Cheboygan's Libby VanFleet repeats as SAC Player of the Year
ST. IGNACE – Call it a repeat for Libby VanFleet.
On Sunday, the Cheboygan High School junior softball player who starred on the mound, in the field and with her bat, was named the Straits Area Conference Player of the Year for a second consecutive season.
And it was unanimous.
“All the coaches voted unanimously for Libby, which was great to see,” said Cheboygan coach Mike LaLonde. “She went up against a good girl there, the (Megan) Postma girl, the catcher from Rudyard. She was really good. I believe she’s going to play at Davenport University, so (VanFleet) had some good competition there. It was well deserved.”
VanFleet’s terrific pitching and hitting helped fuel the Chiefs to a second consecutive unbeaten SAC campaign. The Chiefs finished 12-0 in conference play.
Joining VanFleet on the All-SAC first team were junior teammates Amelia Johnson and Emily Clark as well as freshman Presley Chamberlain. Johnson, a shortstop, and Chamberlain, a second baseman, helped form a strong Cheboygan middle infield duo, while Clark was one of the conference’s top players in the outfield. All three were quality hitters for the Chiefs, who overwhelmed their conference opponents offensively.
“They got a lot of compliments from other coaches, because it was a strong infield with Amelia and Presley at shortstop and second base – they both had a great year,” LaLonde said. “They were really strong up the middle there, they made some beautiful defensive plays, and I’m really happy to have them back next year, and Emily did an outstanding job in the outfield and was a good hitter.”
Cheboygan players making the All-SAC second team were junior catcher Marley Couture, junior first baseman Emerson Eustice, and junior outfielder Dakota Friday.
“Dakota had a great year with the bat, she had some very good clutch hits,” LaLonde said. “Of course, Emerson led the team in hitting this year. She had a great year with the bat, plus she had a great year pitching too, and at first base. All around, she had a good year. And Marlie, she’s just a solid catcher.
“The seven girls that got all-conference, it was well deserved for them. They worked hard this year.”
This article originally appeared on Cheboygan Daily Tribune: Cheboygan softball’s Libby VanFleet repeats as SAC Player of the Year
