Performance: Richmond's Erin Shuboy
July 1, 2016
Erin Shuboy
Richmond freshman – Softball
During a championship weekend of headline-grabbing pitching performances, the most talked about likely came from Shuboy, who threw a no-hitter to lead Richmond to its first MHSAA softball championship with a 2-0 victory over Vicksburg at Michigan State University. Shuboy shut down a lineup batting .433 to earn the Michigan National Guard “Performance of the Week” for June 13-19.
Shuboy struck out seven and walked only one batter, following a Semifinal where she struck out eight and walked two in a 6-2 win over Escanaba. Batting cleanup, she also drove in runs in both games. She finished this spring with a 17-3 record and 199 strikeouts, and carried a .348 batting average into the final week.
Shuboy’s mom, Bridgette (nee Moore), also was a standout pitcher for Richmond coach Howard Stuart, who has won 954 games over 38 seasons leading the program. Erin Shuboy also plays volleyball and basketball.
Coach Howard Stuart said: “We had to slow her down several times, because even the official said, ‘She’s working too fast. Slow her down.’ So we had to physically slow her down. She was in such a hurry to get the ball and throw it. And there was no mention of no-hitter. Not one word was said to her at all. At the end of the game, she didn’t know. She was so focused. ... What makes her special is her confidence, I think. She believes in herself. She’s not just a pitcher; she pounds the ball. (In the Semifinal), she hit a ball down the left field line that was a line shot, went 150 feet five feet off the ground before it ever slowed down, just a screamer. She can hit. She can do everything. She fields her position well. She used to play shortstop. She plays first base. She’s a pitcher. She’s a solid kid.”
Performance Point: “I didn’t really know it was (a no-hitter) until someone told me. This is just crazy. I just gotta stay focused about every batter, keep taking a batter at a time and play at a time. My change-up was working really good; it normally doesn’t work that good. My fastball, the outside corner, that really helped us out.”
Like mother, like daughter: “She’s always helped me out with everything. She taught me how to throw. She gave me so much advice over the last couple of years. It’s just been a great experience having her.”
Pitching first, batting second: “I like pitching better. It’s just fun being the leader on the mound.”
Learning from a legend: (Coach Stuart) knows what he’s doing. It’s awesome to have him here to tell me what I’m doing wrong and help me with my errors. (He taught me) always keep your composure on the mound and never let anything get to you.”
Sending out the seniors: “I just wanted to help them out, have them have a good end to their senior year. And a state championship would be a good way. … We predicted we were going to have a good season, but I didn’t know we were going to be state champs.”
– Geoff Kimmerly, Second Half editor
Every week during the 2015-16 school year, Second Half and the Michigan National Guard recognized 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.
Previous 2015-16 honorees
June 15: Andrew Walker, Battle Creek Lakeview boys golf - Read
June 8: Sekayi Bracey, East Kentwood girls track & field - Read
June 1: Anna Jefferson, Oak Park girls track & field - Read
May 25: Connor Bandel, Oxford boys track & field - Read
May 18: Kalyn Breckenridge, Birch Run girls soccer - Read
May 11: Morgan Beadlescomb, Algonac boys track & field - Read
May 4: Abby Krzywiecki, Farmington Hills Mercy softball - Read
April 27: Mike Mokma, Holland Christian baseball - Read
April 20: Abby Divozzo, Cadillac girls soccer - Read
March 30: Cassius Winston, Detroit U-D Jesuit boys basketball - Read
March 23: Kierra Fletcher, Warren Cousino girls basketball - Read
March 16: Jacob Montague, Grosse Pointe South swimming & diving - Read
March 9: Kyle Tuttle, St. Charles boys bowling - Read
March 2: Brittney Schnicke, Caledonia girls bowling - Read
Feb. 24: Kamari Newman, Detroit East English boys basketball - Read
Feb. 17: Jason Whitens, Powers North Central boys basketball - Read
Feb. 10: Rachel Hogan, Grand Ledge gymnastics - Read
Feb. 3: Nehemiah Mork, Midland Dow swimming & diving - Read
Jan. 27: Mardrekia Cook, Muskegon girls basketball - Read
Jan. 20: Sage Castillo, Hartland wrestling - Read
Jan. 13: Rob Zofchak, Dexter swimming & diving - Read
Jan. 6: Tyler Deming, Caro wrestling – Read
Dec. 15: Jordan Weber, East Jordan boys basketball – Read
Dec. 8: Kaitlyn Geers, Kent City girls basketball – Read
PHOTOS: (Top) Richmond’s Erin Shuboy steps toward the plate during the Division 2 Final on June 18. (Middle) Shuboy unloads a pitch during her no-hit performance.
Mendon Ends USA's Title Streak, Starts Own with Commanding 1st Finals Triumph
By
Keith Dunlap
Special for MHSAA.com
June 14, 2025
EAST LANSING — Mendon wasn’t going to be denied this time – and in the process, the Hornets denied Michigan’s most record-setting softball program from adding another detail to its dominance over the last half-decade.
Seeking its record sixth-straight Finals championship, Unionville-Sebewaing was dethroned by a talented, motivated and determined Mendon team, which won its first championship with an 11-1 victory in the Division 4 Final at Secchia Stadium.
The game ended with two outs in the bottom of the sixth inning after Mendon’s 11th run scored on a throwing error by USA.
In short, Mendon (35-2) did to USA what USA (20-16) has been able to do so often during its stretch of dominance.
The Hornets also avenged one-run defeats to USA in the championship game (5-4) two years ago (5-4) and Semifinals (6-5) last year.
“You just keep working and keep working and you see the kids go through (the losses),” Mendon head coach Steve Butler said. “You come up short one year and then another year. We keep telling them, ‘You got this. You know you have it.’ To see them come through and pull it off and beat a team like that the way we did, it was awesome.”
Mendon started its onslaught by scoring four runs with two outs in the bottom of the first inning.
With the bases loaded, an infield popup by senior Ally Butler eluded two USA infielders and fell to the ground, allowing two runs to score.
Junior Cienna Nightingale then hit a 2-run double to give the Hornets a 4-0 lead.
Mendon got four more runs in the third, first when Nightengale hit another 2-run double just beyond the glove of the left fielder.
“All I was doing was swinging and swinging for my team,” Nightengale said. “I had girls in scoring position, and that’s what I did.”
Seniors Elise Allen and Abby Butler each followed with RBI doubles to put Mendon ahead 8-0.
USA scored its only run on an RBI single by junior Macy Prime in the fifth inning, but Mendon got that run back in the bottom of the inning on an error.
Mendon put runners on second and third base with one out in the sixth inning, finishing the game off on an RBI sacrifice fly by junior Taya Bingaman and throwing error by USA.
Steve Butler said it was a moment his team had counted down toward since leaving East Lansing last year.
“This group, they are motivated,” Butler said. “They know what they want. They’re goal-oriented, and they’ve had their eyes on this since we started.”
For USA, it will try and regroup and start another streak next year. Only four seniors will graduate.
“I think it’s possible the girls started to feel some pressure from the streak we had going,” USA head coach Marc Reinhardt said. “All good streaks, they have to end sometime. I thought Mendon played a heck of a game. We left a few plays out there that we didn’t make that cost us a few runs. We’ve been dealing with that on and off during the season.”
PHOTOS (Top) Mendon’s Ally Butler (27) high-fives her coach during Saturday’s Division 3 championship win over Unionville-Sebewaing. (Middle) The Hornets’ Gracie Schultz extends to snag a line drive in left field.