High school sports are officially back, and with the official start of the 2024 spring schedule comes the return of the Gaylord Herald Times Athlete of the Week poll.
Each Monday, nominees from Gaylord, St. Mary and Johannesburg-Lewiston will be nominated based on their efforts from the past week. Cast your vote for your choice and the winner will be decided each Friday at noon. Vote Now:
Aubrey Jones, Gaylord softball
The defending Division 2 state champions are off and running again this season, already boasting a 6-2 record with wins over Farmington Hills Mercy (No. 2 in Division 1), Hudsonville Unity Christian (No. 7 in Divison 2) and Stevensville Lakeshore (No. 9 in Division 2).
Oklahoma State commit Aubrey Jones has been very much involved in the fast start, striking out 15 batters in a 4-3 win over Mercy while striking out another 10 in a 4-1 win over Lakeshore. She also has shown up at the plate, with a two-run home run against Lakeshore, a double and triple in a 19-4 win over Coldwater and a two home run, six RBI game against Unity Christian.
Alexis Shepherd, Gaylord softball
The most consistent member of the feared Blue Devils lineup, Shepherd was pivotal in her team's success last week as well, going 2-for-3 with a home run in the win over Mercy, 3-for-4 with 2 RBI in the win over Coldwater and 2-for-4 with 2 RBI in the win over Unity Christian. She recorded at least one hit in all five of Gaylord's games last week.
Brennan Radulski, Gaylord baseball
Gaylord baseball is off to a fast start this season as well, now 7-2-1 through their first ten games of 2024.
Maybe the biggest factor in their success has been their offense, and no one has been as consistent as junior catcher Brennan Radulski has been in the first week and a half of the season; he collected 10 hits throughout the team's six games last week, with a double during his 3-for-4 performance in a win over Jackson Northwest highlighting a very solid week of baseball for GHS.
Will Bethuy, Gaylord baseball
Senior Will Bethuy has started his senior season strong, bolstering his claims as one of the top returning pitchers and hitters in the Big North.
On the mound, Bethuy went 1-0 with just one earned run in nine innings of work while racking up five hits, four runs scored and an RBI in six games last week.
Noah Vanderveer, Gaylord baseball
Junior Noah Vanderveer has also started 2024 off strong, giving Gaylord more depth on the mound than some may have thought coming into the spring.
He highlighted last week's efforts with a nine-strikeout performance in a win over Sault Ste Marie, racking up 12 Ks in just five innings of work. He also had a decent week from the player, contributing five hits, four RBI and three runs scored in a busy week.
Mariah Turner, Gaylord girls soccer
Gaylord soccer is still unbeaten through three games (2-0-1) and avoided a second tie over the weekend with a last-second, buzzer-beating goal from Mariah Turner that pushed the Blue Devils to a 2-1 victory over Big Rapids.
She has scored at least one goal in all three of Gaylord's matches so far this season.
Jayden Marlatt, Johannesburg-Lewiston softball
It's still early, but it's hard to see any softball player in the entire state being as dominant as JoBurg's Jayden Marlatt is going to be this season.
Just look at these week one stats; through four games, Marlatt has struck out 28 of the 30 batters she has faced in 10 innings of work while going 12-14 with three home runs, 11 RBI and 12 runs scored in doubleheader sweeps of Mio and Sault Ste Marie.
Cassie Tallman, Johannesburg-Lewiston softball
A lot of Marlatt's teammates have backed her up so far this season, but it seems senior Cassie Tallman is sliding into that No. 2 slot in the JoBurg pecking order. She's up to six hits, seven RBI and eight runs scored through JoBurg's first four wins of the season.
Thomas Fox, Johannesburg-Lewiston baseball
JoBurg senior Thomas Fox may have already provided the highlight of the season for JoBurg baseball, throwing a 16-strikeout no-hitter in a 4-0 win over Pellston on Tuesday, April 9.
Dillon Croff, Gaylord St. Mary baseball
GSM has rebounded after a season-opening sweep at Adrian, now 6-2 after sweeps of their own over Bellaire and McBain. Senior Dillon Croff was the Snowbirds' leader last week, going 2-0 on the mound with 12 strikeouts in 7.2 innings of work while going 7-for-15 with seven RBI from the plate.
Rylan Matelski, Gaylord St. Mary track and field
GSM's Rylan Matelski proved he is a name to watch in the D4 long jump this season, setting a new school record on Tuesday, April 9 with a new personal best of 21 feet, 8 inches.
Contact GHT Sports Editor Dylan Jespersen at Djespersen@gaylordheraldtimes.com. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @dylanjespersen, and Instagram, @dylanjespersen
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