By Jason Wesseldyk
Sports Editor
ALLEGAN
As she enters her first season as head coach at Allegan, Danielle Brodhagen said the team has one primary focus.
“We’re focusing on being women of integrity,” she said.
Because if the players on the team approach everything with integrity, Brodhagen believes success will eventually come.
“We have the ‘we get to play’ attitude and we are not taking this sport for granted,” she said. “If we commit to the work, grow every day and lead with character, success will follow.
“We are ready to lay the foundation for a great Allegan Tiger softball legacy.”
In the short time she has worked with the team, Brodhagen has already seen progress.
“We are a young team, but we’re committed to playing together and playing to win,” she said. “We have already seen growth in a short time.”
This year’s roster doesn’t include any seniors, meaning younger players will have to step up.
Adrianna Fee, Isabelle McGowen and Maia Perez are the three juniors. Sophomores Ella Jones, Brooklyn Klok, Alexis McCoy, Allea Pinnell, Annabell Roden, Sophie Schuyler, Vala Strong and Alaina Termeer join freshmen Sophie Nichols, Brooklynn Raber, Tessa Ritzema and Zoey Thayer in rounding out the team.
“We are still earning positions at this time and the best players will lead the position that best fits them and the team,” Brodhagen said. “I have not personally seen our contenders in our conference, but we will come to compete and have fun in every game we play.”
FENNVILLE
Ambitious. Hardworking. Eager.
Those are the adjectives second-year Fennville coach Meri Sanchez used to describe her team as it prepares to head into the 2026 campaign.
“Our goal this season is to grow each game, build confidence and continue developing a strong foundation for the program,” said Sanchez, who guided the Blackhawks to a 14-17 record a year ago.
Although the roster does include four seniors, the squad will be young overall. As there is no JV team this year, four freshman and three sophomores will be among the team’s 15 players.
“Our team is young this year and with only a varsity team, we’ll be relying on many players to step into bigger roles,” Sanchez said. “I believe our strength this season will be our ability to get the ball in play, as well as our players speed.
“Another strength for our team is versatility in positions with some of our younger players.”
The quartet of pitcher/shortstop Lily Achterhof, utility player Makaihla Steanburg, utility player Reese Anaya and outfielder Rylee Geister make up the senior group.
Juniors Ryleigh Wilson (outfielder), Veda Steward (catcher/outfielder) and Kenzie Mcillwain (infielder) also return, as do sophomores Amiyah Johnson (third baseman/shortstop) and Marynn Winne (center fielder).
Junior outfielder Adriana Hicks and sophomore outfielder Claudia Rasmussen join freshmen Ella Heavilin (first baseman), Hayden Johnson (pitcher/outfielder), Sena Kamekona (first baseman/outfielder) and Stella Michele (catcher) as newcomers.
“With our team being so young, I still believe this is a developmental year,” Sanchez said. “That being said, it is our goal to compete in every game.”
Sanchez believes the Blackhawks made strides in that area last year.
“One of our biggest accomplishments last year was beating Saugatuck in the first round of districts,” she said. “Another accomplishment was being competitive in more games and winning more than we have in years past.”
Having Liza Edewaard, a 2019 Hamilton graduate, join the coaching staff should only help the Blackhawks development.
“Liza’s strengths include outfield, hitting and bunting,” Sanchez said.
HAMILTON
Experienced.
If Hamilton coach Mark Behnke had to choose one word to describe this year’s team, that just might be it.
The Hawkeyes return all but two players from a squad that posted a 28-10 record, won a district championship and finished as regional runner-up.
Given the level of experience—and talent—on the roster, Behnke is excited about what the upcoming season could hold.
“I think we will be led by our pitching and hope to create an offensive brand of softball that is exciting,” he said.
Senior Kelsey Mersman is expected to lead the pitching staff, with junior Julia Brown and sophomore Bella Goetsch also returning with varsity pitching experience. When not pitching, Mersman will play infield. Brown and Goetsch also play outfield.
Other returning players include the senior tandem of infielder Maleena Luckadoo and Bella Bariuz, junior infielder/outfielder Brooke Petroelje and sophomores Lexi Mersman (infielder), Kendall Cornell (catcher/outfielder) and Sarah Brink (outfielder).
Junior infielder Korinne Shepard joins the freshmen trio of infielder/outfielder Braelyn DeHorn, infielder/outfielder Aliyah Pitsch and infielder Roxy DeVries in rounding out the roster as newcomers.
It’s a group Behnke believes is capable of big things, but …
“Until we go out and do it, projections live in the theoretical,” he said. “If we want to go deeper into the state tournament, we will have do those things which we’ve never done.”
Before getting to the state tournament, the Hawkeyes will focus on the OK Black, which should include many competitive battles.
“Our conference is wide open,” Behnke said. “We hope to be team that can compete with the OK Black’s best.”
HOPKINS
A familiar face will be guiding Hopkins this year.
After eight years away from the dugout, Casey Schoenborn is returning for her second stint as head coach for the Vikings. She replaces Amy Funk, who led the team to a 19-15 record last year, resigned the post after agreeing to be head coach of the Hopkins varsity volleyball team.
And from what she’s seen so far, Schoenborn believes Hopkins has a chance to put together a very successful season.
“We have a great group of players who are willing to learn,” she said. “We are going to be competitive and we have tons of potential.”
Five returning players lead the way, led by the senior duo of infielder Kelsey Burgess and infielder/outfielder Calleigh Washburn.
Juniors Maddie Veldheer (catcher/infielder) and Gracie Stallard (pitcher/infielder) join sophomore utility player McKenna Funk as the other returning players.
Top newcomers who could contribute include junior infielder Leah Williams and freshman pitcher/infielder Jorja Wood.
“We have a lot of versatility amongst players, which should help us as we can mix and match girls at a lot of positions,” Schoenborn said.
That should help the Vikings’ as they strive to make a mark in the OK Silver standings.
“We’re planning at being at the top of the conference,” Schoenborn said.
MARTIN
There are good things happening with the Martin softball program.
Most notably, the Clippers have enough players to field a JV squad for the first time in more than a decade.
“Our goals for this season are to continue to grow,” Martin coach Jazmin Curry said. “We have increased our numbers of participation by a significant amount, which is great to see. We are still going to be pretty young, similar to last year, but we have a strong group of seniors to lead our team.”
The senior contingent includes outfielders Eden Suk and Jade Hooper along with third baseman/shortstop/catcher Alley Bacon.
Juniors Malina Adams (catcher), Maggie Sego (second baseman/outfielder), Anna Jager (outfielder) and Mackenzie Schwartz (first baseman/outfielder); sophomores Maybelle Noble (first baseman), Allison Rodgers (pitcher/second baseman) and Milee Schwartz (shortstop/pitcher); and freshmen Kylie Meyers (pitcher/outfielder), Maya Walley (middle infielder), Morgan Thompson (pitcher/first baseman), Noellya Lemus (catcher/outfielder) and Allison Dodds (first baseman/outfielder/pitcher) are also on the team.
With Marybeth Ritchie, the team’s starting pitcher last season, out following an injury suffered during basketball, some young players will need to step up in the pitcher’s circle.
“A major storyline heading into the season will be the development of the pitching staff,” Curry said. “With several young pitchers expected to see significant innings, the team will rely on steady defensive play and strong communication to support them in the circle.
“As the pitchers grow more comfortable at the varsity level, their confidence and command are expected to improve throughout the season.”
Offensively, the focus will be on consistency, smart baserunning and putting pressure on opposing defenses.
“With many underclassmen in the lineup, we are going to be emphasizing fundamentals, situational hitting and team chemistry,” Curry said. “The goal early in the year will be steady improvement, gaining experience and competing in every game as the team continues to mature over the course of the season.”
In divisional play, Curry sees Gobles and Saugatuck as two of the top teams.
“I think we’ll be battling out with those teams like last year,” said Curry, who led the Clippers to a second-place finish behind Gobles a year ago.
OTSEGO
There will be many familiar faces on the Otsego roster this season.
That’s because of the 11 players expected to comprise the team, nine are returning members of last year’s squad.
That level of experience should bode well for the Bulldogs as they hope to improve on last year’s 18-18 mark and compete for one of the top spots in the Wolverine Conference.
“We have nine girls coming back from last years, so we will have a solid squad,” said coach Jake Knash, who brings a 215-179 career record into the new campaign. “I expect good things from this group. With our leadership and experience, we should be competitive every night.”
That experience and leadership starts with the teams five seniors, three of whom have played at the varsity level since their freshman season.
Pitcher/shortstop Audrey Lingbeek headlines that group. Lingbeek has committed to continue her career at Western Michigan University next season.
Third baseman/outfielder Alyvia Farrell, catcher/outfielder Sydneigh Mosher, third baseman/outfielder Maddie Back and outfielder Sophia Pierce are also part of the senior contingent.
Junior first baseman Sophie Staeven joins the sophomore group of catcher/outfielder Mikayla Bateman, second baseman/pitcher Addy Lucas and first baseman/outfielder Emma Zimmerman as the other returning players.
Freshman infielder/pitcher Rylee Knash and junior outfielder Riley Watson round out the roster.
When it comes to the Wolverine Conference, Division 2 state runner-up Paw Paw should be the favorite, according to Jake Knash.
But in district play last year, the Bulldogs proved they could go toe to toe with Paw Paw, as Otsego took the Red Wolves to 10 innings before suffering the 2-1 loss.
“Paw Paw is probably the conference favorite, but I think we will have a handful of teams fighting for top spots,” Coach Knash said. “ And we finished strong against them in districts. We will build from that.”
PLAINWELL
Steady progress.
That’s what Don Seibert has witnessed in his six years as coach for Plainwell, as the Trojans win total as steadily improved.
If that upward trend is to continue this year, then several young players will need to step up and fill the void left by the graduation of five starters, who of whom were All-District selections.
But rather than feeling anxious about the prospects of fielding such a young team, Seibert is excited about the team’s potential.
“This is a young team with a lot of talent,” he said. “I expect the girls to move base runners to produce runs. We need to focus on the little things to be in games to stay in games and get a win each night.
“The girls are showing they can hit the ball and that has to continue into games. The girls are excited and prepared for a tough competitive season.”
The five retuning players for the Trojans include juniors Paityn Holbrook (outfielder), Taya Miller (infielder), Tatem Johnson (infielder/outfielder) and Miley Cooper (outfielder). Sophomore pitcher/outfielder Claire Bradley is also back.
First-year seniors Kassie Wanamaker (catcher/infielder), Grace Sullivan (outfielder) and Bella McNett (outfielder) join juniors Lizzie Milliman (infielder) and Addie Gillies (infielder) and freshman Bri DeSmit (catcher/infielder), Madison Wheaten (pitcher) and Kaelyn Seibert (pitcher/infielder) as newcomers.
It’s a group that has plenty of speed and versatility, according to Don Seibert.
“This is one of the quickest teams Plainwell has seen in the past few years and there a several girls who can play a variety of positions,” he said. “The girls are showing they can put the ball in play and work as a team.
“We have young pitchers, but if they can it spots, we will be in games.”
Don Seibert believes Paw Paw, which finished runner-up in Division 2 last year, should be the team to beat in the Wolverine Conference along with Edwardsburg.
“Those two teams continue to be powerhouses,” he said. “With a young team, we need the bats to be strong make plays in the field to compete. Our goal is to stay in the middle of this conference for the upcoming season.”
WAYLAND
Last year, Wayland racked up a 33-8 record that included OK Gold Conference and Division 2 district championships.
In other words, just another year for the Wildcats under the guidance of legendary coach Cheri Ritz.
And with all but two players from that team back again, this year promises to be another enjoyable one for Wayland softball fans.
Senior Madi Ludema leads the list of returning players, as she is the team’s top pitcher (2.17 ERA last season) and one of its top hitters (.615 average with a school-record 25 doubles).
Fellow seniors Shelby VanHouten (first base/left field), Mackenzie Kositzky (first base), Rae Stallard (third base), Kaylee Lown (catcher), Laney Wolf (center field) and Kennedy Lown (outfield) are also back.
Juniors Madison Jordan (first base/outfield), Hannah Hoevenaar (first base/outfield), Clara Dutkiewicz (second base), Lauren Page (second base/outfield) and Eme Carlson (shortstop) join sophomore Charity Laker (pitcher/shortstop) and freshman April Gates (pitcher) in rounding out the roster.
“It should be another competitive season for us,” Ritz said. “We have six girls who can pitch, which is always nice. We also have a great nucleus of girls returning this season, as we only had two seniors last year.”
NOTE: No preview information was received from Saugatuck prior to deadline.
