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Gaylord up to No.1 in MHSSCA D2 softball rankings

dylan jespersen, the petoskey news-review
·2 min read
Alexis Kozlowski hits an RBI single during a high school softball matchup between Gaylord and Macomb Dakota on Sunday, April 23 in Wixom, Mich.
Alexis Kozlowski hits an RBI single during a high school softball matchup between Gaylord and Macomb Dakota on Sunday, April 23 in Wixom, Mich.

GAYLORD ― This school year alone, quite a few Gaylord High School athletes have garnered a sizable reputation, not just in Northern Michigan, but across the state in general.

Perhaps no team has as big a reputation as the Blue Devils' softball team, however.

The GHS Lady Blue Devils entered the season as the No. 2 team in the Michigan High School Softball Coaches Association's Divison 2 rankings, coming in just behind Stevensville Lakeshore in the first batch of rankings. Now, two months into the softball season, GHS has proved itself as one of the state's best teams regardless of division, now sitting atop the D2 rankings in the last two releases of the rankings list.

Gaylord has gone 17-1 through its first 18 games, defeating talented teams from both the D1 and D2 rankings list throughout March and April. They started the season with a big win over Escanaba, defeating the team that knocked the Blue Devils out of the playoffs a season ago in a 9-0 victory to win the Freeland Quad.

The Gaylord softball team won their opening tournament this past weekend, defeating Saginaw Heritage, Gladwin and Escanaba en route to the Freeman Quad crown.
The Gaylord softball team won their opening tournament this past weekend, defeating Saginaw Heritage, Gladwin and Escanaba en route to the Freeman Quad crown.

Escanaba is now the No. 5 ranked team in D2.

The Blue Devils most impressive performances came in their weekend trip down to Wixom, Mich., taking on some of the best teams in Division 1 throughout the two-day Backyard Challenge tournament. They came home with some impressive victories, notching wins over Walled Lake Northern (No. 7, D1), Anchor Bay (HM, D1) and Novi (HM, D1).

The Gaylord softball team celebrates a win over Novi on Saturday, April 22 in Wixom, Mich.
The Gaylord softball team celebrates a win over Novi on Saturday, April 22 in Wixom, Mich.

Ironically, their lone loss may be their most impressive performance of all as they battled the top team in D1, Macomb Dakota, down to the final batter of the time-limit-shortened semifinal matchup, falling 2-1 on a walk-off double.

They have outscored their opponents 228-6, shutting out all but three of the 18 teams they've faced.

Chloe Ferguson pitches during a high school softball matchup between Johannesburg-Lewiston and Gaylord St. Mary on Tuesday, May 9.
Chloe Ferguson pitches during a high school softball matchup between Johannesburg-Lewiston and Gaylord St. Mary on Tuesday, May 9.

Johannesburg-Lewiston was also an honorable mention on the D4 list in the latest rankings. They have gone 14-2 so far this season, while currently rocking a six-game winning streak throughout the month of May.

Both teams will look to make good on those rankings come postseason, with Gaylord eyeing a trip back to the state tournament and JoBurg looking to make it past the district round. The Blue Devils are slated to host Petoskey in their first playoff game on Tuesday, May 30, while JoBurg will face Wolverine at Hillman High School on Saturday, June 3.

This article originally appeared on The Petoskey News-Review: Gaylord up to No.1 in MHSSCA D2 softball rankings