Highlight Reel: Friday Baseball/Softball Semis
June 17, 2016
By John Johnson
MHSAA Communications Director
The field for the 2016 MHSAA Baseball and Softball Finals are now set, with the last four teams in each sport posting Semifinal victories Friday at Old College Field on the Michigan State University campus.
Below are links to video highlights from Friday’s games. Click on the final scores to watch them in their entirety and purchase DVDs.
Baseball
Division 3
New Lothrop 6, Jackson Lumen Christi 1
Mogel Makes It A Tie Game - Connor Mogle drove the ball into the gap in the third inning for Jackson Lumen Christi to plate a run and tie things up at 1-1 in the third inning.
Wendling’s First RBI Single - Putting New Lothrop in the lead to stay was Max Wendling, with RBI singles in back to back innings.
Grosse Pointe Woods University Liggett 9, Mason County Central 0
Bases-Clearing Double - The big hit in a four-run second inning for Grosse Pointe Woods University Liggett was a bases loaded double by William Morrison.
Division 4
Sterling Heights Parkway Christian 5, Centreville 1
Eagles Take Flight - Sterling Heights Parkway Christian jumped out to a 4-0 lead on Centerville in its first at bat, featuring a two-run single by Jacob Bambrick.
Centreville On The Board - Centreville scores in the seventh inning on this two-out single by Collin Kirby to plate Michael Kool.
Portland St. Patrick 2, Gaylord St. Mary 0
St. Patrick Scores In First - Portland St. Patrick got the only run it would need in the opening inning when Dan Mackowiak bunted for a single, scoring Brendan Schrauben.
Andrews Catches Them Stealing - Gaylord St. Mary catcher Gage Andrews ended two Portland St. Patrick innings by catching runners stealing. Here's the play to end the third inning, when he retired Brendan Schrauben at third base.
Softball
Division 3
Grandville Calvin Christian 4, Millington 2
Cardinals Go Up In Fourth - Millington took a 2-1 lead in the fourth inning on this RBI single by Kayli Leix, who had two hits in the contest.
Big Hit By VanDenBerg - Driving in the game-winning runs in the sixth inning for Grandville Calvin Christian was shortstop Marissa VanDenBerg with a triple to centerfield.
Defense-Defense-Defense - Here's a series of great defensive plays by Grandville Calvin Christian against Millington. The first and third plays are great catches by shortstop Marissa VanDenBerg, and the middle play from third baseman Sarah Elderkin was nice as well.
Monroe St. Mary Catholic Central 13, Gladstone 0 (5 inn.)
Brooke Goes 3 For 3 - Brooke Angerer was one of two players for Monroe St. Mary Catholic Central to pick up three hits against Gladstone. Here's a first inning RBI single.
And Garst Goes 3 For 3 - The other player for Monroe St. Mary Catholic Central with three hits against Gladstone was Kenna Garst, who laced this run-scoring triple in the second inning.
Division 4
Unionville-Sebewaing 12, Morenci 3
Borton Bounces Two Runs Home - Morenci took a 2-1 lead on Unionville-Sebewaing in the second inning when Hannah Borton bounced one over the second baseman.
Cady Can Do - Alexis Cady smacked a two-run double in the sixth inning for Unionville-Sebewaing against Morenci. She finished the game with three hits.
Indian River Inland Lakes 2, Holton 0
Pitcher Wins Her Own Game - Cloe Mallory of Indian River Inland Lakes did it all against Holton, striking out 13 and blasting a two-run homer in the second inning for the only runs of the game.
PHOTO: A Grandville Calvin Christian batter is about to make contact during her team's Division 3 Semifinal win.
Ford Field Trip Gives Students Taste of Football Finals Broadcasting
By
Jon Ross
MHSAA Director of Broadcast Properties
December 7, 2021
Four levels above them, in the press box, a group of prospective broadcasters were touring the facilities. The high school students had spent the Fall sports season streaming games to the NFHS Network and now were learning about a career in broadcasting from Eric Vandefifer, a Montrose High grad currently serving as the radio voice of Saginaw Valley State University basketball and as a contributor to a variety of high school broadcast channels including the MHSAA Network.
Seven years ago, Vandefifer was in a similar situation. He was part of a field trip to Ford Field for the Finals that helped him realize sports broadcasting was a career he wanted to pursue. Those field trips were headed by Tom Skinner and Thom Lengyel, who became mentors to Vandefifer. As a high school junior in 2017, Vandefifer was named Best Student Broadcaster nationally by the NFHS Network.
“With Tom Skinner now deceased and Thom Lengyel retired from the broadcast business, I just felt like I had to continue this and their legacy,” Vandefifer said. “It was important to me to keep it going because when I was in school, it was something I looked forward to.”
Nearly 50 students from Lowell, Montrose, Lake Orion, Mount Pleasant and Ann Arbor Greenhills high schools made the Nov. 26-27 trip to Ford Field. They were able to film highlights, interview players, practice announcing the games, meet other members of the press and more. For Vandefifer, giving back to students who are in the position he once was is very rewarding.
“We had the ability to feel like real media members for a day. I wanted to be able to give other students that same opportunity,” Vandefifer said. “Seeing kids who have a love for sportscasting and that drive to get better gives me real hope for the next generation in this business.”
And after the field trips were done each day, Vandefifer put his headphones on, got behind the microphone and called the two afternoon games for the MHSAA Championship Network.
PHOTOS (Top) Eighth grader Sam Belill, left, and freshman Owen Leitelt from Montrose practice calling a game from the Ford Field press box. (Middle) Mount Pleasant make a stop at the press conference room. (Photos provided by the Montrose and Mount Pleasant School Broadcast Programs.)