Spring splash - June 3-4, 2023

Now THOSE were some games!

The 2022 Spring Splash kicked off the Traverse City Summer Softball Series, and what a fun two days of softball action in Traverse City....nice weather, spirited play, and some close games in the finals peppered the tournament landscape.

Two of the three championship games were decided by one run.  In the 10U group, two outstanding teams battled to the wire before the Anchor Bay Angels held off the Michigan Generals, 5-4, in the final. The Angels and Generals, as it turns out, are from the same area and play each other from time to time downstate.  This weekend, they resumed their friendly rivalry in northern Michigan where they put on quite a show in a deep  10U group.  Congratulations, ladies....excellent play all weekend.

The other championship nailbiter took place in the 14U division where Traverse City-based 231 Fusion Fastpitch walked off the Mt. Pleasant Drillers, 9-8, in extra innings.  The Spring Splash championship was the Fusion's fourth as an organization since 2017.  Special mention goes out to the Drillers' centerfielder Madison Fisher who kept her team close with several outstanding catches.  The final was a battle royale between two talented teams in a loaded 14U division...great job, girls!

The lone championship game that WASN'T decided by one run happened in the 12U group where Clare-based Gold Rush doubled up their friends to the southeast, the Midland Lady Explorers 8-4.  The 12U division was also loaded with talented players--make sure to check out the All-Tournament Team to see who earned special honors for the weekend.  Way to go!

Thank you to all of the fans and players who made the tournament a fun and positive experience.  Best wishes to our participating teams for an enjoyable summer softball season!

  The opening weekend of the Traverse City Softball Series produced a lot of exciting games, made possible by a lot of exciting players!  Here are the players selected to the All-Tournament Team (Coaches:  Send your selections to JSBrunner777@yahoo.com and we'll post them on our site...if there is a misspelling, it's because we couldn't read your handwriting--send any corrections, please!)

10U Division

Madilyn Devine - Mid-Michigan Heat

Emma Pavlik - Mid-Michigan Heat

Laura Aubrey - Michigan Generals

Sammi Wright - Michigan Generals

Elizabeth Apkarian - Michigan Generals

Mikayla Jurek - Michigan Generals

Sam Heisler - Anchor Bay Angels

Gianna Letson - Anchor Bay Angels

Nadeline Cruz - Anchor Bay Angels

Peyton Jones - Anchor Bay Angels

Jaycee Frank - Five Tool Fastpitch

Brooke Kay - Five Tool Fastpitch

Kennedy Smythe - Turnin' 2

Devyn Ermis - Turnin' 2

Lydia Perkins - ICE Fastpitch

Piper LaFave - ICE Fastpitch

Blaire DeVault - 231 Fusion Fastpitch

Kylee Bergquist - 231 Fusion Fastpitch

Leah Parsons - South Lyon Stealth

Melanie Van Curler - South Lyon Stealth

12U Division

Josie Ouellette - FOH/Top Prospects

Jaylin Riley - FOH/Top Prospects

Allison Acker - Goodrich Angels

Isabella Camargo - Goodrich Angels

Ali Brandt - Northern Michigan Dragonflies

Lara Wagner - Northern Michigan Dragonflies

Pam Allen - Gold Rush

Emma Block - Gold Rush

Beth Block - Gold Rush

Maddison Fritz - Gold Rush

Kendall Allen - Lady Bandits

Klaira Sysak - Lady Bandits

Cora Howard - Petoskey Blaze

Lyla Janes - Petoskey Blaze

Sarah Gaylord - Traverse City Waves

Kapri Wilson - Traverse City Waves

Carley Noyes - Midland Lady Explorers

Addie Hale - Midland Lady Explorers

Emma Seleski - MIdland Lady Explorers

Rylin Palmer - Midland Lady Explorers

14U Division

Mya Gardner - Mt. Pleasant Drillers

Arryanna Brown - Mt. Pleasant Drillers

Aly Lewis - Michigan Rage

Hayley Southerland - Michigan Rage

Ava Gibbs - FOH 13U

Maya Aldridge - FOH 13U

Rylee Bliss - Saginaw Sugar Beets

Alexis Acha - Saginaw Sugar Beets

Karis Galus - Midland Lady Explorers

Ella Stoney - Midland Lady Explorers

Alexis Cadarette - 231 Fusion 13U

Nora Bethuy - 231 Fusion 13U

Maddie Chilson - 231 Fusion 13U

Mara Williams - 231 Fusion 13U

2022

10U Division 

Champion - Anchor Bay Angels

Runner Up - Michigan Generals

12U Division

Champion - Gold Rush

Runner Up - Midland Lady Explorers

14U Division

Champion - 231 Fusion Fastpitch

Runner Up - Mt. Pleasant Drillers

2021

10U Division

Champion - 231 Fusion Fastpitch

Runner Up - Goodrich Angels

12U Division

Champion - Midland Lady Explorers

Runner Up - Top Prospects FOH

14U Division

Champion - NTF Nova

Runner Up - Sabercats Mettler

2020

**Cancelled because of COVID

2019

10U Division

Champion - 231 Fusion Fastpitch

Runner Up - Saginaw Bay Lady RiverDawgs

12U Divison

Champion - Elite - DeVries

Runner Up - Traverse City Waves

14U Division

Champion - Michigan Expos

Runner Up - 231 Fusion Fastpitch

2018

10U Division

Champion - Michigan Expos

Runner Up - Lakeshore Storm

12U Division

Champion - Riverdawgs 12U

Runner Up - Elite 11U

14U Division

Champion - Mid-Michigan Heat

Runner Up - 231 Fusion Fastpitch

2017

10U Division  

Champion - Michigan Expos

Runner Up - TC Thunder  

12U Division

 Champion - Diamonds

Runner Up - Michigan Expos

14U Division

Champion - 231 Fusion Fastpitch

Runner Up - Mid-Michigan Heat

2016

10U Division

Champion - Batbusters 

Runner Up - Northville Broncos

12U Division

 Champion - Port Huron Predators

Runner Up - MSA Renegades  

14U Division 

Champion - Michigan Sabercats

Runner Up -  231 Fusion Fastpitch

The Spring Splash is in the books, and what a kickoff to the Traverse City Summer Softball Series!  Summertime temps?  Check.  Spirited play on all of the Civic Center fields?  Check.  A 12U over-the-fence home run?  Check.

Windy, hot weather all weekend couldn't stifle the level of play shown by the teams in the 10U, 12U and 14U brackets.  After the Spring Splash was doused by COVID in 2020, there were teams making their tournament debut 2021 and others making a return trip to the champions circle, with lots of tired but smiling faces in between.  In the 10U division, Levi Griffore's 231 Fusion Fastpitch squad wore down a game Goodrich Angels team to capture the Fusion's second Spring Splash title in a row.  The Angels, coached by Scott Good, exhibited great sportsmanship in the championship game.  The Fusion picked up steam as the tournament progressed.  Congratulations to both teams for an excellent title contest.

In the 12U division, Mike Horner's Midland Lady Explorers were the cream of the crop, riding some strong pitching to an 8-0 title victory over Brad Mosher's Top Prospects Folds of Honor team.  The  FOH squad got on a roll in bracket play, polishing off the Saginaw Sugar Beets and knocking off the top-seeded Traverse City Waves in the semifinals, but the Lady Explorers were too much to handle in the finals.

In the 14U group, Tony Hosbein's NTF Nova squad, a first-time participant in Traverse City, ran the table throughout the tournament, including a 6-3 victory over Chad Mettler's Sabercats team in the finals.  The 14U group was very competitive in general, with several games being decided by three or fewer runs.  Great job, ladies!

We would really like to thank the parents, grandparents and all of the fans who did a GREAT job "bringing out what they brought in".  One of the requests in place to play at the Civic Center is to have families collect and deposit in the provided dumpsters their own garbage so that others do not have to come in contact with it, as much as possible.  Everyone did a terrific job--THANK YOU for your help!

Take a gander at the players who excelled in the 2021 Spring Splash tournament!  If your teams are not listed here, please have your coaches email their selections to us (JSBrunner777@yahoo.com) and we'll install those players on the All-Tournament Team list.

10U Division

Adalyn Griffore - 231 Fusion

Eden Kitzmiller - 231 Fusion

Coraline Rainey - 231 Fusion

Reese Williams - 231 Fusion

Alexis Huizenga - Goodrich Angels

Alivia Baker - Goodrich Angels

Isabella Camargo - Goodrich Angels

Aleiya DiLorenzo - Goodrich Angels

12U Division

Kali Anderson - Northern Michigan Dragonflies

Karley Kingsbury - Northern Michigan Dragonflies

Kayla Raines - Hitz Outlawz

Ava Murray - Hitz Outlawz

Payten Minix - Brown's Fastpitch

Brooklen Minix - Brown's Fastpitch

Jadyn Samson - Brown's Fastpitch

Braylin Rabb - Brown's Fastpitch

Braedi Baker - Top Prospects

Jaylin Riley - Top Prospects

Jada Mosher - Top Prospects

Miah Peterson - Top Prospects

Ella Stowey - Midland Lady Explorers

Karis Galus - Midland Lady Explorers

Sadie LaPan - Midland Lady Explorers

Angelica Corlew - Midland Lady Explorers

Madi Reichert - West Michigan Riptide

Kalli Tawney - West Michigan Riptide

Alivia Lorenz - Cadillac Lady Vikings

Peyton Parish - Cadillac Lady Vikings

Reese Jones - TC Thunder

Addison Patton - TC Thunder

Olivia Hart - Saginaw Sugar Beets

Holli Cook - Saginaw Sugar Beets

Kylee Eising - TC Waves

Kapri Wilson - TC Waves

14U Division 

Ava King - TC Waves

Kylee Ruest - TC Waves

Riley Northrop - NTF Nova

Katie Veres - NTF Nova

Madi Hosbein - NTF Nova

Amaya Jones - NTF Nova

The 231 Fusion 10U team served notice that they will be a force all summer by capturing the 2019 Spring Splash title with an 8-0 victory over the Saginaw Bay Lady RiverDawgs.

The final, played in a steady drizzle, matched two organizations with a rich history of success in Traverse City.  The Lady RiverDawgs caught fire in Sunday's bracket play and won two straight games to reach the finals.  But the Fusion, as they appear poised to do on a regular basis, wore down their opponent with a combination of excellent pitching and timely hitting.  Great job, ladies!

Above, the Fusion and Lady RiverDawgs pose for a post-game photo.

The 12U division of the 2019 Spring Splash was a knockdown, drag out affair all weekend!  There were many fine teams that battled for a coveted spot in the Final Four, but when the dust settled (helped by the Sunday rain!) the Elite-DeVries squad out of the Grandville area emerged as champions by defeating the Traverse City Waves, 6-4.

Joe DeVries' team went undefeated during the tournament, allowing just three runs in pool play.  In the semifinals, the Elite team got past Bolts-Orange, while the Waves edged Sean Wright's Elite 11U team on the other side of the bracket.  In the finals, the two remaining teams battled back and forth in one of the most exciting 12U finals in memory.  Elite-DeVries broke open a 2-2 tie in teh fourth inning by scoring two unearned runs with two out.  The Waves scored  in the next inning to close to within one, but two more unearned runs provided the cushion that the Elite team needed to take the title.  Congratulations, All....!!!

Elite-DeVries and the TC Waves mug for the cameras following the title game (above)

The game seemed like a rematch of several big games in the Summer Tournament Series in recent years:  Michigan Expos vs. 231 Fusion.  This year's 14U championship final matching the powerful teams was another great game, with the Expos coming out on top, 8-5.

Kevin Brigham's squad has shown continuous improvement over the past three years--congratulations, ladies!

In the consolation final, Bernie Butgereit's Diamonds team rolled past the Tecumseh Crush, 13-5.  Nice finish, both teams!

The Saginaw Bay Lady RiverDawgs captured runner-up honors in the 10U division of the 2019 Spring Splash, and one of the reasons was the play of All-Tournament Team performer Kayla Flores.  The young first baseman achieved a first in Traverse City tournament history by clobbering a home run that carried approximately 200 feet.  Nicely done, Kayla (shown batting, above).

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THANK YOU, EVERYONE

...a quick note of thanks to our visiting teams for participating in the 2019 Spring Splash tournament.  We hope your families and players enjoyed the weekend in Traverse City as much as we enjoyed hosting your teams and watching all of the young players in action.

Here it is!  The list of top performers in the 2019 Spring Splash...congratulations, ladies!!!  Coaches:  If your players are not listed and you would like to give them some recognition, please email your selections  (JSBrunner777@yahoo.com) and we will include them on the All-Tournament Team.

10U Division

Claire Hurley - TC Thunder

Reese Jones - TC Thunder

Keeley Peace - Saginaw Bay Lady RiverDawgs

Kayla Flores - Saginaw Bay Lady RiverDawgs

Jaiden Ossana - Saginaw Bay Lady RiverDawgs

Samantha Thackery - Lady RiverDawgs

Addie Mathie - Traverse City Waves

Anna Tabaczka - Traverse City Waves

Claire McDaniel - 231 Fusion

Piper Cavanaugh - 231 Fusion 

Makayla Kozlowski - 231 Fusion

Abi Yuhaus - 231 Fusion

12U Division

Sophia Paluk - Northville Broncos

Lily Barringer - Northville Broncos

Eden Dalrymple - Grandville Dawgs Black

Kylee Austin - Grandville Dawgs Black

Alyssa Colvin - Moran Iron Works Vulcans

LeMay Sullivan - Moran Iron Works Vulcans

Alivia Kukla - Bolts Orange

Haylen McLaughlin - Bolts Orange

Haleigh Yocum - 231 Fusion 

Addison Balentine - 231 Fusion

Hunter St. Peter - 231 Fusion

Pharis Carroll - Michigan Expos - Gray

Ally Thcunick - Michigan Expos - Gray

Allison Wright - Elite 11U

Makenzie Cammenga - Elite 11U

Cam Craig - Traverse City Waves

Audrey Williams - Traverse City Waves

Zoey Jetter - Traverse City Waves

Evelyn Nowicki - Traverse City Waves

14U Division

Rylie Haist - Michigan Expos

Lilly Federeau - Michigan Expos

Josie Cornell - Michigan Expos

Veronica Lofquist - Michigan Expos

Gracie Cooper - Grand Rapids Diamonds

Gracyn Card - Grand Rapids Diamonds

Allee Shepherd - Traverse City Waves

Sophie Hardy - Traverse City Waves

Mid-Michigan Heat Stages Epic Comeback In 14U!!!  12U  Lady Riverdawgs 12U Slug Their Way To Victory!!!  Michigan Expos Make It Back-To-Back Titles At 10U!!!

The Traverse City Waves Summer Softball Series got off to a rollicking start as teams from around the state showed their skills at sites all around the city.  

There were five--FIVE!!!--over the fence home runs belted in 12U division games over the weekend.  Shaun Gray's Michigan Expos repeated as 10U champions by edging an excellent Lakeshore Storm team, 3-2.  But the most jaw-dropping result was in the 14U division...

The fact that one team or the other won was not surprising at all.  Two tournament heavyweights--the 231 Fusion Fastpitch squad and the Mid-Michigan Heat met in LAST year's final, won by the Fusion.  Both squads have a history of making long tournament runs here in Traverse City, and once again they mowed through bracket play on another collision course toward the title game.

In the championship match, the Fusion ambushed the Heat with four runs in the first inning and six more in the second.  Down 10-0, Tim Robinson's squad mounted the greatest championship game comeback in Traverse City tournament history, dating back to 2006.  The Heat chipped away with a single run in the third, added more runs in the fourth and fifth, but found themselves down 11-6 with two outs in the sixth inning.  Three times the Heat was down to its final STRIKE! Amazingly, Heat batters strung together two-out hit after two-out hit, helped along by a few Fusion miscues.  Finally, the comeback was completed with a single that drove home two runs, sending the Heat bench and their fans into a frenzy!  It was a terrific game between two exceptional teams that will win a lot of games this summer.  Congratulations to both teams on a super-exciting game!!!

In addition to the Expos victory in 10U--the organization's second in a row at that age group--the Saginaw Bay Lady Riverdawgs 12U squad was too much for a good, young Elite 11U team, 12-3, in the championship final in the 12U division.

In the consolation brackets, Juan Rolon's Outlaws 13U team edged Rich Steenstra's Grandville Dawgs, 7-6, in ANOTHER exciting 14U division game at SEAS.  In the 12U division, the West Michigan Outlaws Blue defeated the Northville Broncos 11U, 8-0.

A big THANK YOU to all the teams, players, families and fans that attended and helped to make the Spring Splash a success!  We hope to see you again next year...

 Thank you to all of the teams that participated in the opening weekend of the Traverse City Waves Summer Softball Series!  Here are the All-Tournament selections as nominated by the coaching staffs.  Coaches:  If your team and players are missing and you would like to nominate up to two of your players to be added to the All-Tournament Team, please send a note and we will add your player(s) to the list.

10U Division 
Addison Spicer-Michigan Blasters
Kennedi Ryan-Michigan Blasters 

Audrey Williams-TC Waves

Hayden Boonstra-TC Waves

Zoey Jetter-TC Waves 

Macy Pohlad-231 Fusion

Piper Cavanaugh-231 Fusion 

Madison Wyckoff-Lakeshore Storm 

Ella Showers-Lakeshore Storm

12U Division
Courtney Witten-W. Mich. Outlaws

Avery Matthysse-W. Mich. Outlaws.
Lauren Berghorst-W. Mich. Outlaws

Livia Bisonet-W. Mich. Outlaws 

Maggie Napont-TC Waves 12U 

Hannah Grahn-TC Waves 12U 

Allee Shepherd-TC Waves 12U 

Leah Simetz-231 Fusion

Taylor Noble-231 Fusion 

Olivia Mikowski-231 Fusion

Lilly Stidham-Batbusters 

Audrey Pearsall-Batbusters

Anna Weber-Northville Broncos 

Anna Wilds-Northville Broncos 

Emma Case-Riverdawgs 12U 

Bitsy Shea-Riverdawgs 12U 

Raina Bonus-Riverdawgs 12U 

Jacquie Peters-Riverdawgs 12U   

14U Division  

Madison Travis-Mid-Michigan Heat 

Sawyer Gerow-Mid-Michigan Heat

Kate Pnacek-Mid-Michigan Heat 

Alexis Grove-Mid-Michigan Heat 

Lexi Hamstra-231 Fusion

Brooke Meeker-231 Fusion

Sophie Wisniski-231 Fusion

Kaci Sowers-231 Fusion 

Allison Urlaub-Alpena Thundercats

Lindsay Donajkowski-Alpena Thundercats

Riley Brigham-Expos 14U Brigham 

Skylar Baumgardner-Expos 14U Brigham

Ashley Veldheer-Diamonds 

Annika Talsma-Diamonds 

Emma Torres-Outlaws 13U

Patricia Misiak-Outlaws 13U 

Leslie Hamilton-TC Thunder 13U

Lauren Steenstra-Grandville Dawgs 

Marissa Menard-Grandville Dawgs

McKenzie Reed-TC Thunder 13U 

Catelyn Heethuis-TC Thunder 13U

2018

10U Division

Champion - Michigan Expos

Runner Up - Lakeshore Storm

12U Division

Champion - Riverdawgs 12U

Runner Up - Elite 11U

14U Division

Champion - Mid-Michigan Heat

Runner Up - 231 Fusion Fastpitch

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 2017

10U Division 
Champion - Michigan Expos

Runner Up - TC Thunder  

12U Division 

Champion - Diamonds

Runner Up - Michigan Expos

14U Division

Champion - 231 Fusion Fastpitch

Runner Up - Mid-Michigan Heat

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2016

10U Division
Champion - Batbusters 

Runner Up - Northville Broncos

12U Division 

Champion - Port Huron Predators

Runner Up - MSA Renegades  

14U Division 

Champion - Michigan Sabercats

Runner Up -  231 Fusion Fastpitch

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