By John Raffel
The Chippewa Hills softball team was a state quarterfinalist in 2014 and wouldn’t mind going that far again. But coach RD Denslow hopes to see improvement in his players as they approach the postseason.
As of mid May, the Warriors were 21-9.
“We hit a rough spot in the road a couple of weeks ago,” Denslow said. “We’re trying to get back on track. The biggest thing we have to work on is our defense. We need to make the plays when we need to. That’s been a thorn for us the last couple of weeks. Our hitting carried us through the first half of the season. Then you get games you don’t hit as well, and if you throw the ball around and commit some errors, it’s tough to win.”
Key wins include victories over Farwell, Ionia, Morley-Stanwood, and Reed City. “Those are our biggest wins,” Denslow said.
The Warriors were swept by a strong Central Montcalm team that took advantage of nine Chippewa Hills errors the first game. “You give another team an extra nine outs, and it’s tough to beat anybody,” Denslow said.
Cassidy Johnson has been solid on the mound and as a hitter for the Warriors. Kendall Boone has been strong as the team’s No. 4 hitter. Senior Brooke Lewandowski has been putting up solid numbers. All were key players on the quarterfinal team.
Two sophomores, Rachel Lobert and Elle LaLonde, were key players as freshmen. LaLonde was an outfielder last season and has moved to catcher. Lobert is a shortstop.
“We’re looking for another district title and beyond,” Denslow said. “The goals are high. The next two weeks and the practices we have, it’s all about the postseason now. It’s not about what you’ve done in the past. The next two weeks are crucial to get on or stay on track and try to stay on top of your game.”