Little sluggers make history;

The Onaway Minor Girls All-Star softball team made history last Thursday when they defeated Rogers City by one run to finish undefeated in the District 13 tournament in Cheboygan, and capture a district banner and earn the right to play at the state tournament in Escanaba.

This was the first team in the history of the Onaway Area Little League program to advance to state. Several Little League officials from the last couple of decades were consulted and none recall another team advancing out of district play.

The state tournament started yesterday with Onaway’s first game to be played today (Friday). The Minor Girls is a program which started three years ago, with league president Clark Chapman and Scott Szymoniak organizing a team. The following year Rick McDonald agreed to coach a second squad.

Szymoniak’s team ended with an impressive 13-1 record and when combined with McDonald’s group to compete in the post season, the all-stars finished second in the district. This set the stage for this year’s successful tournament run.

WHEN SZYMONIAK moved up this year to coach in the majors, his assistant coach, Dean Estep, took over as coach of the minors, but Estep gives Szymoniak a great deal of credit for the success of the team.

“Szymoniak and a group of dedicated parents, but first and foremost, these little girls who started in April in the gym, will finish on the shores of Lake Michigan, representing the town of Onaway.”

When asked about winning the district title, manager Rick McDonald said, “This is huge for the program.”

The team proved it belongs in the state tournament with two impressive “come-from-behind” victories against the well-respected All-Star team from the Rogers City program.

The umps commented during the contest, with the way the high-scoring game was going, the team that batted last was probably going to win. That happened to be Onaway.

Down 13-12 heading into the bottom of the sixth inning, Terri Stiles and Chelsea Derosia got on board with nobody out, before leadoff hitter Emily Estep lined a full-count pitch to right center for the game-winning, two-RBI single, punching the girls’ ticket to state. Estep also earned the win on the mound pitching a complete game. The final score was 14-13.

THE GIRLS are guaranteed four games at state, and will start the 15-team tournament by playing Clare at 2 p.m.

There are three groups of five teams battling to win their pool and advance to

the finals. A fourth wild card team also may be added. As the team ventures into unchartered territory, problems like expenses, transportation and time off for parents arise.

The parents, family members, and supporters of Onaway Little League “stepped up” on the first day of fundraising Rooms alone for the players will cost more than $1,500 for the six to seven day event.

Many local businesses have made contributions and there were many personal donations made as well. The parents have taken on the responsibility of raising the money and the town has given cheerfully, Estep said.

“The people of the Onaway area have backed us all the way, which allows the coaches and players to concentrate on the job at hand – a state title.”

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.