10 to Remember: Winter 2014-15

Every so often at practice, Muskegon Oakridge softball coach Joe Coletta will hear fighting behind him and worry he has a problem on his team.

“Then I turn around and I see that it is just the Willea sisters getting after each other,” explained Coletta, who is in his 17th year as softball coach and 43rd year overall of coaching at Oakridge.

“And I know that we’re all good.”

The Willeas – specifically fraternal senior twins Kylee and Gracie and sophomore Avery – definitely push each other and certainly cause problems for opposing teams as one-third of the Oakridge lineup, all playing critical positions in the field and occupying key spots in the batting order.

Kylee is an honorable mention all-state pitcher for the Eagles, who compiled a 16-5 record last spring with 141 strikeouts and a 2.36 ERA. She also will be expected to knock in runs from the No. 4 spot in the batting order.

Gracie returns as an honorable mention all-state centerfielder, using her instincts and speed to cover tremendous ground. At the plate, she bats second and hit .402 last year.

Avery made a huge impact last year as a freshman and now will move to the crucial shortstop position as a sophomore. She hit .382 last year with 28 RBIs.

The Willeas have continued the strong softball tradition at Oakridge, helping the team to three consecutive West Michigan Conference titles, two straight Districts and a breakthrough Division 2 Regional championship last year – the first that all three Willeas were on the varsity together.

Now the trio gets one last season to play on the same team, and they are determined to savor every second.

“I don’t want it to be done,” said Kylee, who has added a curveball to her repertoire for this season. “I love high school ball, and it’s so much fun to play with my sisters and have our parents and family in the stands.

“I love that we come from a small school and have made something big out of it.”

Sisterly bond

Kylee came into this world two minutes before her sister Gracie, and the two have been together for most of the past 17 years.

But while the twins have many things in common (such as top-10 graduating academic status in their class and exceptional leadership skills), there are certainly differences that are evident in their roles on the team.

Kylee, who shares the pitching load for the Eagles along with sophomore ace Kelcey Osborne, is a steady and calm leader with the perfect temperament for a pitcher, according to Coletta.

Gracie is über-competitive and vocal in centerfield, and says she keeps herself entertained by making sure all of her teammates are lined up correctly and focused on every pitch.

“I guess you could say it is a blessing and a curse at the same time to have three sisters on the same team,” Gracie said with a smile. “We butt heads at times, but overall it’s a great thing. We definitely have a bond that can pull us through the hard times.”

Avery, who everyone describes as a blend of her older sisters, could be the key to the Eagles success this spring. Not only is she moving from second base to the pressure-packed shortstop position, but she is also being asked to provide more power and drive in runs at the plate.

Oakridge has become known for its home-run power, with past bashers Jasmine Pastor and Andrea Romero-Serrano and last year’s 1-2 punch of Kaelinn Jozsa (14 home runs) and Maddie Clark (12 home runs), who were both first-team all-state and have graduated.

In fact, Osborne is the only returning player who had more than one home run or more than 30 RBIs last season.

“Our team is a little different this year, but we have a lot of athletic girls,” said Avery. “I feel like I will have more power at the plate this year. That’s what I’m working on.”

Daddy’s girls

The Willea softball era for the Oakridge varsity started three years ago, when Gracie made the varsity right away as a freshman, while Kylee started that season on the junior varsity.

But injuries forced Coletta to move up Kylee, then a 14-year-old freshman as well, to pitch in a critical early May rivalry game against Ravenna.

“I remember being so nervous that I was shaking,” said Kylee, who is known for her rise ball and changeup. “I literally thought I was going to throw up.”

After a shaky first inning, Kylee settled down and led the Eagles to a huge doubleheader sweep. She has been a fixture in the circle ever since.

It’s no surprise that the Willeas were ready for varsity softball as freshmen, as they have played summer travel ball for years with the Michigan Sabercats – with their dad, Dan, as their coach. All three have a tight bond with their father, both as coach and dad.

“When we’re driving home after a tournament, one of them will ask me a question and I’ll say: ‘Do you want Coach to answer that, or do you want dad to answer that?’” said Dan, a handyman who also has worked tirelessly to improve the Oakridge softball facilities.

Gracie was the only one of the three who wasn’t “all-in” on softball from the start. All three girls grew up following in the footsteps of their mother, Shanda, in gymnastics, but Gracie took it the farthest – becoming the first gymnast at her mother’s family gym (Gonyon’s Gymnastics) to make the all-region team a few years ago.

“When I was little, I did gymnastics and I thought that softball was stupid,” Gracie said with a laugh. “But then I fell in love with it.”

The athleticism she developed in gymnastics is evident in the way she plays centerfield, making diving, acrobatic catches look somewhat routine.

“Gracie covers so much ground out there and is absolutely fearless,” said Coletta, who is assisted this year by former Oakridge players Alyssa (Wahr) Fessenden and Morgan (Giddings) Wahr.

Avery Willea might actually be the most like her father, even though he hasn’t coached her nearly as much as the twins. Avery and Dan share a passion for the outdoors, and when they take a rare break from softball, can often be found hunting and fishing together.

One final run

The singular focus of the Willea family this spring is to make the most of their final season together.

Specifically, the Willeas would love to put together a repeat of last spring, when the Eagles not only repeated as West Michigan Conference and Division 2 District champs, but then played some of their best softball in wins over Grand Rapids Catholic Central (13-4) and Allendale (14-8) to capture the second Regional title in school history.

That led to a police escort out of town, as residents and classmates lined the streets to send the team off to Ferris State for the Quarterfinals, where the Eagles lost to eventual Division 2 champion Gaylord.

Oakridge, 2-0 this season, has managed to get in only one doubleheader, a sweep of Division 1 Muskegon Mona Shores, before this week’s spring break, but faces a challenging, whirlwind schedule for the next two months.

“Softball is a pitcher’s game, and we’ve got that this year,” said Coletta, who also has talented sophomore Chloe Smith backing up Kylee Willea and Osborne on the mound. “And it’s sure nice having girls like the Willeas as one-third of the lineup. They all know how to play the game, and they make things happen.”

The other seniors on the 13-player Oakridge roster are Maddy Bowen, Brenna Cabrera, Rylee Vanderputte and Lily Coppedge.

Kylee and Gracie Willea will play together for at least the next two years at Muskegon Community College, but the whole family knows that their 12-year-plus softball odyssey - with countless restaurants, hotels, hilarious stories and treasured memories along the way – is nearing its end.

And all they can do is make the most of every minute this final spring.

“I’m going to miss them so much the next two years – it’s going to hit me pretty hard,” said Avery, with a sigh. “So, yes, all we can do is make this the best season ever and not take anything for granted.”

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) Clockwise from left: Kylee Willea delivers a pitch, Avery Willea gets ready at her shortstop position and Gracie Willea makes a diving catch in centerfield. (Middle) From left: Avery, Gracie and Kylee pose with the trophy after winning a tournament title in 2022. (Below) Dan Willea, who has coached his daughters for several years, takes a photo with Kylie and Gracie (standing) and Avery five years ago. (Photos courtesy of Shonda Willea.)