Seeking own legacy, Hartland reaches state softball final four
DETROIT — When Hartland was trying to win a state Division 1 softball championship in 2018, the Eagles were also inspiring the next generation of Eagles.
Senior pitcher Kylie Swierkos was among the future Hartland players who watched from the stands at Michigan State University’s Secchia Stadium the last time the Eagles reached the state’s final four.
A seventh-grader at the time, she knew she would be joining something special two years down the road after watching Hartland beat M-59 rival Howell in the state semifinals that season. The Eagles lost in the state final to Caledonia.
“I left school a little early,” Swierkos recalls. “I didn’t make it to the finals, but I was able to go to the semifinals. It was a pretty cool thing to experience. Seeing the camaraderie and my town there on such a big stage is an amazing thing to experience.
“It was amazing. I knew I was going into a big legacy and I had some big shoes to fill, especially seeing (all-state pitcher) Rachel Everett out there. It was her freshman year. Being able to play with her for one year gave me a lot of guidance to help prepare me for this moment.”
The current Eagles earned the opportunity to experience what it’s like to actually be on the field at MSU by beating Grosse Pointe North, 3-0, in a state quarterfinal Wednesday night at Wayne State University.
Hartland (33-4-1) will face Lake Orion (33-6) at 5:30 p.m. Thursday in the second Division 1 semifinal. No. 6 Grand Blanc will play No. 10 Woodhaven at 3 p.m. Thursday in the first semifinal. The winners will play for the state championship at 12:30 p.m. Saturday at MSU.
It’s the third time Hartland has reached the semifinals.
“To be able to have another day with this team is something unforgettable,” Swierkos said. “It’s such a special group of girls. I’m super excited to be able to go experience it with these people.”
Swierkos admired Everett, who pitched beyond her years to get the Eagles to the 2018 championship game. After learning from Everett as the backup pitcher two years ago, Swierkos has developed into a dominant force in the circle.
She pitched a one-hitter and struck out 12 batters in the quarterfinal, facing only two batters over the minimum. She threw 66 strikes on 83 pitches.
On the road to MSU, Swierkos allowed only four runs, 16 hits and one walk in 35 innings while striking out 58. She threw strikes on 78% of her pitches.
At times, she’s appeared to be unhittable.
“I know especially this late in the tournament, anything can happen,” Swierkos said. “Every team that makes it this far is good. You never overlook any batter or any pitch. You’ve got to be intentional with every pitch. I never feel like I’m unhittable, because everybody messes up and misses something. I’m just focusing on every pitch and making it the best I possibly can.”
While the 2018 team left an indelible imprint on the program, Hartland coach Taylor Wagner said this year’s team has been motivated to create its own history.
“They’re kind of tired about talking about the 2018 team, because this is their own team and they want to make it their own legacy,” said Wagner, an assistant coach that season.
Then Wagner may have channeled her inner Joe Namath or Mark Messier.
“They look up to those girls and they know that’s what you aspire to in Hartland softball, but this is their team and they want a championship, and they’re going to win one,” she said.
The fifth-ranked Eagles head to MSU as the highest-ranked team left among the four Division 1 survivors. It’s ironic, considering Hartland didn’t even receive honorable mention in the preseason rankings and didn’t crack the top 10 until late April.
“They’ve been overlooked all season,” Wagner said. “It wasn’t until the end where teams started to really understand how good this team was. We knew all along. We knew how good this team was. We knew they were one of the best in the state and they’re gonna make a run for it. They’re showing it right now.”
The two batters Swierkos faced over the minimum reached base in the top of the sixth inning, posing a serious threat to Hartland’s 3-0 lead.
Addie Wakefield led off the inning by reaching base on an infield error and Isabella Boedeker followed with the only hit for the Norsemen, a slicing single to right field. Julia Liagre bunted them to second and third for the first out of the inning.
Swierkos got North’s leading hitter, Natalie Babcock, to look at a called third strike before freshman Eva Borowski lined out to first baseman Kate McIntyre to end the inning.
Sophomore Skylar Spisz was a catalyst during the two innings in which the Eagles scored their runs.
She tripled with one out in the third inning and beat the throw home on a fielder’s choice off the bat of Kate McIntyre.
“I saw an outside pitch,” said Spisz, a slap hitter. “I was looking up at my coach and seeing how I should follow through. I just did that and got the triple. It was huge. It definitely brought the energy around. The team got pumped up.”
The Eagles scored two insurance runs off Kaitlyn Barr in the fifth inning playing small ball. Riley Phillips led off with a bunt, was bunted to second by Swierkos, then moved to third when Spisz bunted and reached base on an error.
Spisz came up hobbling with calf pain, but stayed in the game and was able to race from first to third on a wild pitch that scored Phillips. Spisz then scored on a bunt by McIntyre.
“Hat’s off to the pitcher,” Wagner said. “She was a really good pitcher. She was moving it around. It took us a little while to catch up to her. We started going to more small ball.
“We know defensively we’re going to be set. Kylie is going to do her job. We just have to work around her and get her some runs on the board to back her up.”
Contact Bill Khan at wkhan@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter @BillKhan.
This article originally appeared on Livingston Daily: Seeking own legacy, Hartland reaches state softball final four
