Three Viking baseball and softball players earned Division IV all-state honors.
Senior catcher Josh Konieczny, who will continue his baseball playing days at Lansing Community College, earned all-state first team honors from the Michigan High School Coaches Association, while sophomore infielder Matt Ponik was named all-state second team. Junior pitcher Michelle Bednarski earned all-state honorable mention for the Posen softball team. Both baseball players made the elite squads for different reasons: Konieczny, for his rock solid defensive skills, and Ponik for his incredible eye at the plate.
KONIECZNY COMMITTED only two errors while catching for a young pitching staff. He had 16 put-outs, 25 assists, and a fielding average of .953. The three-year starter at catcher, and a member of the 2000 Battle Creek team, was second in batting with a .447 average.
?Everybody looked up to him,? said coach Pat Kowalski. ?He?s a great athlete, and was a great asset.? Ponik led the Vikings with a steady .527 batting average. He had 49 hits, which was the most among players named to the Division IV all-region team. The statistic that really stood out was he only struck out two times.
?He?ll put the ball in play for you,? said Kowalski. Both Konieczny and Ponik made the all-region and district teams as well.
BEDNARSKI CAME back from a difficult shoulder injury to post some impressive numbers down the stretch. Softball coach Glenn Budnick said she didn?t have some of the big numbers other pitchers who earn all-state have, but he was glad to see the coaches looked at the quality starts. Posen had several cancellations because of the weather.
?She came on strong at the end,? said Budnick. Bednarski seemed to pitch better as the stakes grew higher. The junior went 14-6, with a team-leading ERA of 1.75. She had 105 of the team?s 125 strikeouts and ?blew people away? the last couple of weeks.
JUNIOR UTILITY player Jesse Romel earned all-region and district honors. He was tough defensively with only four errors, all while playing several positions. Romel batted .357 and led PHS with 22 walks. He had 12 put-outs and 23 assists. Junior pitcher Russ Kamyszek (51 K, 43 W, 3.48 ERA) was 6-2 with three saves and earned all-district accolades along with senior centerfielder J Richards (21 R, 26 H, 8 SB). Kamyszek made all-district for his clutch per
JOINING BEDNARSKI on the all-region and district teams are junior infielder Shannon Ciarkowski, senior outfielder Julie Lewandowski, and second baseman Courtney Romel. Ciarkowski led the Vikes with 46 runs scored, was second in RBI (33) and third in hits (47). From the clean-up spot, Lewandowski led the Vikings with 41 RBI and batted a robust .376. Romel had the highest batting average among Posen players with more than 10 at bats, swinging at a .433 clip. She topped the squad with 55 hits (46 singles, nine doubles).
Centerfielder Katie Lewandowski joins the other above-mentioned softball players on the all-district team. The speedy sophomore was tops with 24 stolen bases, second in walks (19), and third in runs (43).