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'Extraordinary' upstart Lansing Community College 2000 softball team set strong foundation

brian calloway, lansing state journal
·3 min read
The Lansing Community College softball team finished as the national runner-up in 2000 and is part of the latest class going into the Greater Lansing Sports Hall of Fame.
The Lansing Community College softball team finished as the national runner-up in 2000 and is part of the latest class going into the Greater Lansing Sports Hall of Fame.

When Lansing Community College gave the approval to once again field a softball program in July 1999, the recommendation was to start at the club level.to gain their footing.

But Bob Every thought differently.

Every was convinced he could put together a team that could compete immediately as a regular program.

And that proved to be the case as Every quickly assembled a team featuring players from only Greater Lansing.

They worked even better than anticipated on the field as the Stars went from restarting their program to finishing as the 2000 national runners-up in a span of 10 months.

And that stunning first-year success is why the LCC softball team is part of the latest class set to join the Greater Lansing Sports Hall of Fame.Team members will join seven individuals and two other teams at the induction ceremony on July 28 at the Lansing Center.

"Personally I've been doing a lot of baseball and a lot of softball and, frankly to me, it was one of the most extraordinary seasons any team could have," Every said. "You don't even have a team in July. You go out on the field for your first practice in August. You play for a national college championship in the second week of May and you're the runner-up. That's pretty extraordinary."

The national runner-up finish, included a 44-10 final record for the Stars. Jodi Every Parker, Every's daughter, was the team's top hitter and Jennifer Zank was the ace pitcher and among the key components along with players like Emily Church.

Jodi Every practices her catching along with the rest of the Lansing Community College softball team in 2000. Every was the leading hitter for the Stars during a season they finished as the national runner-up.
Jodi Every practices her catching along with the rest of the Lansing Community College softball team in 2000. Every was the leading hitter for the Stars during a season they finished as the national runner-up.

Getting players who played with a travel program he assisted coaching with Roy Rennert was key for Every. Several of those players had been recruited by four-year schools. The Stars also had a few players return home to play as transfers after being at other schools for their first season of college softball.

"I knew based on that (talent) and the commitment from other girls coming back from the colleges they were in their freshman year that we could put together a pretty good team," Every said. "Now as competitive as we were, I don't know that I really envisioned that. The more we got into it, the more I realized that we had something."

One of the biggest moments for the Stars came on a spring break trip to Florida. During the middle portion of that trip, LCC beat defending national champion Lake City. That was the moment Every really knew he had a team capable of competing with anyone.

"That might have been the single-most thing after we had put the team together and played a few games that really jump-started the girls' confidence that we could play," Every said.

Jennifer Zank, shown during a practice in 2000, was among the key players on the Lansing Community College softball team that finished as the national runner-up in 2000.
Jennifer Zank, shown during a practice in 2000, was among the key players on the Lansing Community College softball team that finished as the national runner-up in 2000.

The success of that inaugural season set the tone for the Stars during a strong run under Every's direction. LCC reached the College World Series eight times, made the national title game four times and claimed one national championship during that 11-year run.

"We lost to a really good Phoenix team (in 2000)," Every said. "The word got out in a hurry that this Lansing Community College team is for real and you better pay attention because they are here to stay.

"That first year really set the tone and it really woke a lot of people up. That inaugural team really started the whole heritage and history of Lansing Community College softball."

Contact Brian Calloway at bcalloway@lsj.com. Follow him on Twitter @brian_calloway.

Greater Lansing Sports Hall of Fame induction ceremony

When: 4:30 p.m., July 28

Where: Lansing Center

Cost: $35. To order, go to lansingsportshalloffame.org. 

2022 inductees: Jim Brandt, Roger Callard, Roland Carter, Josephine Mask, Dan Olsen, Rocky Shaft, Rachel Turney, 2000 Everett girls basketball team, 2001 Everett girls basketball team, 2000 Lansing Community College softball team

Sponsors: Dean Transportation, Shaheen Chevy/Cadillac, Applegate Home Comfort, Gregory Eaton Associates, ASAP Printing, Dan Henry Distributing, One North Kitchen & Bar, AF Group, Bill and Andrew Archer Financial Advisors, Magic Johnson Enterprises, Mary Ellen Sheets

This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: Lansing Community College 2000 softball team headed to hall of fame