CALEDONIA, Mich. — The Jenison softball team is getting ready to play in the state quarterfinals for the first time since 2005.
The Wildcats held a practice on Monday morning at Davenport University ahead of the division one game Tuesday at Central Michigan University against Grand Blanc.
A big part of their success in the regional on Saturday against Grand Haven and Rockford came from spirit provided by the dugout.
"We had tons of energy coming into the game," Jenison senior second baseman Kenadee Schnick said. "We all played our role whether it was in the dugout, on the field, we just brought our energy, played the best we could and just left it all out there. Pitch-by-pitch, every out just meant so much to us."
Jenison (32-7) was second in the OK Red this year behind Hudsonville, which it beat in the district final.
Saturday the team extended its season with two more wins against conference opponents.
"We were just so excited to continue to play together and the energy was so huge," Wildcats senior shortstop Terin Maynard said. "The bench was just feeding us energy, we knew we could do it. We just stuck to the process the whole game, stayed in it, we never let anything get to us and we knew we could do it so we just believed in ourselves."
The Wildcats have a young team with just two seniors (Schnick and Maynard), but that has not stopped them from advancing.
"Our dugout has been huge," third year Jenison head coach Michelle Metiva said. "Obviously the girls on the field are doing so much and working so hard, but without our dugout energy and feeding them. it has been person one through 19 has got us this far and we can't say enough about how proud we are of everybody. The kids on the field, the kids in the dugout."
After three straight postseason wins against OK Red opponents, the Wildcats take on a team they don't know quite as well in Grand Blanc at 4 p.m..
Tuesday's winner advances to the division one state semifinals on Thursday at 3 p.m. at Michigan State University.
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