CHEBOYGAN – The Cheboygan-area softball season was fun.
Throughout the campaign, we saw quality players, solid teams and even some who earned title glory.
But with high school softball season now complete, here’s some thoughts about this year’s area teams while also looking ahead to 2026.
Can Onaway make a deep run again next year?
Delivering the most successful season was Onaway, which won its first district title since 2019.
The Cardinals were led by a dynamic group of seniors that featured Charlotte Box, Ema DeMaestri, Lilly Parr and Sadie Decker, and also saw the emergence of a quality young pitcher in freshman Aleigha Garms. Helping the Cardinals build late-season momentum was a sweep over M-68 rival Inland Lakes and a win over the Bulldogs again in the postseason before trouncing Rogers City in the district final.
So, will the Cardinals make a deep run again next spring?
With Garms returning, as well as Marley Szymoniak and Carley Karsten, who will both be seniors, Onaway has a good shot to make it back. However, one big problem will be beating Hillman, which topped Onaway in the title game. The Tigers return a great portion of its team, led by star pitcher Gretchen Weiland.
2026 is a long way from now, but, if anything, the Cardinals will likely be enjoying their district triumph for many, many months.
How will Cheboygan look?
In a season of ups and downs, Cheboygan showed it has a ton of potential going into the next year.
The Chiefs will return all but one senior in 2026, led by Tessa Lake and Presley Chamberlain, who will both be seniors. Cheboygan also saw the emergence of freshman Lydia Kosanke, who held her own as a starting pitcher in a tough Northern Shores Conference. Kosanke will only continue to get better, while Nataleigh Blaisdell, Jenna Dodder and Aubrey Mastin will return to provide offensive firepower.
With senior Hannah Whippo graduating — a key loss for the Cheboygan squad -— but with a plethora of returnees and young talent, there’s a good possibility the Chiefs get back to their winning ways.
Rebuilding Inland Lakes?
It wasn’t a vintage season for Coach Krissi Thompson’s Inland Lakes Bulldogs, who struggled with finding consistency and had one devastating injury.
Once 2026 arrives, the Bulldogs will feature a new starting pitcher with senior Lexi Kovtun graduating. Brooklyn LaBrecque, one of the I-L’s stars in recent years, has also graduated. What also hurt was losing catcher Jenna Stubbs for the season because of injury.
The good news for the Bulldogs is they’ll return a host of key players, including Stubbs, Alexys Langworthy, Myla Thompson, Adisyn Fenstermaker and Alexis McGrath-Powell.
Pitching is a big question mark for the Bulldogs, but they always seem to come up with powerful offensive lineups.
What about the Comets?
Another squad that recorded a winning season was Mackinaw City, which featured a handful of players that broke through with quality campaigns.
Leading the way was sophomore Kenzlie Currie, whose offensive season was highly impressive, as well as seventh grader Ella Kruczynski, who took huge steps as a starting pitcher for the Comets. Sophomore Rian Esper also produced throughout the spring.
What I’m interested in seeing is if the Comets can make a run at a Northern Lakes Conference title. It’s never easy, especially with Ellsworth in the way, but Mackinaw City’s lineup and pitching looks solid for 2026. Of course they’ll lose key senior players like Vanessa Groenewoud and Abby Brown, but they should have more than enough to compete with the NLC’s best.
Contact sports editor Jared Greenleaf at jgreenleaf@gannett.com. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter @sportsCDT
This article originally appeared on Cheboygan Daily Tribune: Final thoughts on 2025, looking ahead to 2026 with Cheboygan-area softball teams
Reporting by Jared Greenleaf, Cheboygan Daily Tribune / Cheboygan Daily Tribune
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