05/30/2021
💙A message from Coach Draeger💙
Today's win loss record in Frankenmuth was not what we had hoped for. But I saw some great play today, and more importantly, I saw even better team building. I watched Raegan Barden cheer on her teammates continuously. I saw Abby Bokor be ready when called on, come off the bench and run beautifully, scoring a run. When I asked her and Olivia Goss to come help me hold the outfield fence up, they didn't question, they just jumped up and did it because their teammates needed it. I watched Breann question whether she should be in the lineup because she thought her hitting was not up to s***f, heard her teammates pick her up, and then watched her drive in a run. I watched Camryn throw strongly, and her teammates rally around her. After Kaylie Terburgh, the starter with the fewest strikeouts on the team (just 3 all season after today!) struck out against Frankenmuth on a questionable 3-pitch strikeout, she put that behind her and hit a two-out double and scored a run in the last inning when we really needed to keep the game going. I watched teammates pick up Alayna as she struggled in Game 2, and then watched her hit the ball strong because her team needed it. Caleigh MacNeill played hurt, and never once complained about it. Syd Baker found positives wherever she looked and like a good senior, took an active interest in making sure her teammates understood their value and their benefit, no matter the situation. When Gracie Kaye committed an error, she took my constructive coaching, said I’ll do better next time, and then got on base when we needed it during our comeback against Mt. Pleasant. Everywhere I looked today, I saw teammates pulling for each other and never giving up. When we had the tying run at the plate against Mount Pleasant, and when we had the tying run in the on deck circle against Frankenmuth, everybody cheered, everybody was involved and the entire team was invested. All year long, we had two goals: get quality at bats and keep errors to less than two per game. In the games we've lost, we had more than two errors. That was the same today. I know this team is capable of great things, and a district championship is entirely within our grasp if this team believes and has a goal to fight for. While I know that the goal of winning and being crowned a champion is usually strong enough, I thought it might be helpful to have some outside influence to add that little extra incentive that helps get this team over the hump. Standing there this morning in the parking lot at Frankenmuth, talking with Coach Myers and Coach Rinks, I realized one thing that was different among the three of us: I'm the only one with hair. So, if this team rises to its potential and takes the district championship, I will no longer look different. If this team wins the district championship, they can shave my head, and even shave off my beard. I grew the beard for friends with cancer. As I mentioned at Fenton, we lost one of those friends a few months ago, and another continues his fight, but had a very successful surgery last week. If this team wins the district crown, I will let this team shave both my face and my head. What better way to honor my friends but to also make me remember this team when every day, I look in the mirror and see my ugly shaved head and remember why it looks that way. So, Snapchat says I’ll look this hideous bald. What do you say? Can we do this?
