Gano lined a shot off USA pitcher Brynn Polega’s arm. The ball third with a strikeout. ricocheted in the air to shortstop Rylee Zimmer, who touched The Patriots got on the board in the third inning when Maci second base and threw to first to complete the gem. Reinhardt singled and scored on a throwing error with Maci Polega (lower right), a sophomore, had 15 strikeouts and a Montgomery at the plate. Polega bounced out, scoring bruise on her arm. Montgomery, and Delanie Pavlichek doubled in another run to “It hit me right in the elbow, and I just turned around and I make it 3-0. said, ‘Oh my gosh,’” Polega said. “I said please get this, and I The Comets finally got saw (Zimmerman) step on second. The runner on first was to Polega in the sixth inning halfway to second, and I said that’s it. I was so excited when on a single by junior second that happened. To win this as a sophomore is incredible.’’ baseman Megan Snook, “Chaos. I’ve never seen an ending like that,’’ added Patriots who eventually scored on a coach Isaiah Gainforth. “Whether in the Major Leagues, college single by freshman Reagan baseball. I played a lot of different things, and I’ve never seen Broekhuizen. Polega ended anything transpire the way that last inning did. I’m just glad the threat with another we’re on the winning end of it.’’ strikeout, her 15th of the Polega kept the Comets hitters at bay for most of the game. game. “My curveball was working good,’’ she said. “My drop ball “She was zoned in,’’ was good. Right before the game, my pitching coach and I were said her catcher, Hockey W over there working on it. He said stay tall, keep my arm long Montgomery. “Everything and snap hard. That’s what I did all game.’’ was right on the spot. She She had six strikeouts through the first two innings, and by made a couple of mistakes, eekly Action Photos the end of the fifth she had racked up 12. but the defense supported Staked to a 3-0 lead after the third inning and tossing a one- her.’’ hitter, Polega never gave a young Kalamazoo Christian team a Especially in the sev- chance to get back into it before the seventh-inning dramatics. enth inning. 5 MHSAA Finals 2019 Softball Review Warren Regina 3, Howell 2 (8) Adriana James was nervous. The 2019 MHSAA Division 1 Final had moved into the eighth inning, and Warren Regina teammate Marisa Muglia had led off the bottom half by reaching first base on an error. After pinch-runner Jenna Holt moved all the way to third DIVISION 1 base on a sacrifice, James watched Howell walk Regina’s next two hitters to set up force plays at every base. Now the Secchia Stadium bases were loaded for the Saddlelites freshman. James sent a grounder back to the pitching circle, and a bobble gave Holt enough time to cross the plate and finish a 3-2 win that clinched the program’s seventh Finals championship. “When Adriana came up and the pitcher bobbled it … I have no words for it,’’ Holt said. Added James: “All (the pitcher’s) balls were moving outside. I just saw the ball right on the inside corner, low, and I just went for it. We had nothing to lose, and it paid off. I was surprised they walked the two batters because it has really never happened. I was really nervous.’’ The championship was the program’s first since 2015, and all seven have come in Hockey Weekly Action Photos Division 1 or the former Class A under longtime coach Diane Laffey. Howell’s Avrey Wolverton opened her team’s half of the eighth inning with a single, and Maddie Springer walked. Both moved up, but the threat ended on a Muglia strikeout. Muglia finished with 12 strikeouts, and Howell pitcher Molly Carney struck out seven and gave up only five hits. Regina finished the year 30-11, while Howell ended 36-4. Escanaba 7, Stevensville Lakeshore 3 DIVISION 2 Two rarities happened in the first inning of the 2019 MHSAA Division 2 softball cham- pionship game at Michigan State’s Secchia Stadium. The first was Escanaba all-state pitch- er Gabi Salo (left) allowed a walk against Stevensville Lakeshore. The second was Salo gave up a run. Salo entered the championship game with a 25-2 record, 0.24 earned run average and 337 strikeouts and just 21 walks. If that’s not enough, she had given up only six earned runs all year. She gave up three runs – two earned – in the championship game, but contained the Lancers enough to secure a 7-3 victory that clinched the Eskymos’ second straight Division 2 title. “I thought I had my best stuff today,’’ said the junior pitcher. “I thought I went out strong. This means so much. Our school went without a state title from 1981 until last year. For us to bring home another one, I don’t have words.’’ The Lancers surprisingly struck early when Salo surrendered a two-out walk and Meghan Younger drove her home on a double just out of the reach of the centerfielder. It was just the seventh earned run Salo had given up this season. She finished with 11 strikeouts while allowing seven hits. Escanaba finished the spring 34-3, while Lakeshore ended 33-11. Salo helped her own cause in the second inning with a game-tying sacrifice fly. Escanaba loaded the bases in the bottom of the fourth inning and Nicole Kamin and the Eskymos took advantage of a fly ball dropping out of an outfielder’s mitt that allowed three Hockey Weekly Action Photos runs to score and gave the reigning champ a 5-1 lead. Millington 8, Schoolcraft 0 Runner-up in 2018 – and seeking the first team championship in any sport in school history – Millington made sure it would be heading home with a soft- ball title in 2019. The Cardinals dominated Schoolcraft from the start of an 8-0 victory in the MHSAA Division 3 Final at Michigan State’s Secchia Stadium, a year after missing out on that milestone victory by just a run.