SOFTBALL: OAA White Division champion Rochester Adams looking for better fortune in state tourney
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BY DAN STICKRADT
SENIOR EDITOR
dan.stickradt@northoaklandsports.com
Twitter: @LocalSportsFans
ROCHESTER HILLS — Rochester Adams ended an unusual drought this season on the softball diamond: The Highlanders captured a league championship in the OAA White Division, its first crown since 2007.
Adams, a veteran ballclub with six seniors and six juniors, has been quite competitive in recent years despite low numbers in the youth leagues, so winning any type of championship is a plus.
“It is nice to win it, because this has been the longest drought in terms of not winning a league since I have here (in 1987),” said veteran Adams coach Fran Scislowicz, who is in his 27th season at Adams. “We don’t have the numbers like we used to have and having three high schools has changed things.”
Still, Adams entered the campaign with a seasoned group and thoughts of contending. The Highlanders shared the crown with Rochester, as both claimed 9-1 division records.
“I felt that we had a good pitcher and a few other nice players, so we’d have a shot,” said Scislowicz. “Rochester had a good pitcher, and a few quality players; Oxford had a new coach and they might be good again in a couple of years; (Rochester) Stoney Creek didn’t have that good of a year; and the two Farmington schools (Farmington and Farmington Harrison) were both way down. I am not surprised that we won a share of the league.
“We were second in the league the past three years, so it’s nice for the girls to get over the hump,” continued Scislowicz. “They have worked hard.”
Adams was 22-13 last season and followed that up with a 20-10 mark this year despite the many cancellations and bad weather that took a chunk of the campaign away.
“Once we started to actually play some games, we did all right,” said Scislowicz. “The players that I was counting on stepped up and some others did a nice job as well. We finished the regular season 20-10 and that’s a quality 20-10 because we played a tough non-league schedule and some good competition in tournaments. We’ve had a lot of close games. I think we’ve had 10-11 games where the games were decided by one or two runs. We were something like 8-3 in those games. Had it gone the other way and we went 3-8 in those games, we don’t win the league and it would be considered a bad season.”
As expected, junior Kelly McCasland was a reliable arm from the circle this season, pitching a bulk of the team’s games and batted near .400 at the plate. Senior Kristen Novack, another third-year starter and all-league player, hit well over .400 and was a sparkplug in the dugout.
Senior outfielders Megan Eggleton and Natalie Kinnie were both solid contributors, as was senior third baseman Samantha Baker, who hit over .350 and offered up a solid glove at the hot corner.
Adams will play Troy Athens in the Division 1 district semifinals on Saturday, and have a chance at a district title, along with Athens and Troy. All three have posted solid campaigns and are entertaining thoughts of advancing to regional play.
The Highlanders, who captured numerous league and district crowns in the 1980s and 1990s, have not won a district since 1996.
“It’s not that haven’t had some good teams, we’ve been in some really tough districts,” offered Scislowicz. “There were years we were with the Waterford schools when they were loaded; and other years when Troy was loaded; or Romeo, or Lake Orion and Clarkston. There’s a lot of good programs in this area and winning a district is very tough. We would love to win a district. It has been a very long time.
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Have photos or video of this event that you wish to share? E-mail pertinent information to www.northoaklandsports.com Senior Editor Dan Stickradt at dan.stickradt@northoaklandsports.com or e-mail results@northoaklandsports.com.
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