The Girl in Centerfield

In May of 1973, a 12-year-old girl in pigtails from Ypsilanti, Michigan made history by taking on the largest youth sports organization in America.  Carolyn King was simply looking to play baseball when she tried out for a spot in the Ypsilanti American Little League.  She went to the tryouts with her younger brother, and impressed the coaches with her strong throwing arm and her speed.  The coach of the Orioles was looking for a center fielder, and he thought that Carolyn might fit the bill, so he drafted her.  One problem: In 1951, the National Little League organization in Williamsport, Pa., had enacted a rule that specifically said girls were not eligible to play.  National officials felt the sport of baseball was too dangerous for girls, so they decided to restrict their leagues to boys.  The National Little League threatened to pull the local league’s charter if Carolyn played, but the City of Ypsilanti said that if she didn’t play, the league couldn’t use the city’s fields. When she suited up for the Orioles in their first game - making history in the process - the National Little League followed through on its threat to pull the local league’s charter.   That set up a summer of controversy and showdowns in Ypsilanti that strongly divided the community as the case headed to federal court.  It made national headlines in 1973, and landed the story on the evening news. In the middle of it all was a 12-year-old in pigtails who simply wanted to play baseball.  Carolyn’s case and the national uproar it caused prompted National Little League officials to drop their boys-only rule.  In 1974, thanks to Carolyn King, girls became eligible to play Little League baseball.  The Ypsilanti American Little League founded in 1953, is the oldest Little League in Michigan and the first in the world to include a female player

“The Girl in Centerfield,” a feature-length documentary produced by Detroit-based Stunt3 Multimedia, is the story of Carolyn King’s fight to play Little League baseball. Using interviews, stock footage, and re-creation, Stunt3 will weave together the drama of the summer of 1973 when the nation watched as the city of Ypsilanti went head-to-head with Williamsport, Pennsylvania and the institution of Little League Baseball.  The film is scheduled for release in the summer of 2010. On Thursday, July 19, 2010, 7-8:30pm Ypsilanti District Library will premiere the trailer for the documentary and host a personal appearance by Carolyn King Minot. 

Carolyn King Minot being interviewed for”The Girl in Centerfield”

Ypsilanti Ladies, Take The Field!

Eastern Michigan University is offering “Football 101″ -  a skills clinic for women Saturday, July 24, 2010 from 10 am-3 pm.  Participants will experience what it’s like to be a player as coaches teach them the importance of different positions and run them through practice drills.  At the end of the day, they will have the basic knowledge and skills needed to enjoy the game of football.

Registration for the event is $30 per person ($15 for EMU students) which includes lunch, a “Football 101″ t-shirt, and photo opportunities with Head Coach Ron English.  Each participant will also receive a season ticket to the 2010 EMU Football season.  Additionally, for each Football 101 registration, $5 will be donated to support EMU Volleyball’s “Dig Pink” fundraiser to benefit breast cancer research, which will take place in the fall.  For more information about the EMU Football 101 Skills Clinic, call 734.487.8109 or visit EMUEagles.com.

Wolverines Lead After Day One at EMU Swim Invitational

Thanks to a fast start and equally-fast finish, the No. 19th-ranked University of Michigan women’s swimming and diving team leads after the first day (Friday, Dec. 4) of the Eastern Michigan Invitational, held at the Michael H. Jones Natatorium. The Wolverines won four of the day’s six events, scoring 361 as a team to lead second-place Eastern Michigan by 63 points (298).

Michigan looked in command from the opening gun. Senior Emily Hanson (Bloomington, Ill./Normal Community) gave U-M a first-place finish in the meet’s opening race, the 1,650-yard freestyle, making it her first win in that event this season. Her time of 16:40.53 was good enough to meet NCAA ‘B’ qualifying standards. Sophomores Kristyne Cole (Ann Arbor, Mich./Pioneer) and Megan Craig (Ann Arbor, Mich./Mercy) and freshman Kally Fayhee (North Aurora, Ill./Rosary) finished in sixth, seventh and eighth, respectively, earning a total of 36 points for the Wolverines.

The 200-yard butterfly was dominated by U-M seniors Margaret Kelly (Ann Arbor, Mich./Pioneer) and Courtney Beyer (Los Altos Hills, Calif./Los Altos) as both earned new season highs in the 200-yard butterfly and finished 1-2, with Kelly earning an NCAA ‘B’ mark. Senior Emily Christy (Schwenksville, Pa./Spring Ford Area Senior) and redshirt senior Lori Morton (Portage, Mich./Central) rounded out the Wolverine contingent, as the quartet combined to score 63 points and occupy four of the top seven places. The Wolverines ended the first day of competition in the 400-yard freestyle, once again taking the top two spots, with the foursome of Kelly, senior Leigh Cole (Ann Arbor, Mich./Pioneer), sophomore Alexa Mehesan (West Des Moines, Iowa/Valley) and K. Cole taking home first place with a time of 3:25.67.

The Wolverines placed four swimmers in the top 11 during the 100-yard freestyle, led by a second-place finish from L. Cole, who narrowly missed out on first by a slim margin of seven one-hundredths of a second. Freshman Katherine Carl (Bloomfield Hills, Mich./Lahser) beat her previous career best (55.21) by nearly four seconds, clocking in at 51.76. Despite swimming exhibition, her time was the third-fastest in the event Friday.

Sophomore Liz Johnson (Milford, Mich./Milford) broke away down the stretch of the 200-yard backstroke to earn a first-place finish, with freshman Ashley Cohagen (Ann Arbor, Mich./Pioneer) coming in third. Freshman Julia Andracki (Arlington Heights, Ill./Prospect) had the lead down the stretch in the 200-yard breaststroke but could not hold off a late surge from Ana Pena Gonzalez of Wayne State and finished in second at 2:20.72.

Senior diver Stephanie O’Callaghan (Howell, Mich./Howell) secured top honors in the only diving event of the evening, scoring a 581.30 on the three-meter board. Fellow senior Caitlin Dunphy-Daly (Royal Oak, Mich./Rochester) came in fifth (524.80), while redshirt freshman Sarah Suprise (Portage, Mich./Hackett Catholic Central) came in 12th (404.05).

The Wolverines return to Jones Natatorium tomorrow (Saturday, Dec. 5) for the conclusion of the EMU Invitational, in search of their seventh straight EMU Invitational title. Competition will begin at 10 a.m. and continue at 6 p.m.

Team Standings (After Day One)

1. MICHIGAN 361
2. Eastern Michigan 298
3. Toledo 233
4. Wayne State 210
Event Winners/U-M Finishers (Day One)

1,650-yard Freestyle
1. Emily Hanson, U-M 16:40.53#
6. Kally Fayhee, U-M 17:13.39
7. Kristyne Cole, U-M 17:17.49
8. Megan Craig, U-M 17:21.23

200-yard Backstroke
1. Liz Johnson, U-M 2:01.33
3. Ashley Cohagen, U-M 2:03.01
10. Emily Brunemann, U-M 2:10.39
11. Emily Hanson, U-M 2:10.62

100-yard Freestyle
1. Sarah Kowalski, Eastern Michigan 51.06
2. Leigh Cole, U-M 51.13
4. Catherine Nosal, U-M 51.86
6. Alexa Mehesan, U-M 52.27
11. Katrin Vetter, U-M 53.69
Katherine Carl, U-M 51.76
Liz Koselka, U-M 52.77
Mary Grace Godfrey, U-M 53.10
Deirdre Jones, U-M 53.34

200-yard Breaststroke
1. Ana Pena Gonzalez, Wayne State 2:19.85
2. Julia Andracki, U-M 2:20.72
8. Val Barthelemy, U-M 2:25.83
Emily Brunemann, U-M 2:23.05

200-yard Butterfly
1. Margaret Kelly, U-M 1:59.19#
2. Courtney Beyer, U-M 2:02.90
5. Emily Christy, U-M 2:04.66
7. Lori Morton, U-M 2:06.37
Linnea Johnson, U-M 2:05.47
Keenan Koss, U-M 2:06.24
Emily Brunemann, U-M 2:06.35

400-yard Freestyle Relay
1. MICHIGAN, ‘A’ 3:25.67
(Margaret Kelly, Leigh Cole,
Alexa Mehesan, Kristyne Cole)
2. MICHIGAN ‘B’ 3:28.90
(Liz Johnson, Liz Koselka,
Mary Grace Godfrey, Catherine Nosal)
MICHIGAN ‘C’ 3:31.51
(Katrin Vetter, Katherine Carl,
Deirdre Jones, Kally Fayhee)
MICHIGAN ‘D’ 3:34.12
(Linnea Johnson, Megan Craig,
Emily Brunemann, Emily Hanson)

Three-Meter Diving
1. Stephanie O’Callaghan (U-M) 581.30
5. Caitlin Dunphy-Daly (U-M) 524.80
12. Sarah Suprise (U-M) 404.05

# NCAA ‘B’ qualifying standard

N O T E S

• Michigan has won the last six EMU Invitationals.

• Emily Brunemann did not swim the 1,650-yard freestyle, the event in which she won a national title back in 2008. Instead, she swam in the 200-yard backstroke, 200-yard breaststroke and 200-yard butterfly, all for the first time this season.

• Megan Craig swam the 1,650-yard freestyle for the first time since her sophomore year in high school. She finished in seventh place (17:17.49).

• The EMU Invitational is Michigan’s last swimming event of the calendar year. They return to the pool Jan. 2, 2010, in San Juan, Puerto Rico, for the Copa Coqui.

Q U O T E S

Michigan Head Coach Jim Richardson
On his team’s performance Friday … “Really solid. For the people who swam at Purdue, we wanted to see if they could swim between their fastest times of the season so far and what they swam at Purdue. That’s been the majority of them. For the people who had more rest, we wanted to see them swim faster than they have all season and how close to lifetime bests they could come. We had a lot of real good swims out there. I am very pleased.”

On the performance from some of the well-rested freshmen and upperclassmen … “I think it shows that they have stayed true to their training. They haven’t let the fact that they haven’t competed take anything away from their preparation. Everyone says it’s the will to win. It’s not — it’s the will to prepare to win. That is the most important thing. They have passed that test with flying colors. We see day in and day out where people are and what they are capable of doing. It is nice to see them step up in somewhat of a pressure situation and do it then. We want these meets to be an accurate reflection of their training.”

On whether his team was sluggish with their times following the two-week break … “I would be disappointed if it were for any reason other than illness or fatigue from academic pressure, which is happening right now. I don’t think we have the kind of people on this team that are fragile like that. You don’t get points for how you feel or how you look. It can be ugly and fast, and that’s okay at times like this. Learning how to get your hand on the wall when you feel good or you feel bad is a real important skill to develop in the pool.”

U-M Senior Emily Hanson
On her first-place finish in the 1,650-yard freestyle … “It feels really good. Bruno [Emily Brunemann] wasn’t there and she always pushes me. Today gave me an opportunity to see where I was at. I’ve been training real well all season and gotten pretty consistent results. Definitely feels good to get a win.”

On her relationship with Emily Brunemann … “I think this past summer really helped mold our relationship. We spent a lot of time together training day in and day out. We are really close.”

On how her senior year has been going … “I am having an absolute blast. Our team is such a tight-knit group. There’s still a lot left to the season, but I am having a lot of fun.”

U-M Freshman Katherine Carl
On her 100-yard freestyle time … “It was a great time for me. It was my fastest of the season and I’m very happy with that. Training is hard, but I’m definitely getting faster and stronger as the year progresses.”

On her freshman season to this point … “I love it here. The coaches are great, the rest of the girls on the team are awesome. It’s a perfect fit for me.”

U-M Senior Emily Brunemann
On swimming in three events for the first time this season … “It was Stefanie’s [Kerska] choice, actually. She wanted me to work on my strokes for the 400 IM and that was the whole reason for doing it. It was also to give me a little bit of a break from the mile (1,650). I know I was going to have to do a lot of events, but up until this afternoon, I didn’t know which ones. I think I did okay. I am not a backstroker. It is my worst event, but I think I did alright in the other ones.”

On not swimming the 1,650-yard freestyle … “Also Stefanie’s choice. If it were up to me, I probably would be out there because I love the mile. But it’s nice to occasionally get a break.”

Story courtesy of University of Michigan Sports Information.

(Editors Note: If the story seems slanted towards U-M athletes, it is because YpsiNews.com has called Eastern Michigan University Sports Information Office several times over the past year for EMU sports news and stories, but they haven’t returned our calls.)

Spartan wrestlers pound EMU

The Michigan State wrestling team defeated Eastern Michigan, 26-9, on Thursday (Dec. 3) night to improve to 3-1 on the season. EMU is now 2-1-1 on the year.

“It was an excellent team effort tonight,” said Spartan head coach Tom Minkel. “We had some tough, hard-fought matches, and I think this was the best team effort we’ve had in some time.”

The match started at 174 pounds where Ian Hinton defeated EMU’s Nick Hendrick, 5-1. After a pair of Eagle wins at 184 and 197 pounds, heavyweight Alan O’Donnell put MSU on top, 10-6, when he defeated David Wade, 2-1.

“I was pleased we were able to keep our composure and stay on task early on,” Minkel said. “I feel like we’ve made some good progress in the last couple weeks, and hopefully, we continue to improve.”

The Eagles 18th-ranked Chris Jenkins slashed the MSU lead to 10-9 when he defeated Eric Olanowski at 125 pounds but that would be as close as EMU would get, as the Spartans claimed the night’s final five matches.

No. 1-ranked Franklin Gomez won his 22nd consecutive match at 133 pounds to start the Spartans’ winning streak, followed by freshman Dan Osterman, who registered a major-decision win (15-6) over Andrew Novak at 141 pounds.

“We were all pleased with Danny,” said Minkel. “He is a freshman but wrestles like a seasoned veteran. He stepped up and did what we expected him to do tonight.”

David Cheza (149 pounds), Anthony Jones Jr. (157 pounds) and Kyle Bounds (165 pounds) closed out the meet with wins for MSU.

MICHIGAN STATE 26, EASTERN MICHIGAN 9
174 lbs.: Ian Hinton (MSU) dec. Nick Hendrick (EMU), 5-1 MSU 3, EMU 0
184 lbs.: Phillip Joseph (EMU) fall Nick Palmieri (MSU), 1:27 EMU 6, MSU 3
197 lbs.: Josh Lewis (EMU) maj. dec. Tyler Dickenson (MSU), 12-3 MSU 7, EMU 6
HWT: Alan O’Donnell (MSU) dec. David Wade (EMU), 2-1 MSU 10, EMU 6
125 lbs.: No. 18 Chris Jenkins (EMU) dec. Eric Olanowski (MSU), 5-0 MSU 10, EMU 9
133 lbs.: No. 1 Franklin Gomez (MSU) dec. Sean Clair (EMU), 4-2 MSU 13, EMU 9
141 lbs.: Dan Osterman (MSU) maj. dec. Andrew Novak (EMU), 15-6 MSU 17, EMU 9
149 lbs.: David Cheza (MSU) dec. J.J. Johnson (EMU), 6-2 MSU 20, EMU 9
157 lbs.: Anthony Jones Jr. (MSU) dec. Aaron Sulzer (EMU), 5-4 MSU 23, EMU 9
165 lbs.: Kyle Bounds (MSU) dec. Justin Brandel (EMU), 8-2 MSU 26, EMU 9

Story courtesy of Michigan State Sports Information.

(Editors Note: YpsiNews.com has called EMU Sports Information for news and stories several times over the past year but they haven’t returned our calls.)

Vancil Shuts Out Sliders

Vancil Shuts Out Sliders

YPSILANTI, MI, August 26, 2009

Preston Vancil bottled up the Sliders hitting Wednesday night for the Florence Freedom as they beat the Midwest Sliders of Ypsilanti 4-0. Vancil was the story of the night as he only allowed two hits throwing a complete game shutout.

The two Slider hits came from Robbie Knapp in the second inning, and Bryan Bonner in the eighth. Bonners double in the eighth was the only Sliders scoring opportunity as Vancil only allowed one runner in scoring position and three base runners all night.

Jon Haldis did have a solid second start allowing four runs in six innings.

Florence will go for the sweep Thursday night at 7:05 p.m. at EMU’s Oestrike Stadium. After this game the Sliders will only have one more home series when Washington Wild Things come into town for a three game set this weekend.

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