There was little doubt about the pitch that made the Grand Blanc-based District 4 squad Senior League Softball World Series Champions.
Having thrown strikes on 50 of her 77 pitches while fanning half of the 18 batters she faced in the title game against host Delaware, Kayla Blumenschein was one strike away from forcing a mercy-rule ending in the fifth inning.
The Grand Blanc High School standout, one of District 4’s seven all-state players, reared back and fired a heater down the middle that Delaware batter Adeline Lutz barely had time to flinch at. Catcher Adysen Freeman, an Owosso All-Stater, clutched the ball in her glove before hearing the umpire call strike three, putting the finishing touches on a 10-0 masterpiece.
Pandemonium ensued as Freeman sprung up from her crouch, tossed the ball down the first base line, flung off her headgear and raced toward the mound. Blumenschein, who had already discarded her facemask and glove, met Freeman before she reached the mound, and the two shared a jubilant embrace.
Behind them, an ever-growing group of teammates jumped around the mound, group-hugging in celebration. Blumenschein and Freeman soon joined them as the coaching staff of Zach Orr, Dan Proffer and Olivia Bainbridge exchanged high-fives.
In dominating fashion, District 4 became the first Michigan-based team to win the SLS World Series since 1998, outscoring seven opponents 82-5. Only its opening game, a 4-2 win over Hawaii, went the full seven innings.
Dominance aside, District 4 never wavered from its game-day routine, arriving two hours early to stretch and run drills.
Kayla Blumenschein
KAYLA BLUMENSCHEIN (RIGHT) AND ADY FREEMAN EMBRACE AFTER
WINNING THE SLS WORLD SERIES.
Avery Heil
“It was just so exciting, and I was so full of adrenaline when we made the last out,” said Avery Heil, a Lake Fenton All-Stater who doubled, singled and scored three times in the championship. “I started to feel the impact of what we had done.”
Racing from left field to join the celebratory fray was Ayannah Jackson, who helped Goodrich to its first state quarterfinal appearance in 19 years.
“It felt incredible when Kayla got that last strike and I just wanted to immediately throw my glove into the air,” said Jackson, who doubled and scored twice. “We knew Kayla had it. What a very happy moment.”
The Grand Blanc-based District 4 squad gathers in preparation of the Senior League Softball World Series against Delaware.
Freeman belted two home runs and drove in six runs while Lyla Turmell, a Walled Lake Northern All-Stater, also homered. Hannah Johnson (Grand Blanc) stroked two hits and Lake Fenton’s Laureena Baehl, who will play for Saginaw Valley State, drove in two runs.
Blumenschein, who will continue her career at Central Michigan, threw a no-hitter, striking out 10 and walking just one.
For Orr, unfurling a World Series Championship banner was the culmination of what he believed this team was capable of. “We proved we have some of the best softball players in the world in this age group,” he said. “The girls came together to play so well because they were just family with nobody playing for themselves. I felt we had the best pitchers in the tournament and everyone was hitting so well. This team is fast too, and speed is something you can’t coach.”
District 4 finished with 16 stolen bases as Freeman, Blumenschein and Sophia Chaput (Farmington Hills Mercy), who has committed to Oakland University, all swiped three.
Despite pitching just 11 innings, Blumenschein had the fourth-most strikeouts in the tournament (21) and the fourth-best ERA (0.64). Turmell, who is headed to the University of Toledo, had a second-best ERA (0.54) and struck out 10 in 13 innings.
Addie Taylor (Clio), Elizabeth Lawrence (Lake Fenton) and Lillian Tillier (Fenton) allowed just one earned run while striking out 17 in 11 innings.
District 4 was arguably even more intimidating at the plate, racking up 71 hits, including 31 for extra bases and eight home runs.
“The team was like the perfect cake with all the right ingredients,” Orr said. “You can win with just some, but when they all come together, it’s just special.”
“We’ll go after another World Series with the same energy, work ethic and confidence. We want to keep this going.”
— Ayannah Jackson
Nobody posted a better batting average than Heil’s .667. She also was tied for first in doubles (five), second in on-base percentage (.688), slugging percentage (1.200) and fifth in hits (10). Heil had only one at-bat in the first two games before starting the final five, beginning with a four-hit, four-RBI effort against Canada.
“Avery was like a bulldog on a leash in those first two games,” Orr said. “But when we unleashed her, she just tore it up.”
Freeman finished with a tournament-best 17 RBIs and 1.294 slugging percentage while tying for first in home runs (three). She also was second in batting average (.647), tied for second in hits (11) and tied for third in on-base percentage (.667).
“Ady Freeman had a dominant, highlight-reel week,” Orr said. “I’ve never seen a player take over a World Series like that.”
Jackson led the tournament in on-base percentage (.722) and was fourth in batting average (.545).
“Players like Ady and Ayannah have certain intangibles and make their teammates better,” Orr said. “They know when to get excited and when to stay calm.”
Baehl was fourth in slugging percentage (1.100) and RBIs (nine), fifth in on-base percentage (.615) and tied for sixth in batting average (.500). Turmell (.444), Blumenschein (.417) and Reese Dunny (Hartland, .400) also hit .400 or better.
In all, 11 of District 4’s 16 players had multi-hit games as Heil and Freeman led with four each while Jackson, Dunny, Taylor, Chaput, Turmell, Blumenschein, Johnson, Baehl, Ally Turkowski (Fenton) and Alisyn Raether (Goodrich) each had one.
Grand Blanc’s Kate Mitchell and Ella Stevenson also were members of District 4.
Dominance aside, District 4 never wavered from its game-day routine, arriving two hours early to stretch and run drills.
“We approached every game with the same intensity and never took anything for granted,” Jackson said. “We wanted to be ready and never let up.”
Addie Taylor
Amazingly, Orr created this team just last year, capturing a state title before going 3-2 in the Central Region tournament, which was won by Beardstown, Illinois—coached by his father, Tom Orr. That squad later captured its second straight World Series title.
Being part of the Grand Blanc LL limited the team to players from Grand Blanc, Goodrich, Lake Fenton, Linden and Burton last season.
After the season, a district administrator contacted Orr and asked if he wanted to expand the team district-wide, opening up a deeper talent pool from Genesee, Oakland, Livingston and Shiawassee counties.
Tryouts were held at the end of May and 16 players emerged from 40. Freeman, Turmell, Chaput, Taylor, Turkowski, Tillier, Raether and Dunny joined returnees Heil, Lawrence, Baehl, Jackson, Stevenson, Johnson, Mitchell and Blumenschein.
Many players were still finishing their high school seasons or had other commitments, limiting District 4 to just a scrimmage and two partial-squad practices before its first game. That hardly mattered, as the squad tore through state and regional tournaments, outscoring opponents 109-2, including two wins over Tom Orr’s team.
“When we mercied dad’s team (12-0) in our second regional game, it was a signal that ‘hey, we are here’,” Zach said. “We shut them out again later (9-0) and talked for 20 minutes afterward. He congratulated the girls and gave great advice during the World Series—like taking them to Wawa for food and ice cream.”
How quickly District 4 became a juggernaut didn’t surprise Heil. “Most of us already knew each other from high school or travel teams,” she said. “Once we got on the same page and worked toward our goal, it was easy to mesh.”
Not all players are age-eligible to return, but Jackson is among those who are, as Orr looks to match his father’s feat of back-to-back titles.
“I think the chances of repeating are good,” Jackson said. “We’ll go after another World Series with the same energy, work ethic and confidence. We want to keep this going.”
