By John Raffel
Correspondent
CLARE – Clare’s softball team came off a Division 3 state semifinal finish last month but many players are on summer teams to get ready for next year.
Only two seniors graduated and standouts such as Madison Jones, Tessa Kelly and Breez Yarger are returning.
It comes down as the first time since 1986 Clare was in the state semifinals.
“The last couple of years, I felt we were an injury or two away of being here every single year even though it gets tougher at the end of the year,” coach Shane Kelly said. “A lot of it comes down to who’s the healthiest. We lost in 2023 to Standish Sterling and they won it all. These girls from Clare, the community and parents, the way they support their girls is amazing. We’re going to be hungry and we’re going to come back.”
Kelly has a three-year record of 86-29-2 with the program.
Other players back include Sopha Buzzelli, Kyley Wyman, Hadley Louch, Alissa Brandoff, Macie Hensley, Olivia Forsberg, Addison McMillan, Pamela Allen, Mallorie Louch, Savannah Buzzelli, Morgan Campbell, Maddison Fritz and Kaitlyn Newkirk.
What an exciting time for Clare’s softball team! Coming off a Division 3 state semifinal finish and retaining key players like Madison Jones, Tessa Kelly, and Breez Yarger is impressive. Coach Shane Kelly’s record and the team’s resilience despite injuries are commendable. It’s great to see such strong community and parental support for the team.