The bats were rolling all spring as Lake Leelanau St. Mary, Suttons Bay, and Glen Lake shined on the softball diamond in 2024.
The 2024 softball Enterprise Dream Team is voted on by coaches Gary Galla (Suttons Bay), Melanie Dashner (St. Mary), Lauryn Pleva (Glen Lake), and sports editor Brian Freiberger.
MVP: Cathryn Mikowski (St. Mary)
This year’s unanimous Dream Team MVP carried her team all the way to capturing a district championship for Lake Leelanau St. Mary for the fourth year in-a-row.
St. Mary junior Cathryn Mikowski proved she was the best around whenever she was on the mound, plate, or in the field.
“We had to come together as a team and we grew that camaraderie between us. We lost a lot of seniors last year, but this new team that we had, it was fun to play with them,” Mikowski said. “We weren’t expected to come out of the district, but we worked hard throughout the season and the strategy that coach used for district was probably the highlight of this year with my team.”
Everytime Mikowski stepped on the field she was going to make a highlight. Some of her favorite moments include stealing the district championship from Buckley and nearly beating Frankfort in the regional semifinal. Mikowski shined bright when it mattered the most. She led the Eagles to an incredible comeback against Frankfort in the regional semifi nal 8-2 that barely fell short. Mikowski hit a home run, triple, double, and scored twice in the important game.
“Some games we have good days, other days we would fall a little short even though we know we had the potential, but it all came together and it works perfectly,” Mikowski said. “Everyone was happy with how we played and how much effort we put into that game. It was a great game no matter how it turned out.”
The grind never stops for Mikowski as she hopes to improve her pitching location and find a hitting rhythm earlier in the season.
Mikowski played in every game this season and had an 11-7 pitching record with 111 strikeouts and one shutout during the season. Opposing batters only hit .241 on Mikowski this season. At the plate, Mikowski had 41 hits, 20 RBIs, and three home runs.
Jessie Pugh (Glen Lake)
Glen Lake junior Jessie Pugh made her way onto the dream team for leading the Lakers throughout the 2024 spring season.
Pugh stepped up in a big way for the Lakers game-in and game-out.
“(Pugh) basically took on any assignment that we gave her with a positive attitude. She had never pitched before in her life, and then when we needed some help pitching, she volunteered right away,” Glen Lake coach Lauryn Pleva said. “She became just an absolute anchor for us at all positions. Somebody that we could rely on to throw strikes.”
In many games this season she gave Glen Lake a chance to be competitive in the Northwest Conference.
Delana Kirt (St. Mary)
Lake Leelanau St. Mary senior Delana Kirt made her way onto the dream team for her leadership and clutch play for the Eagles this season.
Kirt led at the plate with 32 hits and 24 RBIs. She scored 34 times and only struck out nine times.
“Kirt is a three sport athlete who excels in anything she does,” St. Mary coach Melanie Dashner said. “She maintains over a 3.5 GPA. (Kirt) is the heartbeat of our team and makes the tough plays at shortstop. She always has a calm and cool attitude.”
Kirt was instrumental in all four district championships the Eagles have won in-a-row. Kirt scored four times on three hits with two RBIs against Buckley.
Della Bunek (St. Mary)
Lake Leelanau St. Mary senior Della Bunek had an excellent senior year to cap off a remarkable career for the Eagles.
“(Bunek) is the quiet leader who always has kind words for everyone. She has a way of lifting up anyone around her. I will greatly miss her next year,” St. Mary coach Melanie Dashner said.
Bunek had 35 hits and 22 RBIs while scoring 28 times this season. In the field, she had 24 putouts and 27 assists with a 0.895 fielding average. Bunek is also a three sport athlete.
Bunek had three hits, four RBIs in the Eagle’s district championship win over Buckley.
Elena Grant (St. Mary)
Even though she only played 13 games this season, St. Mary senior Elena Grant’s impact for the Eagles is just what they needed.
In 13 games, she had 18 hits and scored 16 times with 15 first base hits.
“(Grant) played both soccer and softball this year. It made a huge difference for us when she was able to come. She usually gets on base and does a nice job in the outfield,” St. Mary coach Melanie Dashner said.
Ella Flores (Glen Lake)
Glen Lake graduate Ella Flores was a team leader for the Lakers leading to her spot on the Dream Team.
“(Ella) is somebody that I have been able to trust on the base ever since I coached her when she was in eighth grade. She understands her own strengths and weaknesses in a way that makes her very, very dangerous no matter who we’re playing,” Glen Lake coach Lauryn Pleva said.
Grace Noonan (Glen Lake)
Glen Lake sophomore Grace Noonan earned her spot on the dream team for the way she finished the 2024 season.
Noonan had 18 pick offs between first base and third base this year.
“Every pickoff, you’ve got to look at that as a run save. She got us out of a lot of tight innings and that was something that we definitely needed,” Glen Lake coach Lauryn Pleva said.
As the Lakers looked to revamp its pitching this year, Noonan stepped up and took her bumps and bruises while improving.
“I can only imagine that it’s gonna be higher than that next year. She’s getting faster all the time with her throw down to second base and she’s going to have girls next year who have played with her for a year … She is going to get better about handling the pressure and making those throws,” Pleva said.
Ella Ingwersen (Suttons Bay)
Suttons Bay sophomore Ella Ingwersen led the Norse in just about every statistical category for Suttons Bay in 2024.
Ingwersen hit .304 batting average and had an on-base percentage of .467. She led the team in hits, runs scored, stolen bases, walks and every pitching category. She batted leadoff this year and earned honorable mention All-conference and All-District.
Stacia Shananaquet (Suttons Bay)
Suttons Bay sophomore Stacia Shananaquet earned her spot on the Dream Team for her play in 2024. Shananquet was known for hitting the ball hard while being third in the lineup.
Shananaquet led the Norse in RBIs and extra base hits.
HONORABLE MENTION
There were plenty of players vying for Dream Team recognition including Glen Lake’s Laila Shimek, and St. Mary’s Leah Fleis and Lydia Bramer.
Laila Shimek is a left-handed, power-hitter who took advantage every time she stepped up to the plate.
“(Shimek) could put a butt down in front of the plate and probably just stroll into first base easily, with her innate speed,” Pleva said. “I don’t think a lot of people expect your second hitter to be exactly a power hitter, but she can hit the ball like nobody’s business. We played Traverse City Christian this year and she was responsible for 11 of the runs that we scored throughout the entire game, either through RBIs or through scoring herself.”
St. Mary senior Leah Fleis ended an incredible career for the Eagles as the senior has been an anchor at first base for the past four seasons. She hit two homeruns this season including one that helped the Eagles comeback during the regional semifinal. Fleis will be missed for her leadership and competitiveness.
Lake Leelanau St. Mary eighth-grader Lydia Bramer proved she can compete with anyone, even at such a young age.
Bramer had 29 hits and knocked in 24 RBIs throughout 2024. Almost every time she got on the plate she scored, 37 times for the Eagles. Bramer scored 37 times and stole 38 bases. At the catcher position she threw 12 runners out and three pickoffs and only allowed 44 pass balls during the season.
