Another year of softball is in the books and there were plenty of strong teams and athletes in the area.
Here is a look at the Holland Sentinel All-Area Softball team, led by the player of the year.
PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Bri Kamer
SCHOOL: Zeeland West
GRADE: Junior
POSITION: Catcher
DIAMOND GEMS: Weas named all-conference first-team in the OK Black as well as all-region. Batted .447 with an on-base percentage of .500. She drove in 37 runs and had a fielding percentage of .989 behind the plate.
COACH’S VIEW: “Bri is a game-changer at the plate and even more so behind the plate. A catcher with a fielding percentage of .989 is almost unheard of, only three past balls all year. Her glove is second to none.” – Randall Mikkelsen
ALL-AREA FIRST TEAM
Lily Achterhof
SCHOOL: Fennville
GRADE: Senior
POSITION: Pitcher/shortstop
DIAMOND GEMS: Batted .359 with a .569 on-base percentage. Earned all-conference honorable mention.
COACH’S VIEW: “Lily battled through a concussion halfway through our season, cutting out some of her senior season. Despite that, she was a key player for us.”
Julia Brown
SCHOOL: Hamilton
GRADE: Junior
POSITION: Pitcher/outfielder
DIAMOND GEMS: Earned all-conference honorable mention in the OK Black and all-region. Batted .418 with 40 RBIs and 49 runs scored.
COACH’S VIEW: “Julia is one of the best fundamental players in West Michigan. She has a classic swing that has contact and power. She is an elite outfielder and a baserunning skill that is beyond rare. She also was back to form in the circle by the end of the season. We are very excited about her senior year and look forward to seeing No. 23 leading the charge.” – Mark Behnke
Braelyn DeHorn
SCHOOL: Hamilton
GRADE: Freshman
POSITION: First base/outfield/designated player
DIAMOND GEMS: Was all-conference in the OK Black and all-region. Batted .473 with 45 RBIs and 38 runs scored. Had five home runs and 13 doubles.
COACH’S VIEW: “Braelyn burst onto the scene this year with power and a confidence to play at the highest of levels. She was a key part of our lineup and was a run producer who powers the ball into the gap. She is just scratching the surface of how good she can be. She has a power arm and will be a defensive key for us next season.” – Mark Behnke
Anabella Goetch
SCHOOL: Hamilton
GRADE: Sophomore
POSITION: Pitcher/shortstop/OF
DIAMOND GEMS: Earned all-conference in the OK Black and all-region. Batted .487 with a .564 on-base percentage. Had 51 RBIs, two home runs and 50 runs scored. Was 8-4 as a pitcher.
COACH’S VIEW: “Bella put together one heck of a season. She’s an elite hitter with both power and contact. She is multi-positional. She was very good for us in the circle and was clearly one of the better hitters not only in our league but in the area. She has a very bright future ahead and we are excited to see her for the next two years.” – Mark Behnke
Sylvia Hamilton
SCHOOL: West Ottawa
GRADE: Sophomore
POSITION: Pitcher/utility
DIAMOND GEMS: Earned all-conference honorable mention in the OK Red. Batted .513 with a .571 on-base percentage with 20 RBIs. In the circle, she pitched 108 innings pitched with 74 Strikeouts.
COACH’S VIEW: “Sylvia carried a tremendous workload for our team this season as both our starting pitcher and one of our most productive hitters. No matter what challenges came her way, she continued to take on that responsibility and compete.” – Kaylie McConnell
Jenna Hendricks
SCHOOL: Zeeland West
GRADE: Junior
POSITION: Outfield
DIAMOND GEMS: All-conference in OK Black and all-district. Batted .402 with three home runs, 22 RBIs and a fielding percentage of 1.000.
COACH’S VIEW: “Jenna hits in the lead off spot bosting a .402 avg from the lead off in this league is difficult. Where she really shines is patrolling centerfield. Her speed allows her to cover more ground than most and she did not have a single error this season.” – Randall Mikkelsen
Leah Keur
SCHOOL: Zeeland East
GRADE: Sophomore
POSITION: Centerfield
DIAMOND GEMS: Batted .550 with 55 hits, 12 double, eight triples and two home runs. Scored 54 runs, had 25 RBIs and a school-record 34 stolen bases. All-conference in OK Black and all-district.
COACH’S VIEW: “Leah was the leadoff hitter who set the table for the Chix. Defensively Leah played centerfield where she only had 1 error this spring. Leah is one of the top players in the Holland/Lakeshore area.” – Denny Richmond
Sadie Kragt
SCHOOL: Zeeland West
GRADE: Junior
POSITION: Utility
DIAMOND GEMS: All-conference in OK Black. Batted .322 with six triples and 20 RBIs.
COACH’S VIEW: “Sadie is the best female athlete maybe in all of Zeeland West. She was our workhorse pitcher as well as the short stop when not pitching.” – Randall Mikkelsen
Megan Kuzma
SCHOOL: Zeeland East
GRADE: Senior
POSITION: Shortstop
DIAMOND GEMS: Batted.485 with 12 home runs, 35 runs scored and 53 RBIs. Will play at Calvin next year. Named all-conference and all-district.
COACH’S VIEW: “Megan was a main stay at Shortstop and hit third in the line-up during her senior season.” – Denny Richmond
Maleena Luckadoo
SCHOOL: Hamilton
GRADE: Senior
POSITION: First base
DIAMOND GEMS: Earned all-conference in the OK Black and all-region. Batted .469 with six home runs, 41 RBIs and 49 runs scored.
COACH’S VIEW: “Maleena was not only an exemplary player but she was an even better teammate. She hit for power, played a solid first base and had her best season hitting of her career. The first thing you think about when you hear her name isn’t stats…it’s that she’s a winner. She played her best in the biggest moments for each of the four years she was a varsity player.” – Mark Behnke
Kelsey Mersman
SCHOOL: Hamilton
GRADE: Senior
POSITION: Pitcher/shortstop
DIAMOND GEMS: Earned all-conference in the OK Black and all-region. Batted .450 with six home runs, 41 RBIs and 55 runs scored.
COACH’S VIEW: “Kelsey concluded an outstanding high school career this season by having her best offensive season. She was a massive run producer for us and she did a lot of damage in the times where we needed her to do it. Kelsey also pitched and had another good season.” – Mark Behnke
Reagan Senik
SCHOOL: Holland Christian
GRADE: Sophomore
POSITION: Pitcher/shortstop
DIAMOND GEMS: Earned all-conference honorable mention in the OK Black. Batted .427 with 29 runs scored and 20 RBIs.
COACH’S VIEW: “The offensive leader on our team. Reagan’s game has grown so much from her freshman year.” – Laura Hunderman
Meagan Strabbing
SCHOOL: Zeeland West
GRADE: Sophomore
POSITION: First base
DIAMOND GEMS: Earned all-conference in the OK Black and all-district. Batted .436 with an on-base percentage of .511. Hit three home runs with 26 RBIs.
COACH’S VIEW: “Megan bats fourth in the line up as a sophomore. Her power numbers are very impressive. She is naturally a catcher or 3rd baseman by trade. We moved her to 1st base this season and she had an impressive .980 fielding percentage at a new position.” – Randall Mikkelsen
SECOND TEAM
Alida Burmeister, West Ottawa
Kendall Cornell, Hamilton
Hayden Johnson, Fennville
Ava Knox, Holland Christian
Lexi Mersman, Hamilton
Karissa Oetman, Zeeland West
Brooke Petroelje, Hamilton
Aliyah Pitsch, Hamilton
Kayla Shaft, West Ottawa
Cora Ter Haar, Zeeland East
Malynn Wisdom, Holland Christian
Contact sports editor Dan D’Addona at Dan.D’Addona@hollandsentinel.com. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter @DanDAddona or Facebook @HollandSentinelSports.
This article originally appeared on The Holland Sentinel: Meet the Holland Sentinel All-Area Softball Team led by Zeeland West’s Bri Kamer
Reporting by Dan D’Addona, Holland Sentinel / The Holland Sentinel
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Dan D'Addona, Holland Sentinel | USA TODAY Network
