Reaching the top; recapping the Gaylord softball season

GAYLORD ― Those in the Gaylord softball program had been looking forward to the 2023 season for a long time.

Though the team had been a legit state title competitor in 2021 and 2022, it was the 2023 season when a battled-tested group of juniors and seniors would have the firepower to go the distance.

Everything went according to plan.

Gaylord accomplished its overall mission, wrapping up a victory over Vicksburg in the Division 2 State Championship Game for the school's first MHSAA softball state championship.

It was a long season of accomplishments and accolades for the Lady Blue Devils; let's recap the best moments.

Gaylord beats a bevy of ranked teams to start the season

Maybe the only fault of the Blue Devils in the past two seasons was how they performed in bigger games against quality opponents. While their talent was more than enough to run through the teams they faced up north, they struggled to put up the consistent offense they were used to when they were faced with better pitching

This past season, they made sure they would not have that problem by putting themselves through a tremendously difficult schedule.

Gaylord went out of its way to play some of the best teams in the state throughout the regular season, Their first-weekend tournament included a win over Escanaba, the No. 2 ranked team in Division 2 in the final season rankings as well as the team that knocked them from the postseason the season prior.

That was one of ten ranked teams Gaylord played throughout the regular season, amassing an 11-2 record against those teams. Their only losses all year came in walk-off fashion to the D1 No. 1 team, Macomb Dakota, and a split doubleheader against the eventual D1 state champions, Hartland.

Blue Devils wrap another BNC title

As the regular season came to a close, Gaylord wrapped up its third straight Big North Conference victory with a sweep of Alpena on Tuesday, May 23.

Those two games pushed their conference record to a 10-0 record, their second straight season wrapping up with an undefeated record in BNC play. A testament to their dominance in the past three seasons, the Blue Devils have gone 22 straight games without a conference loss,

Gaylord breaks home run record. wins first MHSAA state title

All the regular season accomplishments were great, but also a bit expected. The question surrounding the Gaylord team was whether they could get over the hump and bring home a state title.

The way they played the opening weekend of the postseason, it was pretty clear they were on their way to doing just that.

After weeks of hype surrounding the rematch between No. 1 Gaylord and No. 2 Escanaba in the district semifinals, the Blue Devils were simply dominant, winning in a 13-1 mercy-rule victory to set the tone of what would be a dominant postseason run. In districts alone, they tallied 38 runs, 37 hits, 18 extra-base hits and five home runs in three total games.

From there, while some games for closer than some would've expected, there was nothing standing in the way between Gaylord and a state title than themselves. And with a well-coached team like GHS, they weren't stumbling this time around, wrapping up wins over Cheboygan, Big Rapids, Freeland, Unity Christian, Divine Child and eventually Vicksburg en route to their third-straight district title, their second regional title in three years and, of course, that elusive state title.

They also set a new MHSAA record for home runs in a single season, hitting 72 total home runs in 39 total games. Sophomore Aubrey Jones led the way with 18 home runs on the year, followed by senior Alexis Kozlowski with 14.

Top Player(s): Alexis Kozlowski, senior, infield

Alexis Kozlowski went from great to elite in her final high school season as she finished with some staggering stats; a .580 batting average, 76 hits, 66 RBI and 23 doubles, all team highs, as well as hitting 14 of the team's MHSAA record 72 home runs.

The Ferris State commit had an even better postseason, leading the team by going 14-for-27 with five home runs, 14 RBI and seven runs scored during the eight-game postseason run.

She was a first-team all-state, all-conference and all-area selection as well as the Gaylord Herald Times co-Player of the Year.

Aubrey Jones, sophomore, infield/pitcher

Sophomore Aubrey Jones also took a step up this season, going from a budding superstar as a freshman to a legit first-team all-state competitor in 2023.

She was consistently one of the top threats at the plate on a loaded offensive team, leading an MHSAA-record-breaking effort with 18 total home runs while finishing with a .480 BA, 62 RBI and 55 runs scored. She was also the team's big-game pitcher, finishing with an 11-1 record with a 1.15 earned-run average and 90 strikeouts and a win in the state title game.

Players to watch

Jayden Jones- Most in the high school softball scene in Michigan know about Jayden Jones, but some that were introduced to Gaylord in their 2023 postseason run may not know about the talented older Jones sister. After missing the state title run due to an injury, the three-time all-state honoree might be gearing up for one of the best seasons the state has ever seen.

Nora Bethuy- An underclassman that came up from JV for the state title run, she filled a valuable role as the main pinch/courtesy runner while showing her athleticism. With most of the loaded roster coming back in 2024, Bethuy may be one of the lone newcomers to crack the lineup next season.

This article originally appeared on The Petoskey News-Review: Reaching the top; recapping the Gaylord softball season