TRAVERSE CITY — Only three remain.
That’s still the most left in any sports among teams from northwest Lower Michigan.
There’s two soccer teams (TC St. Francis and Harbor Springs) and one baseball squad (St. Francis) remaining as the 2026 spring season whittles down its fields to the elite.
Traverse City Central (35-3), Bellaire (34-5) and Boyne City (29-10) each play in Tuesday’s quarterfinals, with the Trojans and Eagles both set for action at Central Michigan University in consecutive games, with the Ramblers headed to Ferris State University.
“Making history with these girls is the best thing I could have asked for my senior year,” said TC Central senior pitcher Piper Cavanaugh. “I’m so glad that I got this opportunity to come back and play, and I’m so excited for what the future holds this next week for us.”
No. 5-ranked Central plays No. 6 Grand Haven (32-7-1) in Tuesday’s Division 1 quarterfinal at CMU, with Division 4 No. 5 Bellaire facing No. 8 Fowler (27-8) at 1 p.m. at CMU and Boyne taking on Division 3 No. 1 Evart (41-0) at 6 pm. at Ferris State.
Cavanaugh has been dominant, supported by an offense that’s scored 378 runs in 38 games.
The Gatorade Player of the Year for softball in Michigan, the Oregon commit has struck out 272 batters with only five walks, boasting a microscopic 0.359 earned-run average and a 0.063 opponents’ batting average. That’s 6.3 percent.
The Trojans had to battle Central Michigan commit Kayla Blumenschein, winning 1-0 in extra innings on Anika Peterson’s RBI single up the middle to win the first regional championship in program history.
“It is overwhelming,” TCC coach Juli Tiesworth said. “All I could think is how happy I am for these seniors. I’m so happy for them to have that moment and have that memory. Super special. Anika, clutch.”
Central’s offense has been humming all year, until the regional final.
“Blumenschein was amazing,” Tiesworth said. “I thought throughout that game, ‘How in the heck are we going to score?’ That’s what I kept thinking. That’s softball, that it comes down to a walk and a hit by pitch and a single to win an entire game, but they put so many more balls in play. I was wondering how long we could hold them off. They’re a very good ball team, very good ball team.”
Cavanaugh struck out 28 in regionals Saturday, while Bellaire ace Brooklyn Fischer mowed down 25 batters in two games the same day.
Central’s offense is led by Ohio State commit and catcher Grace Cary, who boasts a .653 batting average, 39 extra-base hits and 36 runs batted in out of the leadoff spot.
Sophomore first baseman Julia Brady leads the team in homers with 11, driving in 51 runs and hitting .409 while some teams play extreme defensive shifts against the slugger. Cavanaugh is hitting .590 with nine homers, 57 RBI and 38 extra-base hits this season, her first of high school ball since playing as a freshman at Traverse City West, then concentrating on travel ball for two years.
Cary and Cavanaugh have combined to strike out only five times all season.
Other offensive leaders for the Trojans include Peterson (.400, 36 RBI, 10 doubles), Eden Kitzmiller (.309, 25 RBI, 10 doubles, 28 runs), Kayla Noble (.282, 10 doubles, 20 RBI, 21 walks, 29 runs), Rachel Poortenga (.277, 30 RBI, 17 runs), Kallie Kloosterman (.272, 22 RBI, 27 runs) and shortstop Anna Tabaczka (.250, 12 RBI, 13 steals, 39 runs).
The Trojans won a 3-0 tournament decision against the Buccaneers earlier this season.
Boyne also won its program’s first regional Saturday.
Boyne City draws Division 3 No. 1-ranked and 2024 state champs Evart, who have all-state pitcher Kyra Gray leading the way. The Wildcats won a 9-5 game against Boyne in an early-May tournament. Gray committed to Ferris State.
The Rambler offense has been producing well in the playoffs scoring at least five runs every game and double-digits twice in four contests. Ace pitcher Sidney Bush struck out 30 in four games as Boyne beat state-ranked Cheboygan and Gladstone and a very good Elk Rapids squad so far in the playoffs.
Fischer leads the area with 16 home runs this season, driving in 73 runs with a .646 batting average. She has 47 extra-base hits this season and teams started intentionally walking her regularly late in the season.
She gets plenty of support from the rest of the offense, with Addy Patton hitting .491 with 21 extra-base hits of her own, driving in 45 runs. Other Eagles standouts include Grace Campbell (.441, 40 RBI, 70 runs, 17 extra-base hits, 23 steals, 11 hit by pitch), Averrie Patton (.404, 29 RBI), Abi Yuhaus (.378, 40 RBI, 12 doubles, four homers, 20 steals, 47 runs), Annabelle Regner (.372, 23 RBI, eight doubles), Rianna Slabosz (.361, 16 RBI), Brooklyn Stevens (.360, 30 RBI, 21 steals, 30 runs), Makenna Elandt (.304), Abbi Hocking (.300, 12 steals) and Olivia White (.373).
All three aces could reach the 200-strikeout mark by the end of the week. Cavanaugh is well past that already, while Bush has 189 strikeouts this season and Fischer 196.
Fischer is 26-4 as a junior with a 1.58 ERA in 142 frames.
Bush has a 19-4 record with a 2.51 ERA this season, fanning 189 in 139.2 innings.
Sadie Bush leads the Ramblers with .483 batting average, clubbing 11 home runs and driving in 53 on 30 extra-base hits. Riley Thiel is hitting .433 with 15 doubles and 36 RBI, Natalie Grobaski hits .421 with 12 homers and 55 RBI and Sidney Bush check in at .409 with 21 21 extra-base hits, six homers and 57 RBI.
Other top hitters for the Ramblers are Lily Payton (.384, 35 RBI, 10 doubles, five triples), Bella Jewett (.384, 15 doubles, 29 RBI, 10 steals, 22 walks), Lucy Joyce (.314, 29 runs, 17 walks), 14 RBI), Addy Stanek (.299, six doubles) and Eeva Rintala (.273, 10 runs in 17 games).