JoBurg's Jayden Marlatt headlines big day for area college signees
JOHANNESBURG ― It is a great time to be a high school athlete in the Gaylord area.
Want to know how great? Just see how many of them have gotten the opportunity to play their sport after high school graduation.
The next round of Gaylord athletes made their college decisions official on Wednesday, Nov. 8 as multiple Gaylord and Johannesburg-Lewiston athletes signed their letters of intent to their respective schools.
With the recent success of the local softball teams, it was unsurprisingly a day headlined by softball players; Johannesburg-Lewiston's Jayden Marlatt along with Gaylord's Jayden Jones and Braleigh Miller all affirming their commitments while Gaylord's Avery Parker also signed her LOI to play basketball at Northwoord.
Marlatt joins Gaylord contingent at Ferris State
If you've spent any time around the Johannesburg-Lewiston sports in the past six years, you're probably familiar with the name Marlatt.
First, it was older brother Preston leaving a legacy around his family name, excelling in three sports while quarterbacking the Cardinals' football team to a state semifinals appearance.
He left big shoes to fill; fortunately, his little sister Jayden didn't need much help filing them,
Senior Jayden Marlatt has cemented herself as one of if not the best female athletes in JoBurg history, dominating on the volleyball court, the basketball court and the softball diamond. This week, she made her college plans official, signing her letter-of-intent to join some of her old teammates with the Ferris State softball program next season.
"The campus is really nice," Marlatt said of Ferris State. "The coaches are very welcoming and make me feel at home."
Marlatt was one of the biggest factors in the softball team's trip to the Division 4 state semifinals last season, finishing among the team leaders in batting average (.670), home runs (13) and RBI (61) offensively as well as wins (19), strikeouts (234) and ERA (1.32) pitching-wise. She was one of two Cardinals on the D4 all-state list last year, joined by senior Jocelyn Tobias.
She is also the all-time kill leader for the volleyball program and a multiple-time all-conference selection in basketball.
Ferris State softball has had its fair share of commitments from the Gaylord area as Marlatt joined multiple Blue Devils either committed, signed or already on the roster for the D2 program out of Big Rapids, Mich.
Gaylord's Alexis Kozlowski is a freshman on the team this season, while Marlatt joins class of 2024 signees Braleigh Miller and Addison Wangler set to join the team next season. Kennedy Wangler, a class of 2025 member, is also committed to the Bulldogs.
Kozlowski: Gaylord's Alexis Kozlowski commits to Ferris State for softball
Marlatt says that while having those girls in the mix didn't affect her decision, she is looking forward to linking up with some former teammates at the next season.
"It'll be nice to reunite with them and be able to play with them again," said Marlatt.
Other signees from Wednesday
Gaylord's Jayden Jones: Acheiving her "highest picture", Jayden Jones officially signs with Virginia Tech
Gaylord's Braleigh Miller signs with Ferris State softball.
Gaylord's Avery Parker signs with Northwood basketball.
Contact Sports Editor Dylan Jespersen at Djespersen@gaylordheraldtimes.com. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @dylanjespersen, and Instagram, @dylanjespersen
This article originally appeared on The Petoskey News-Review: Johannesburg-Lewiston softball's Jayden Marlatt signs with Ferris State
