For at least the past four years, Gaylord-area high school softball districts have been more of a pit stop than a final destination. This season, whether Gaylord, St. Mary, or Johannesburg-Lewiston can keep that trend going is no guarantee.
Gaylord (18-11) hasn’t lost a district game since before 2020 but is facing an uphill battle in the Upper Peninsula, Johannesburg-Lewiston (23-6) is one of two top ten teams in its district bracket and Gaylord St. Mary (5-13) has a few familiar foes they will potentially face in their home-hosted bracket.
Take a look at the favorites, the players to watch for each area team and predictions for who will make it to next week.
Gaylord softball, Division 2, District 34 (Sault Ste. Marie host)
Semifinals-Finals, Thursday, May 28: Grayling vs. Petoskey, 11 a.m.; Gaylord vs. Sault Ste Marie, 1 p.m.
Outlook: The district rounds of the MHSAA playoffs have been a formality for Gaylord in recent years.
Gaylord has won five straight district titles from 2021 to 2025, advancing at minimum to the regional title game every year and winning back-to-back state championships in 2023 and 2024. This year, that streak may be in jeopardy.
The Blue Devils already swept the other Blue Devils, Sault Area, back on April 28, meaning a matchup between Gaylord and Petoskey in the district final is more than likely. It’s tough to know how that rivalry matchup will go without a regular-season matchup to look at (rescheduled game will be on Tuesday, May 26), but this seems like the Northmen’s year to possibly dethrone GHS.
Pitching will be key in this district, especially for Gaylord. A big part of its postseason success over the past five years has been thanks to its pitching depth, usually sporting two or three elite players in the circle to get through a weekend. This season, without a dominant player like Aubrey Jones, a lot more pressure has been put on Nora Bethuy in the circle as well as Makayla Kozlowski and Lily Ryckman-Hall in the batter’s box.
If GHS can save Bethuy to pitch in the final, they have a real chance at a sixth-straight district title.
Prediction: Gaylord def. Petoskey in final, 8-6.
Gaylord St. Mary softball, Division 4, District 103 (Gaylord St. Mary host)
First round, Tuesday, May 26: Gaylord St. Mary vs. Wolverine, 5 p.m.
Semifinals-Finals, Friday, May 29: St. Mary/Wolverine vs. Inland Lakes, 12 p.m.; Boyne Falls vs. Onaway, 2 p.m.
Outlook: It just takes a couple of wins to turn a less-than-stellar season into a memorable one. That’s what Gaylord St. Mary softball is hoping to do.
GSM has not been the softball powerhouse that their Otsego County counterparts have been in recent years, and 2026 has been another up-and-down year. However, it gets home-field advantage in a district that isn’t as tough as it could be, so perhaps this will be the Snowbirds’ best chance at district glory.
Still, it’ll take an upset or two to get there.
Inland Lakes (20-5) and Onaway (12-13-1) have both swept the Snowbirds at some point this season, meaning it could take two wins against teams the Snowbirds are already 0-4 against to win this district. Probably unlikely, but that’s on paper; what happens in between the lines will be seen soon enough.
Senior Payton Glasby will be a key player to watch for the Snowbirds, hitting .482 with 15 RBIs and 19 runs scored.
Prediction: Inland Lakes def. Onaway in final, 10-0
Johannesburg-Lewiston softball, Division 4, District 101 (Hillman host)
First round, Tuesday, May 26: JoBurg vs. Posen, 4 p.m.
Semifinals-finals, Saturday, May 30: JoBurg/Posen vs. Hillman, 10 a.m.; Rogers City vs. Atlanta, 12 p.m.
Outlook: All eyes are on JoBurg and Hillman in the District 101 bracket.
No. 2 Hillman and No. 10 Johannesburg-Lewiston seem destined to meet again in the district semifinals, making it two straight seasons that the top-ten teams will see each other in the opening rounds of the Division 4 playoffs. Last year, Hillman’s Gretchen Weiland shut down a potent JoBurg offense; the Cardinals hope things will be different this season.
JL has gone through a tough stretch of games in the final weeks of the season, falling to Boyne City, No. 5 Bellaire and Gaylord in its last five games. However, it also gained valuable at-bats against pitchers closer to what Weiland will offer. In the end, JL will likely take the losses if it means being better prepared for its district matchup.
Weiland’s opposition in the circle last year, Ashlynn Burke, has been one of JoBurg’s top players this season and will likely be JoBurg’s option against Hillman again. It’ll take a full team effort to upend the No. 2 ranked team in D4, but her play will be critical to JoBurg’s chances.
Prediction: Hillman def. Rogers City in final, 4-0.
Contact GHT Sports Editor Dylan Jespersen at Djespersen@gaylordheraldtimes.com. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @dylanjespersen, and Instagram, @dylanjespersen
This article originally appeared on The Petoskey News-Review: Breakdowns, predictions for Gaylord-area softball districts
Reporting by Dylan Jespersen, The Petoskey News-Review / The Petoskey News-Review
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