The Ogemaw Heights JV softball team shows off its Tawas Invitational trophy -- one of two tournaments the Falcons won this year.
The JV Falcons celebrated the completion of their unbeaten season with a ritual water-dumping of coach Brandi DesMarteaux.
Courtesy photos
The team shows off its balloons celebrating the rare unbeaten season before releasing them into the air after sweeping Roscommon to end the season.

OGEMAW HEIGHTS - Undefeated seasons in any sport at any level are pretty special. Surviving 31 softball games without a loss, as the Ogemaw Heights Junior Varsity softball team did this season, is almost hard to imagine.

At the JV level that can be especially challenging, considering the potential for top players to get called up to the varsity at mid-season and possibility of "unknown quantities" as far as players go.

"It isn't easy coaching a spring sport," said fifth-year Falcon JV coach Brandi DesMarteaux. "The end of the school year approaches fast, along with summer. Sometimes you worry about the girls losing their desire top lay softball as the season progresses, but with this group of 14 girls with 14 different personalities and 14 different sets of skills, they came together and really made it work."

DesMarteaux said that a big factor in the team's success this season was getting players that had already been playing softball at a high level, all of them products of the West Branch Little League system.

"I want to thank all of the volunteers who make that a huge success in our area," DesMarteaux said. "That makes my job easier. In talking with other JV coaches during the season, I've come to realize how lucky I am to have such a wonderful feeder program available."

The Falcons won all 12 NEMC league contests, 12 non-conference doubleheaders and tournaments at Tawas Area (four games) and Oscoda (three). As a team, they outscored their opponents 416-61 for the season; out-hit them 369-81; rang up a 61-11 edge in doubles, 29-2 margin in triples, and hit five home runs without allowing any.

Kathy Erickson (14-0) and Kate Dombrowski (12-0) were the pitching mainstays. Erickson, a sophomore, struck out 76 batters in 69 innings, walking 36 and hurling five no-hitters, while the freshman Dombrowski rung up 86 K's against 18 walks in 66 innings and had one no-hitter. Jacie and Jorie Lucas each pitched a no-hitter in a combined five appearances.

Ashley Thompson led the team in hitting, batting an eye-popping .604 with 15 doubles, nine triples, three home runs and 62 RBIs and struck out just three -- yes, the same number of times she hit a home run -- times.

Other offensive leaders included Tara Neubecker (.494 batting average, 11 doubles, one home run, 46 RBIs); leadoff hitter Angela Carollo (.495, 19 walks, 35 RBIs); Dombrowski (.493, seven doubles, seven triples, one homer, 23 RBIs); Jacie Lucas (.438, seven doubles, five triples, 52 RBIs); Emily Sheltrown (.429, nine doubles, 19 walks, 41 RBIs); Tasha Mochty (.488, 20 RBIs); and Kathy Erickson (.339, 20 RBIs). Also contributing were Carly McPherson, Brittani Kangas, Megan Hicks, Dawn Hindle, Mariah Kaniewski, Lisa Windsor and Kaelyn Shelley.

DesMarteaux said the team's success was a reflection of the attitudes they brought to that team -- that sometimes-elusive component of team sports known as "chemistry."

"They got along great as a team," she said, "encouraging each other every inning of every game. It's amazing what can happen when you focus on the positives and not the negatives.

"From the beginning, each player knew their role, accepted it and gave 100 percent when their number was called. I'm really proud of each and every one of them and I'm thankful to them for the memories."

As for finishing the season unbeaten, DesMarteaux said the team never had that as a goal, at least not a spoken one.

"We knew at the beginning of the year we had a good team," she said. "For the most part we just went with the flow.

"Once we got to 20-0, we realized we had a chance at it. But we also finished the season with 11 games in six days -- there wasn't a lot of time to think about it."

The Falcons ran the gauntlet unscathed, sweeping always-strong Pinconning, Kalkaska, winning a Saturday tournament, then finishing up with sweeps of Whittemore-Prescott and Roscommon on consecutive days.

"These girls were going to play the same way no matter what," DesMarteaux said. "There really was no pressure."