USA, K-Christian Power Way to D4 Final
June 14, 2019
By Jason Schmitt
Special for Second Half
EAST LANSING – It may have taken six-plus innings, but Kalamazoo Christian coach Kevin Lewis eventually had a chance to take it all in Friday morning.
And he had an opportunity to exhale as well.
All it took was a three-run home run from senior Jayme Koning, a shot which served as an explanation point on the Comets’ 6-1 victory over Coleman in a Division 4 Semifinal at Secchia Stadium.
“It was very relaxing after that sixth inning. It was then I knew,” said Lewis, referring to a four-run sixth that gave his team a five-run cushion. “(Koning) was hot all day. When she came up to the plate, I had that gut feeling, like, ‘If she drops a bomb right here, it’s done.’ And she did it. That’s not the first time. She did it against (Stevensville) Lakeshore. When you’re facing teams like that, for her to come up clutch in two situations like that shows me what kind of ballplayer she really is.”
Koning was 3-for-4 in the game, reaching base on all four of her plate appearances. She also had a double and an RBI single which tied the game at 1-1 in the first inning. Her home run was her 14th of the season. She went the distance on the mound, allowing just four hits while striking out four, including the last Coleman batter of the game – setting off a grand celebration for her team.
“Both (the home run and game-ending strikeout) were different excitements,” Koning said, answering which was more special to her. “The home run gave us a little insurance that I really like, and getting that out is just in-the-moment awesome.”
The game was extremely tight through five innings, the difference coming on an RBI single by freshman Faith Kline – scoring courtesy runner Nyla de Jong – which gave her team a 2-1 lead. To that point both Koning and Coleman starting pitcher Jaden Berthume were cruising along.
Berthume scattered eight hits through the first five innings, allowing just two runs. Coleman’s defense struggled throughout the game – collecting four errors – while Kalamazoo Christian was flawless in the field.
“Defense is obviously the name of the game,” Lewis said. “We have a really good defense. We have freshmen in the lineup. We’ve got sophomores in the lineup. We’re deep all the way up through. It came down to defense and our pitching on the mound. Jayme held them tight, and we got the job done.”
Senior Sydney Duong was 3-for-3 with a walk for Christian (31-8), and scored a pair of runs. Sophomore Zoe Hazelhoff collected a pair of hits and junior Megan Snook had an RBI single and scored a run for the Comets, who will face Unionville-Sebewaing in Saturday’s championship game.
Berthume and freshman Katelyn Pnacek each had two hits for Coleman (35-8), which entered the postseason ranked No. 1 in Division 4. It was the Comets’ third straight trip to East Lansing. Last year they fell to Centreville in the championship game.
“When we’ve got chances to score, we’ve got to be able to get the hit,” Coleman head coach Chad Klopf said after the game. “We’ve been doing that all year. We’ve been able to keep the bats going when we needed them (this year). If it was tomorrow or if it was yesterday, we might have won it. But it was their day today.
“This was our third straight year down here. We’ve had lots of experience. That’s why we’re here again. It gave us so much experience the last two years, and it gave all of our young girls this year more experience. Hopefully we can do what we do and get back (here) again.”
Unionville-Sebewaing 8, Rogers City 3
Changing things up a bit from last year’s Semifinal appearance seemed to do wonders Friday afternoon for Unionville-Sebewaing.
The Patriots, limited to just four hits in last year’s 4-0 loss to eventual champion Centreville, exploded for eight runs on 16 hits in their win over Rogers City.
“The last couple days, I’ve liked where we’re at offensively,” USA head coach Isaiah Gainforth said. “We had two really good days of preparation. To put 16 hits up in the semis, you can’t ask for much more offensively. I’m extremely proud of the girls’ approach, their discipline. Hitting is contagious. When someone starts it, everybody else is ‘Let me get the bat and see what I can do.’ That was kind of our mentality there.”
Sophomore Maci Montgomery was a perfect 4-for-4 against the Hurons, collecting three doubles and a triple, scoring twice and driving in three runs. Her leadoff triple to start the game got things going for the Patriots (30-9), and her two-run double in the fifth capped off the scoring for her team.
“Couldn’t ask for a better start,” Gainforth said. “It’s so important, getting that first run in any game. Being able to score first was big because it just loosens everybody up. When you get production from top to bottom, that’s a dangerous team right there.”
The team’s No. 9 hitter, junior Danielle Harper, also had quite a game. She was 3-for-3, scored three times and added a two-run home run to give herself a 4-1 lead in the fourth inning.
Sophomore Brynn Polega and freshmen Macy Reinhardt and Laci Harris all collected two hits each in their team’s victory. Polega also pitched a complete game on the mound, allowing just two earned runs while striking out four.
“We kind of learned from some of our mistakes last year,” Gainforth said. “A lot of these girls are back, but you’ve got some new girls. We weren’t in awe (today). The experience factor. Last year we were kind of consumed by it, and I don’t know if it kind of got to us a little bit. Today we kind of switched it up a little bit, got down here this morning and tried to keep our same routine and same approach that we’ve had in all our tournaments.”
Rogers City (27-8) was led by senior Taylor Fleming, who was 2-for-4 at the plate. She connected for a two-run home run in the fifth inning. Senior Linnea Hentkowski was 1-for-2 with a run scored in the loss.
“They hit the ball well. Give them credit,” Hurons head coach Karl Grambau said. “We’ve shut teams down all year long. They outhit us today, no doubt about it. They’ve got a great tradition, and so do we. Hopefully we’ll meet again someday.”
PHOTOS: (Top) Kalamazoo Christian’s Sydney Duong makes a throw to first base during her team’s Division 4 Semifinal win Friday. (Middle) USA's Macy Reinhardt circles third base during her team's victory over Rogers City.
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.)