BOYNE CITY ― The Gaylord softball team looks quite a bit different from the one a year ago, seeing seven players graduate at the end of the 2025 season. If you’ve been following the program for a while, you’ve probably noticed the 2026 roster is much different than it looked when they won their back-to-back state championships in 2023 and 2024, as only two players remaining from those squads.
Still, the coaching staff is not about to sell this Blue Devils’ team short. Expectations are still sky high for 2026, hoping to live up to the name the teams before them have left behind.
“We’re not lowering the bar for them,” interim head coach Bill Bethuy said. “The expectations are still here, and we’re going to have to work hard to get there.”
The Blue Devils (5-1) are getting going on the right foot, winners of three of their first four games before heading to Boyne City (4-2) on Friday, April 17 to face the previously undefeated Ramblers. The bats were somewhat quiet, but elite pitching and defense helped GHS pull off a two-game sweep, winning game one 3-1 and game two 5-3.
Nora Bethuy was dominant in the circle in the first game, striking out eight batters in six innings of work, allowing one earned run and two hits. Kelci Cherwinski led the offense, providing three hits and one run batted in.
Ella Holzschu got credit for the game two pitching victory, allowing six hits, three earned runs and striking out two batters. Morgan Holzschu, meanwhile, had three hits and two runs scored, one of three batters (Holzschu, Piper Wangler, Makayla Kozlowski) with a multi-hit game.
Blue Devils baseball wins two in Boyne
BOYNE CITY ― The early parts of the high school baseball season can sometimes be painful for coaches, especially in Northern Michigan, as they fight through weather cancellations, field issues and everything that makes finding a groove more difficult. Sometimes, that means it can take a bit of time for all parts of a team to get going, especially the offense.
The Gaylord bats have officially woken up from their winter slumber.
GHS (5-1) traveled to Boyne City (2-4) on Friday, April 17, outscoring the Ramblers 20-0 in two games with 6-0 and 14-0 wins in a doubleheader sweep.
“The barrels, they woke up tonight,” said coach Dan Mygrants. “That was another big part of this, this team needed to come alive before this Big North run, but they came alive tonight.”
Junior Josias Ferrett earned his third pitching win of the season, allowing his first hit of the year after three starts, shutting out a third consecutive team while striking out six batters. Tyler Appold led the offense with two hits, one RBI and one run scored.
Four different Blue Devils had multi-hit performances in the game two victory, led by Ferrett with a double, a triple, three runs and an RBI, as well as Jonah Richard, who finished with two hits, three RBIs and a run scored.
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: Gaylord baseball, softball go 4-0 with dueling sweeps at Boyne City
Reporting by Dylan Jespersen, The Petoskey News-Review / The Petoskey News-Review
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