Presque Isle County has its own ?dream team? of eight all-staters
Eight players from the Posen and Rogers City High School baseball and softball teams earned Division IV all-state honors from coaches in Michigan, including two first team all-state infielders. Rogers City?s Adam LaLonde was named to the 2004 Division IV first team, along with Posen?s Matt Ponik. Infielder Judd Vekaryasz and outfielder Justin Kelley earned second team accolades, while Cassy Brege and Ashley Fleming were honorable mentions on the Division IV ?Dream Team.?
Posen seniors Michelle Bednarski and Shannon Ciarkowski, who were part of the best four-year run in school history, also earned honorable mention awards. LaLonde, who pitched brilliantly in the Division IV state semifinals in Battle Creek but ended up getting tagged with the 2-1 loss, led the Hurons at the plate with a .482 batting average. He had four home runs, which was tops on the club, but the stat that really might have given him the nod as a first team player was his 53 RBI.
COACH HOWARD MADSEN called Adam the consummate team player during his senior year. ?It wasn?t about him,? Madsen said. ?It was how the team did.? LaLonde also was named to the all-region, district and Straits Area Conference teams and had a team-best 1.72 ERA.
Ponik was one of eight juniors named to the Division IV all-state first team. He was a hitting machine at the plate, finishing the season with a .531 batting average, but also made his teammates in the field better. Coach Pat Kowalski said when Ponik was playing first base he would scoop bad throws out of the dirt and make a play look routine. Ponik, an all-region, district, and the North Star League?s most valuable player, may be the best hitter Kowalski has ever coached. He can hit the fastball, wait on the curveball, and has excellent form. In 81 at bats, Ponik struck out only twice. He collected 43 hits, including five home runs, 16 doubles, and one triple. He also had 31 RBI and 34 runs scored.
VEKARYASZ WAS tied for the team lead with eight doubles and was one of five players with a batting average above .400. He hit .456, which was fourth on the squad. Judd also led the Hurons with 10 victories on the mound. ?He pitched well for us all year. He was our ?go-to-guy,?? said Madsen. ?(Vekaryasz) was a great team leader and worked his tail off.?
Kelley was an all-region player at second base, but moved to the outfield for his final season as a Huron. The move helped the 2004 final-four team come together, Madsen said. Kelley was tied for the team lead with 35 stolen bases, collected 35 hits, and hit two home runs. Both Kelley and Vekaryasz were selected to the all-region, district, and SAC squads.
State honorable mention selections, Fleming and Brege, were members of Rogers City?s state runner-up team in Battle Creek and both played intricate roles in the surge to state. Fleming, who was called a ?fantastic leader? by coach Karl Grambau, gave her teammates confidence when she took the mound, and had a ?great demeanor,? the coach said. ?She?s a fantastic athlete and one of the most feared hitters in Division IV,? said Grambau. FLEMING WAS 18-3 on the mound with a 1.97 ERA and struck out 176. At the plate she finished with a .306 average and led the Hurons with 42 runs scored. She was tied for the team lead with 31 RBI. She collected 38 hits, which tied for second on the club.
Grambau said Brege had a great year in 2003 and got better in ?04. She led the Hurons with enthusiasm and energy. She hit with power, was willing to sacrifice when needed, and made a lot of clutch catches, according to Grambau. Brege, who has been invited to play in the senior all-star game in Lansing, batted .316 with six doubles and four triples. She scored 31 runs and collected 36 hits. Fleming and Brege were all-region, district, and SAC selections.
Bednarski and Ciarkowski, who also have been invited to play in the senior all-star game, played all four years on the varsity. ?It puts the icing on the cake for two young ladies at Posen who had outstanding careers,? said coach Glenn Budnick. ?They had softball instincts — it?s something you can?t teach. They were just naturals at the game. Those are the kind of athletes that are hard to replace.?
BEDNARSKI HIT .474, which was tops on the team for players with more than 10 at bats. She was number one in hits (45), triples (six), and RBI (37). Ciarkowski led the Vikes with 43 runs scored from the lead-off position and smacked 10 doubles. Her season ending average was .465.
Bednarski carried the load on the mound with 107 innings pitched, a 16-4 record, and an ERA of .56. She struck out 128 but pitched with mechanic-like accuracy, allowing only 22 walks. Ciarkowski was solid on the mound with an 8-1 record and an ERA of 1.53. Both Posen stars were all-region, district, and NSL selections. Bednarski was a co-MVP of the NSL.
Senior first baseman Danielle Smolinski (22 R, 23 H, 14 RBI, 8 SB, .271 BA) closes out her career by earning all-region, district, and league accolades.
MAKING FIRST team all-conference for the 14-0 Vikings was Beth Julian, who had the highest number of hits among underclassmen. She finished with a 20 RBI and a .448 batting average. Julian is joined by league honorable mentions Courtney Romel (31 R, 3rd highest; 25 H; 22 RBI, 3rd highest; .253 BA) and Katie Lewandowski (19 SB, 1st; 27 H, 4th; 25 R, .342 BA).
Hurons Laura Konieczny (41 H, 1st; 18 SB, 1st; .331 BA, 2nd; 37 R, 2nd) and Megan Hanson (.330 BA, 3rd; 27 R, 29 H) were
Viking pitcher Jesse Romel (30 R, 22 H, 10 SB, .278) earned all-district and NSL first team honors. Nick Goupell (.403 BA, 27 H, 24 RBI, one K) was a first team selection catcher and an honorable mention in the NSL.
Luke Hentkowski (26 R, 21 H, 12 SB) was a conference honorable mention. Tim Cercone (38 R, 2nd; 59 H, 2nd; 8 2b, tied for 1st; 36 RBI, 2nd; .461 BA, 3rd) who has to be considered a clear omission on the all-state squad, made all region, district and all conference.
Chris Rhode (25 W, 1st; 35 R, 34 H, 20 RBI, .400 BA) made the all-region team as an outfielder, while Cody Wenzel (.480 BA, 2nd; 45 R, 1st; 60 H, 1st; 35 SB, tied for 1st) was all-district and all-conference.