Red-hot Tecumseh softball aiming for SEC White title

TECUMSEH — Tecumseh’s softball team has a new mindset, new mascot and is in the thick of the Southeastern Conference White Division title chase.

After a thrilling 12-11 comeback win in the first game of a doubleheader Tuesday against Pinckney, Tecumseh is still undefeated against SEC White Division opponents and is battling with Chelsea for the top spot in the standings.

“That was a huge comeback for us,” coach Tyffanie Stines said. “We were down 11-6 going into the bottom of the seventh. That was big for us. Winning these SEC-White games has been huge. I think their minds are really set toward (the top of the standings) it and they are really committed.”

Lucy Whelan had two triples in the game and had the walk off hit to complete the comeback.

“Putting the ball in play was the biggest thing,” Stines said. “We capitalized on their mistakes. We got into their head a little bit. We were hitting single after single. Us putting the ball in play put a lot of pressure of them.”

Whelan is one of six returning seniors on the Tecumseh team that has been a hitting machine this season.

“We’re scoring a lot of runs,” Stines said. “Our bats have been there all season.”

Stines expected a good season at Tecumseh after returning most of the lineup from 2023. Most of the seniors were starters on a successful 2022 team.

Wendy Ketola is the starting shortstop. Bella Juozapaitis is the catcher and No. 3 hitter. Emma Leitner pitches and plays third base. Whelan, who plays in centerfield, is a slap hitter who Stines said just keeps getting better and better. Natalie Petty plays second base and Ally Feuerbacher is back earlier than expected from a back injury and is solidifying the Tecumseh pitching staff.

“We didn’t expect to have her back until districts,” Stines said. “She’s not fully able to pitch a full game. She’s still easing her way back.”

Stines said Tecumseh struggled at the plate early in the season, but she knew it would eventually straighten out.

“We had some rough patches at the beginning of the season. It took a while for our bats to get going,” she said. “I knew we were a hard-hitting team. It’s not just a couple people here and there, it’s our lineup from top to bottom.”

A doubleheader loss to Ypsilanti Lincoln could weigh heavily on the standings. For softball, the SEC counts all games in your division plus the first game of the doubleheader against all opponents from the other SEC division.

That puts Tecumseh 9-2 in the standings. Chelsea is 7-1.

Tecumseh beat Chelsea once this season and are tied 8-8 going into the seventh inning in the second game. The two teams will finish Game 2 at some point this month.

“We have to win a couple of games against the Red Division, and we have to make up the game with Chelsea,” she said. “That will be huge and will determine who gets the title.”

The new mascot for Tecumseh this season is Scarlett, Tyffanie’s daughter who was born April 6. She comes to almost every game.

“It’s definitely different being a mom,” she said. “It’s a big adjustment.”

She did take a couple weeks off from coaching. Assistant coach Ryan Juozapaitis stepped in for that time, but Stines returned to the dugout recently.

“The girls all love her,” Stines said of Scarlett. “They have a little mascot now.”

This article originally appeared on The Daily Telegram: Tecumseh softball in the hunt for SEC White