PINCKNEY — CeCe Thorington is right-handed everywhere but on a softball field.
The recent Pinckney graduate throws left-handed and bats left-handed, thanks to big brother.
Al Thorington was a second-team all-state baseball player as a senior at Pinckney in 2019, who now pitches for Grand Valley State University. He was his sister’s role model growing up, right down to his handedness on the ball field.
CeCe's first experience on the diamond was T-ball, then three or four years of boys baseball. She began playing travel softball at age 10.
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“I basically did whatever he did," she said. "That’s why I’m a lefty. I’m not a natural left, but he really got it going for me.
“It was always what we were doing in our backyard. It just kind of stuck.”
Thorington writes with her right hand and held the baton in her right hand while running relays for Pinckney’s track and field team .
Being a lefty at the plate is a plus for a speedy slap hitter like Thorington, allowing her to leg out ground balls that might otherwise be outs because she’s a couple steps closer to first base.
Her wheels enabled Thorington to start in center field and bat lead-off for the Pirates from the moment she stepped on a varsity field as a freshman in 2021. Over the years, she developed the power to hit for extra bases without having to stretch singles into doubles.
Thorington is arguably the best player to come out of Pinckney. She made first-team all-state in Division 2 twice , earning a scholarship to the University of Michigan and adding one final honor as Livingston County’s softball Player of the Year as selected by the Livingston Daily.
She set a state record by stealing 130 consecutive bases without being thrown out, a streak that dates back to her sophomore season. Her 187 career steals rank 10th on the list of records submitted to the Michigan High School Athletic Association.
Thorington was the county’s leading hitter each of the past two seasons , hitting .589 in 2023 and .558 in 2024.
She set county career records with her total steals, 224 runs and 240 hits.
Despite batting lead-off, she tied for sixth in the county with 33 runs batted in. Her nine triples led the county.
The Pirates had one of their best four-year runs ever during Thorington’s career, going 100-47-1. But postseason success eluded Pinckney, which lost to Chelsea in districts each of the past three years after losing to Hartland her freshman year.
“It was kind of crazy how we ended up always facing (Chelsea) in the end,” Thorington said. “Even when our district changed, we still ended up having them in our district. It was exciting. They put us to the test every year.”
Even though Thorington’s Pinckney career is over, she’s still helping to make an impact on the future. She’s been working with Addison Wroblewski, who started in left field as a freshman. Like Thorington, Wroblewski also runs track. She could take over as lead-off hitter and center fielder the next three years.
“She’s still helping the program. She’s still a leader,” Pinckney coach Eric Arnold said. "She’s willing to do whatever she needs to to help out if she’s available. She’s just a great person.”
Thorington is also preparing herself for her next challenge at Michigan, one of the top northern softball programs in the country.
“There’s definitely a lot of preparation going on right now,” she said. “The more I’m doing, the closer we’re getting, the more exciting it’s getting.”
Contact Bill Khan at wkhan@gannett.com. Follow him on X @BillKhan
This article originally appeared on Livingston Daily: Brotherly love turns county softball Player of the Year CeCe Thorington into Michigan signee
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