Grass Lake, Clare Do Double Damage to Earn Spots on Championship Day
By
Keith Dunlap
Special for MHSAA.com
June 13, 2025
EAST LANSING — Hitting balls to the gaps has been the backbone of Grass Lake’s offense all season.
So it was fitting that was the case again during the first MHSAA Division 3 Semifinal on Friday.
The Warriors hit a pair of gap shots that ended up producing three runs in a 4-2 triumph over Algonac in a matchup of teams both looking to make their first championship game appearance.
Grass Lake entered the game with 93 doubles on the season, tied for 23rd most in state history.
“They are so comfortable taking those short, compact swings and finding the gaps,” Grass Lake head coach Roger Cook said of his players. “I think that has helped us a lot with the doubles.”
The first big hit to the gap came in the third inning courtesy of senior Nadene Hubbard, who laced a 2-run double to right-center that drove in two runs and made it 2-1 Grass Lake.
The Warriors took a 3-1 lead in the fourth inning on an RBI single by Bree Salts, and then with a runner on first and two outs in the sixth, junior Leilah Smith hit a line drive to the gap in right-center that ended up scoring senior Emily Brown from first base.
Grass Lake (40-4) also got a good pitching performance from junior Morgan Conrad, who allowed single runs in the first and seventh innings, but nothing in between. Conrad struck out 11, walked two and allowed four hits, saying her curve ball and rise ball were on point.
“Just keeping (their lineup) off-balance, trying to go out and then try and bring it back up,” she said.
Things did get a little uncomfortable for Conrad and Grass Lake in the bottom of the seventh inning.
The Muskrats (24-15-1) made things interesting by scoring a run on a wild pitch to make it a 4-2 game, then putting runners on first and second base with one out.
But Conrad got out of the jam with a strikeout and a popup to end it.
“I just kept taking deep breaths and telling myself, ‘Have fun. It’s OK,’” Conrad said. “I just knew my team had my back and would get the outs. I was just trying to stay confident.”
Algonac took a 1-0 lead in the first inning on an RBI single by junior Ava Murray. The Muskrats couldn’t get anything going after that until the seventh inning when they nearly pulled off a rally.
“I feel like that’s kind of how our season has been going,” Algonac head coach Natalie Heim said. “We’ve been coming from behind, and we had the top of our lineup coming up. At the end of the day, somebody had to lose. Unfortunately it was us.”
Grass Lake finished with 10 hits.
Clare 2, Ravenna 1
Clare senior Morgan Campbell and head coach Shane Kelly disagree on whether Campbell was in a slump entering their team’s Semifinal against Ravenna.
But what can be agreed upon is that Campbell might have delivered the biggest hit in school history for Clare.
With two outs and a runner on first base following an error in the bottom of the sixth inning, Campbell blasted a double to left field to drive in what turned out to be the game-winning run.
Ranked No. 1 going into the MHSAA Tournament, Clare (39-2) advanced to its first championship game.
“I’ve been going through a slump, and that was my time to come out of it,” Campbell said.
Kelly feels a bit differently about Campbell’s “slump.”
“Morgan has never been in a slump,” he said. “She’s been hitting the ball hard, doing all the right things in practice and listening to the coaches. When she got up there, I said, ‘Morgan, she’s going to throw you a strike on that first pitch. Don’t miss it.’ She didn’t miss it.”
Campbell’s hit was the difference in a nice pitchers’ duel between Clare junior Kyley Wyman and Ravenna sophomore Natalie Rosel.
Wyman threw a three-hitter, striking out 11 and walking one. Rosel allowed just four hits, striking out four and walking one.
No. 4 Ravenna broke a scoreless tie in the fourth inning when junior Riley Homoly walked with the bases loaded. But Wyman kept the score at 1-0 by getting out of the inning via a popout and a strikeout.
In the fifth, Clare tied the game at 1-1 on a 2-out single to right by senior Alissa Brandon. That ended up setting the stage for Campbell’s heroics in the sixth.
Wyman pitched a 1-2-3 seventh to secure the victory.
Ravenna finished 34-5, but has a bright future with just two seniors on the roster.
“I feel good about this team,” Ravenna head coach Dave Sherman said. “Yeah, we lost this game. But they battled all season long and it was a great season. There are great kids on this team, and I love them all. We’ll be back.”
PHOTOS (Top) Grass Lake's Emily Brown takes a powerful swing during her team's Semifinal win over Algonac. (Middle) Clare's Kyley Wyman (2) drives a pitch Friday.
Performance: Three Rivers' Kali Heivilin
April 26, 2019
Kali Heivilin
Three Rivers sophomore – Softball
Heivilin, coming off 18 home runs last season as a freshman, already has hit 12 more over 17 games this spring including six over five games last weekend to earn the Michigan Army National Guard “Performance of the Week.” The sophomore shortstop drilled three in Friday’s doubleheader sweep of Plainwell and then one each in all three games as her team went 2-1 at the Constantine Invitational.
Heivilin made the Division 2 all-state first team last spring and is hitting .667 this season with 33 RBI and 46 runs scored to go with her 12 homers. She's been walked 15 times and hasn't struck out; she's carrying an incredible .731 on-base percentage. Three Rivers is 15-3 with its only losses to No. 10-ranked Edwardsburg twice and once to Portage Central. Her athletic talents are not exclusive to the softball diamond; Heivilin is a starting outside and middle hitter on the varsity volleyball team and two-time all-league honoree in basketball. Also this winter, she earned a fifth place at the Michigan High School Powerlifting Association championships.
She also excels academically, carrying a 3.89 grade-point average with her favorite classes in science – particularly anatomy – and aspirations of studying something in the medical field down the road. She’s following the example of senior brother Jalen Heivilin, himself a multi-sport and academic standout at Three Rivers this year, and sports stardom runs in the family – their grandfather Al, a longtime MHSAA official, was a Three Rivers record holder in track & field and competed at Ferris State University after high school. Kali has lots of time to figure out her college future, of course – but is receiving interest from softball programs both north and south. Her big week also earned her recognition from Extra Innings Softball, which named her its National Player of the Week on Monday.
Coach Kendra Kutz said: "She just has a passion and drive for what she does, not just in softball but in life. She's very dedicated to herself and her well-being. She takes care of herself; I had the honor of helping her during basketball season when I was an assistant coach this year, and even on game days she'd go to CrossFit at 6 a.m. before school. She's just a beast -- not a typical 16-year-old girl. She's focused, she has a passion for what she does with her life and she's a great student, and she comes from a very well-rounded family that is very supportive of her. As a freshman, she just had a breakout to begin her career. She's not one of those types of leaders that's verbal. She's just a silent leader; she's young, and she's still trying to find her place as far as what she can say to her players and to feel comfortable in that atmosphere. (But) when she's focused, it's game time, and that to me is the start of leadership. ... I can put that girl anywhere on the field and she can get the job done. She's just a kid every coach wishes they had."
Performance Point: “I’m just having a good spring. I trained really hard in the offseason to make sure I improve from last year and don’t go downhill. I have a really big summer ahead of me. … I’m just doing really good right now, and hoping I stay where I’m at. Since we do CrossFit, and I do powerlifting, it makes me a lot stronger, helps me more at the plate approach and attack the ball. And then in the field it makes me more mobile and able to get places faster and more efficiently because I have more mobility.”
Workout warrior: “I get up every morning and work out before school. It’s just a big motivator for me because I see what it’s done for me in the past. I really like the outcome of it. The place I work out at, we’re all like a family, so we all push each other. We’re cheering for each other. … My brother, his best friend did CrossFit for a long time working out, so my brother joined. I look up to my brother, so I want to do what he did. So I started about four and a half years ago, and I haven’t stopped since.”
We manage: “I love playing everything because I like having things to do. I like my rest time, but I like staying active. So that’s why I do all the stuff I do. I manage it; I talk to my coaches, like I have to be at this place at this time, and they’re like, ‘OK, we’ll do practice from this time to this time.’ I like to make sure I do everything I need to do and want to do … because I like to stay busy. My dad (Shawn) likes me and my brother to be independent and wants us to learn how to manage our time, so he really helped me with it – like, ‘You’re responsible for this. If you want to do it, you have to figure out how to do it, how you’re going to be able to do it.’ So I give credit to my dad for helping to figure all of that stuff out.”
Brotherly love: “I learned a lot of responsibility and confidence from my brother. He’s so good. He’s worked hard to get to be where he wants to be, and I looked up to him to be like, ‘Oh, he did that. I want to do that.’ I learned how to work hard, how to be confident, how to be humble.”
Colleges are watching: “I want to play down south for softball for college … but I will stay up north if that is what fits me best. It’s weird. (Recruiting) comes fast. My parents and my brother are the ones that help me. My dad and brother are probably having the biggest impact – my brother is going through it right now and my dad has experience going through it, and my mom (Crystal) is there for me too. They are the ones helping me do what I need to do, make the right decisions and keep my head where it should be.”
- Geoff Kimmerly, Second Half editor
Had a good 5 game stretch. 2 yesterday 3 today. 11/14 6 HR 3 doubles 5 walks .785 @magicgold03 #staysharp pic.twitter.com/0FQRntQKJX
— kali heivilin (@kheivilin03) April 20, 2019
Every week during the 2018-19 school year, Second Half and the Michigan Army National Guard recognizes a “Performance of the Week" from among the MHSAA's 750 member high schools.
The Michigan Army National Guard provides trained and ready forces in support of the National Military Strategy, and responds as needed to state, local, and regional emergencies to ensure peace, order, and public safety. The Guard adds value to our communities through continuous interaction. National Guard soldiers are part of the local community. Guardsmen typically train one weekend per month and two weeks in the summer. This training maintains readiness when needed, be it either to defend our nation's freedom or protect lives and property of Michigan citizens during a local natural disaster.
Past 2018-19 honorees
March 28: Rickea Jackson, Detroit Edison basketball - Read
March 21: Noah Wiswary, Hudsonville Unity Christian basketball - Read
March 14: Cam Peel, Spring Lake swimming - Read
March 7: Jordan Hamdan, Hudson wrestling - Read
February 28: Kevon Davenport, Detroit Catholic Central wrestling - Read
February 21: Reagan Olli, Gaylord skiing - Read
February 14: Jake Stevenson, Traverse City Bay Reps hockey - Read
February 7: Molly Davis, Midland Dow basketball - Read
January 31: Chris DeRocher, Alpena basketball - Read
January 24: Imari Blond, Flint Kearsley bowling - Read
January 17: William Dunn, Quincy basketball - Read
November 29: Dequan Finn, Detroit Martin Luther King football - Read
November 22: Paige Briggs, Lake Orion volleyball - Read
November 15: Hunter Nowak, Morrice football - Read
November 8: Jon Dougherty, Detroit Country Day soccer - Read
November 1: Jordan Stump, Camden-Frontier volleyball - Read
October 25: Danielle Staskowski, Pontiac Notre Dame Prep golf - Read
October 18: Adam Bruce, Gladstone cross country - Read
October 11: Ericka VanderLende, Rockford cross country - Read
October 4: Kobe Clark, Schoolcraft football - Read
September 27: Jonathan Kliewer, Grand Rapids Forest Hills Northern soccer - Read
September 20: Kiera Lasky, Bronson volleyball - Read
September 13: Judy Rector, Hanover-Horton cross country - Read
PHOTOS: (Top) Three Rivers' Kali Heivilin powers through a pitch. (Photo courtesy of Three Rivers' athletic department.)