Muskegon Oakridge Surging Again, but with Switch to Heavy-Hitting Style
By
Tom Kendra
Special for MHSAA.com
May 5, 2022
Don’t expect much “small ball” from the Muskegon Oakridge softball team.
While veteran Oakridge coach Joe Coletta has fielded speedy teams in the past that terrorized opponents with stolen bases and bunting, this year’s edition manufactures runs the old-fashioned way – by swinging for the fences.
“We don’t have any girls at the top of the order that are going to steal bases – I’ll just let everybody know that,” said Coletta with a smile, after his team improved to 13-0 on Wednesday with two come-from-behind wins over visiting West Michigan Conference rival Ravenna, which also entered the showdown unbeaten.
“We’re not a speed team; we’re a long-ball hitting team. We have to be patient at times, but the long ball can change the game in a hurry.”
It certainly took some patience Wednesday, as Ravenna junior ace Emma Gillard baffled the Eagles early with her changeup, leading many in the crowd to wonder if they were witnessing a changing of the guard in WMC softball.
Then came the fifth inning.
The Oakridge “Smash Sisters” went to work and scored 11 runs, turning a scary 5-0 deficit into a comfortable 11-5 lead. The Eagles did it with not one, not two, but three over-the-fence home runs in that pivotal inning.
The lead basher for the Eagles is senior second baseman Jasmine “JJ” Pastor, who struck out in her first two at-bats Wednesday before getting her team on the board in that big inning with a two-run homer over the left-centerfield fence.
“I knew what happened the first two at-bats, and I knew it was time for me to step up,” said Pastor, a Muskegon Community College commit who is batting .444 with a team-high six home runs and nine doubles.
Pastor’s shot opened the floodgates, with the biggest hit of all coming from junior catcher Andrea Romero-Serrano (who bats sixth in the lineup), who belted a grand slam to give the Eagles a 6-5 lead. The final long ball of the inning came from sophomore first baseman Madison Clark, a lefty who pulled one over the rightfield fence for her team’s final runs in an 11-6 win.
The Eagles’ power is not contained to the top of the batting order, either, as eight of the nine starters have hit out-of-the-park home runs this spring.
Oakridge, which is ranked No. 7 in Division 2, had to rally again in second game, falling behind 6-3 heading into the sixth inning.
That was when the bottom of the Eagles’ batting order sparked another rally. Freshman Brenna Cabrera and sophomores Ahria Doornbos and Mallori Whipple all singled, leaving the bases loaded for Pastor.
After swinging wildly at a pair of lethal changeups from Ravenna freshman Addison Gillard, Pastor was ready for the third off-speed pitch, waiting on it perfectly and smashing a game-changing grand slam. Oakridge would add a pair of insurance runs in the top of the seventh for a 9-6 win.
Kaelinn Jozsa, a sophomore shortstop, leads Oakridge with a .600 batting average and three home runs. Other leading hitters are senior Brooklyn Galdeen (.467, two home runs), Clark (.412, two home runs) and senior centerfielder Delaney Ruel (.410).
Galdeen is the Eagles’ ace pitcher, with seven wins. Josza has five wins, and freshman Kylee Willea earned a gutty win in her first start of the season in Wednesday’s nightcap against Ravenna.
Oakridge now has a leg up as it seeks its sixth-straight WMC title. The Eagles have been the premier softball program in the Muskegon area over the past decade, winning seven District titles under Coletta. The highlight was a four-year stretch from 2016 to 2019, when the Eagles won 30 or more games each season.
Coletta said that Pastor, one of three seniors in the Oakridge starting lineup along with Galdeen and Ruel, was more vocal than he’s ever seen her at practice leading up to Wednesday’s showdown. Pastor said she was motivated by last year’s matchup with Ravenna, when the Bulldogs snapped the Eagles’ incredible 65-game conference winning streak in a doubleheader split, leading to a shared league championship.
“It’s just great competition between us and always back-and-forth,” said Pastor, whose father, Red Pastor, has coached her for many years in travel softball and is the Eagles’ longtime assistant coach. “Knowing that we have Ravenna right there, coming after us, pushes us even more.”
The two teams are likely to square off again in Saturday’s Greater Muskegon Athletic Association County Tournament, where Ravenna (16-2) will certainly be out for revenge.
One of the nice aspects of the budding softball rivalry between the two neighboring school districts is that they will go their separate ways in the postseason, with Oakridge in Division 2 and Ravenna in Division 3.
For Coletta, a three-sport athlete at Ravenna who has now won 280 games in 14 years as the Oakridge softball coach, the softball diamond is just the latest stage for one of the state’s best prep rivalries - which has been part of his life since he was a little kid.
Coletta served as the longtime offensive coordinator at Oakridge under Jack Schugars, the winningest football coach in Muskegon-area history. The Oakridge-Ravenna football rivalry ran red-hot during those years, particularly a 15-year stretch from 1994 to 2008, when the Bulldogs won four state titles and the Eagles won three.
“When I came over here to coach football, the rivalry was very intense,” said Coletta, who returned as softball coach this spring after stepping down in 2019. “I really enjoyed that rivalry, and now it’s going to be just like that for a while in softball – we both have some great young players. If you’re a competitor, this is exactly what you want.”
Tom Kendra worked 23 years at The Muskegon Chronicle, including five as assistant sports editor and the final six as sports editor through 2011. E-mail him at [email protected] with story ideas for Muskegon, Oceana, Mason, Lake, Oceola, Mecosta and Newaygo counties.
PHOTOS (Top) Muskegon Oakridge senior second baseman Jasmine Pastor connects at the plate. Pastor is batting .444 this season with eight home runs and nine doubles for the Eagles, who are 13-0 and ranked No. 7 in Division 2. (Middle) Head coach Joe Coletta, left, and assistant Red Pastor have built the Oakridge softball program into one of the best in West Michigan. (Photos by Sherry Wahr.)
Aspirations High as New Coach Leads Paw Paw Lineup Coming Off Run to 2025 Finals
By
Pam Shebest
Special for MHSAA.com
March 31, 2026
PAW PAW — When it comes to inheriting a team, first-year softball coach Allison Frisinger hit the jackpot.
Paw Paw made school history last year, reaching the MHSAA Division 2 Softball Final for the first time — and with no seniors on the team.
With everyone back this year, the Red Wolves have some lofty goals and kicked off the season with a 6-0 record heading into spring break.
“What a job to come into,” Frisinger said. “We like high expectations.”
Although last year’s team won Wolverine Conference, District and Regional titles and advanced to the season’s final day, Paw Paw is hoping to add a Finals championship to its portfolio.
With impressive credentials, the new coach knows what needs to be done. She was part of Kalamazoo Christian’s 2002 championship team, coached by Marty DeJong, and was a two-time all-state player. For the last 10 years, she has also given softball lessons and is no stranger to most of her players.
“I’ve actually trained a lot of these girls,” she said. “I’ve been their pitching and hitting coach for a long time. I got to know a lot of the girls, and they talked me into applying for the job.”
Learning from the past
Last year, Frisinger followed the team all the way to the Finals and made some notes for this season.
One thing that caught her attention was watching Richmond pitcher Katie Shuboy lead her team to a 3-0 win against Paw Paw in the Final.
“That pitcher was really skilled,” Frisinger said. “Watching her, she moved the ball around really well. I think the girls learned we need to see some better pitching to prepare to hit off better pitching.”
To help with that, the coach worked with the pitching staff in the offseason and added some tough competition to this season’s schedule.
“I’ve been working really hard with those guys, developing their pitches better, getting better movement, maybe add a different pitch in, so they’ve been working really hard,” she said.
“The goal for building a better schedule this year was to face some really tough teams. I’m okay losing to a good team. You see better competition.”
Cami VanderMeeden, in her fourth year on varsity, is one of five seniors on this year’s team. The others are Carlie Streich, Stella Shaefer, Megan Miller and Kailey Nichols.
“We’ve learned a lot from last year,” said VanderMeeden, who will play softball at Western Michigan next year. “We learned that we need to have better practices. We work a lot harder in practices this year, and we work together more as a team.
“This group of girls, we’ve all been together through middle school and most through elementary school. We have a good bond with each other.”
Frisinger said the third baseman has matured a lot since she first started working with her.
"She just plays with her whole heart,” the coach said. “She does everything hard. It’s just fun to watch.”
No longer rookie on the mound
Lauren MacKellar is one of six juniors on this year’s team along with Aliya Edson, Bella Clemons, Elizabeth Vanderburg, Kourtney Nichols and Raegan Zache. Two sophomores are Ellie Herbert and Charlotte Harling. Terry Reynolds is the assistant coach; he led Kalamazoo Christian to Division 4 runner-up finishes in 2014 and 2015.
Last year, her first on varsity, MacKellar was in the circle for the Final.
“It was a lot more than I’m used to, but I think I handled it the best that I could,” she said.
The pitcher is another who has trained with Frisinger.
“That kid is another one who has developed so much,” the coach said. “The way she gets the ball to move is impressive for her age.
“I’ve said that from when she entered high school, I was very impressed with the way she can spin the ball.”
Edson, in her third year on varsity, said the team never expected to advance as far as it did last year but is using it as a learning experience.
The catcher is “calm and cool behind the plate,” Frisinger said. “I would love to pitch to her. She’s just helps bring that pitcher in and control their emotions. She’s just very good and in charge out there.”
MacKellar said she and Edson work well together.
"We’ve known each other for a long time and worked together so much over the past years,” MacKellar explained. “Last year, it was on us most of the time to make the right decisions and the right calls for pitches.”
Sticking together
Edson said softball is really a family.
“It’s always been something I can look forward to to keep my spirit up,” she said. “It’s always been there for me when I was having a tough time.”
With this team, “We’ve been playing with each other since we were little and we just have that chemistry and bond,” she said. “We definitely have a lot of good players.”
Vanderburg, a shortstop on varsity all three years, said hitting and depth drive this year’s Red Wolves.
“Our hitting is super strong this year and we have depth in our lineup, 1 through 13,” she said. “I believe in every single one of them that they can hit the ball and get on (base). Our defense is super strong. We’ve got really good pitchers, all four can pitch against any team. We barely make any errors.”
Frisinger noted about her shortstop: “She’s just got this bunch of energy. When she gets going, there’s no stopping her.”
Besides a stronger schedule, Frisinger said the team has been working on “changing up at different positions because injuries do happen. I want a deep bench. I want people ready to go if something were to happen.
“It’s a very team-first mentality. They’re all so talented. I’m very fortunate to coach a team of girls that love the game as much as they do and work so hard. They support one another and are just great teammates.
“I love giving back to the girls. Love giving back to the sport that gave so much to me.”
Pam Shebest served as a sportswriter at the Kalamazoo Gazette from 1985-2009 after 11 years part-time with the Gazette while teaching French and English at White Pigeon High School. She can be reached at [email protected] with story ideas for Calhoun, Kalamazoo and Van Buren counties.
PHOTOS (Top) Paw Paw's Elizabeth Vanderburg (9) and Carlie Streich embrace after Vanderburg's walk-off home run in last season's Semifinal. (2) Kalamazoo Christian standout Allison Frisinger is taking over the program assisted by former K-Christian coach Terry Reynolds. (3) Paw Paw junior Lauren MacKellar. (4) Cami VanderMeeden drives a pitch during the 3-2 win over Carleton Airport. (Coaches photo by Pam Shebest. Action photos by Hockey Weekly Action Photos.)