Prep Softball Regional Previews: Jonesville and Reading look to win Regional Titles
Two softball teams remain and each has one mission: to win a regional championship. Here's a look at each team and the matchups they face this week. (Stats are subject to change)
D3 Prep Softball Regional 21: Hosted by Sand Creek
Date: Saturday, June 11
Teams: Dundee, Grass Lake, Jonesville and Sand Creek
Regional Semi-final No. 1: Dundee (30-10) vs. Grass Lake (35-3): 10 a.m. Game Time; Regional Semi-final No. 2: Jonesville (24-10) vs. Sand Creek (25-11): 12 p.m. Game Time
Finals: 2 p.m.
Opponent Analysis: Jonesville enters one of the toughest regional brackets in all of D3 softball playoff brackets. Featuring state rankings honorable Mention Grass Lake and a LCAA champion Dundee Vikings, this should be one of the most competitive brackets for fans to go and check out.
Let's start with the Dundee Vikings, who are led by head coach Mickey Moody. Dundee had a perfect 14-0 mark in a tough Lenawee County Athletic Association conference. Dundee slammed Erie Mason 11-3 and Ida 14-4 to win a district championship. Dundee's standout pitcher Kaylee Imo has double-digit wins this season including her district championship victory. Imo has pitched sweeps of teams such as the LCAA's Clinton this year. McKenna Salley and Kelsie Schmidt bring plenty of batting power for the Vikings this year.
Grass Lake has been a dominant team this postseason, taking down the Cascades Conference with ease. Head coach Roger Cook and the Warriors defeated Jackson Lumen Christi 18-0 and Napoleon 7-3 to win a district title. Junior Warrior Laney Brown was the winning pitcher for Grass Lake in their district title game. Olivia Turner, Emily Guthrie and Bree Salts are the leading hitters for the Warriors, who have led the team to an honorable mention D3 state rankings from the Michigan High School Softball Coaches Association.
Head coach Marcia Randall and the Sand Creek Aggies faced off against Jonesville before heading into the postseason. The Aggies split with Jonesville but lost the second game by a final score of 6-1. They rebounded in the playoffs with wins against Blissfield and Adrian Madison to earn a district championship. Both games came down to one run and the Aggies have had experience winning close games before. The Aggies beat Jonesville in that doubleheader with a 4-3 final in the first game.
Pitcher Lauren Keller started both games in the postseason for the Aggies, earning both wins. Keller is also a formidable batter for Sand Creek, having a home run against Blissfield. Aggie Kylie Serin had a triple-base hit in the title game and had multiple hits against Jonesville in their doubleheader. Jersey Still is another strong hitter for the Aggies and had multiple hits against Jonesville in their doubleheader. Clair Pickens is second in hits for the Aggies this season. All three are also great defensive players for Sand Creek.
Players to Watch for Jonesville: Senior leadership proved to be a key strength in Jonesville's run to a district championship. Seniors Mackenzie Baker and Bre Thacker have been major contributors for the team this season. In the district title run, Mackenzie Baker had two triple-base hits in the semifinals. In the finals, Baker went 3-4 at-bat with a triple that drove in a run. Bre Thacker drove in a run and scored. Both players will look to lead their team into the semifinal against Sand Creek and move on to a title game.
Keys to Victory vs. Sand Creek: In their recent doubleheader, the Comets were able to get eight hits in their win and four hits in their loss. If the Aggies start Lauren Keller, the Comets will need to find ways to get on base. Keller allowed only one walk in the 4-3 victory over the Comets. If Jonesville wants to move on to the regional title game, they will have to get the most out of their strong hitting. The Comets had two batters earn multi-base hits, but only earned one run from them combined.
Strong pitching from Lyra Nichols kept Jonesville in that game and pitching from Maddelyn Lee helped them win the second game against the Aggies. Whoever starts on the mound for the Comets will have the tough task of keeping the Aggies off the board in the early innings for Jonesville to take advantage of their opportunities on offense. Jonesville was able to add three runs in the first inning of that second game, which helped them stay out-of-reach from the Aggies.
D4 Prep Softball Regional 30: Hosted by Dansville
Date: Saturday, June 11
Teams: Addison, Dansville, Ottawa Lake Whiteford and Reading
Regional Semi-final No. 1: Dansville (22-13) vs. Ottawa Lake Whiteford (36-4): 10 a.m. Game Time; Regional Semi-final No. 2: Addison (17-17) vs. Reading (15-11): 12 p.m. Game Time
Finals: 2 p.m.
Opponent Analysis: The Reading Rangers played through three games to win their district title. Reading was able to route their opponents in a dominate fashion, with double-digit victories in two of the three games.
Many of the teams in this regional bracket have done the exact same thing. Let's start with looking at Whiteford. Ottawa Lake Whiteford heads into the regional semi's as the clear favorite in this region, as well as a favorite to win a MHSAA D4 state championship. The team is currently No. 2 in Division 4 rankings in the state of Michigan. Whiteford is led by head coach Matt VanBrandt and the team has dominated the competition so far this postseason. Both of their district games closed after five innings, with 16-0 and 10-0 final scores.
The team is led by pitcher Unity Nelson, who has eight no-hitters this season. Berylynn Keller is another strong pitcher for Whiteford, who earned her 17th win of the season in district play. They have playmakers all over the diamond and many of them can create highlight moments as good as anyone in the division. Aly VanBrandt, Patrina Marsh and Karlei Conard look to lead the team at-bat.
Dansville's season has had its ups and downs, but head coach Bill Sherwood has commanded the team to a district title. The team went 8-2 to end their season, with wins over Portland, Eaton Rapids and Durand. They would then go on to roll over Whitmore lake (15-0 four innings) and Morrice (23-1 three innings) in their district championship run.
The key to their success has come from their firepower batting. Sarah Hawkins and Erin Sherwood each had five-or-more RBIs for the Aggies. The team had 19 hits in total during their district championship game. Erin Sherwood also pitched on the mound for the Aggies, giving up only three hits. The team also had 15 hits in their semifinal game. Other major contributors to know from the Aggies are Kourtney Mack and Kelsey St. John. Dansville last one a state championship in 2012, and the team will have to get through 2017 runner-up Whiteford if they want to have a shot.
Addison and head coach Justin Patterson cruised their way to a district title with victories over Vandercook Lake (17-1 final) and Concord (18-8 final). The Panthers have had a streaky season within the Cascades Conference, but the Panthers managed to come together and move on to the regional round of the D4 tournament. The Panthers' starting pitchers include Alisha Gahn and Isabelle Patterson, both credited for wins in their district title run. The Panthers like to get their bats going early and often, shutting down Vandercook Lake in just one inning. Patterson looks to be a key contributor on the offensive side for the Panthers as well, and senior Shelby Whitehead has the ability to turn any line drive into a double or triple-base hit.
Players to Watch for Reading: Head coach Melissa Warfield and the Rangers will have a strong task ahead of them entering one of the most stacked brackets in the entirety of the Division 4 tournament. However, Reading's ability to score on any at-bat may prove to be a key difference maker for the team. At the very least, it gives the Rangers squad an equalizer when facing their opponents this Saturday.
The team's quality hitting has been their greatest strength this season, with many players have more than 20 hits. Seniors Brayleigh Butts and Ashlyn Tesch lead the team in hits with 40 and 37, respectively. Tesch leads the team in RBIs with 44. Butts leads the team with 45 runs scored and leads the team with 22 stolen bases. Both seniors will be major contributors during their regional semifinal. Four players have multiple home runs for the Rangers this season. Tesch, Blakeleigh Cornstubble, Maggie Santure and Cadence Flynn all have four home runs.
Keys to Victory vs. Addison: Given the quality batting from all four teams, the Rangers will need to out-hit their opponents, especially Addison. If the Rangers can get on base and drive in multiple runs on one opportunity, as they have multiple times this season, they have a chance to outpace the Panthers to victory. The team who limits any extra chance opportunities due to errors may be able to use their base running skills to score runs without the need for hits. This could turn into a double-digit shootout, but the Rangers have the ability to come out and send a message to the two other teams in the bracket that they are a force to be reckoned with in a high-scoring victory.
This article originally appeared on Hillsdale Daily News: Prep Softball Regional Previews: Jonesville, Reading head into Semi's
