Young talent boosts White Lake Lakeland softball with 4 freshmen starting

Longtime White Lake Lakeland softball coach Mike Cleary had never started four freshmen in the same game before this spring.

But he didn’t hesitate when he filled out his first lineup card of the season against sixth-ranked Grand Blanc, a team the Eagles (3-1, 2-0) split with on April 8, nor did he flinch when he did it again in their Lakes Valley Conference opener against Walled Lake Western on April 14.

Judging by how well the foursome performed in those 19-9 and 14-4 mercy-rule victories vs. the Warriors, it’s easy to see why Cleary has so much confidence in the rookies — catcher Lexi Zamenski and outfielders Hayden Pawlak, Lily Eller and Abby Schlotterer.

“They showed up in the fall and have been working hard all year long,” Cleary said. “It’s like one game after the next when one of these freshmen comes up and does something really good. Abby had a really great game against Grand Blanc, and Lily did it today. They just know how to play and aren’t intimidated to be here.”

White Lake Lakeland's Lily Eller celebrates hitting a home run during a Lakes Valley Conference softball doubleheader on Tuesday, April 14, 2026.

Against Western, each stepped up in big ways, especially Eller, a center fielder who saved the day when the Warriors made a comeback in Game 1.

While the game ended an inning early after Lakeland grabbed a 10-run lead in the sixth, Western trimmed its deficit to 9-8 midway through. Had Eller not turned a double play, snagging a fly in shallow center field and firing to second base for the second out, the Warriors might not have lost momentum.

Lakeland’s bats heated up again shortly after, highlighted by Eller smacking her first career home run to score two runs and give the Eagles the spark they needed to close out the victory.

“It’s not as much about me as it is about the rest of the team,” Eller said. “We mesh really good as a team, despite having so many new girls. My performance wasn’t the only thing that helped us win. It was everyone else, lifting each other up and being supportive. That double play wouldn’t have happened without all the other girls just really meshing well together.”

Sure, the freshmen entered the program with plenty of talent and experience. Eller and Zamenski have played for the local West Oakland Wings, while Schlotterer has competed for Turnin2 and Pawlak starred for the Lady Dukes Softball Club.

White Lake Lakeland's Hayden Pawlak hits during a Lakes Valley Conference softball doubleheader on Tuesday, April 14, 2026.

But their early chemistry also speaks to their dedication to the Eagles. They were regulars at offseason training sessions and weekly four-player workouts.

“They were there all the time,” Cleary said. “By the time we got to tryouts and the start of the season, it wasn’t like they were freshmen anymore. They had already been around long enough.”

That’s also a hat tip to the leadership they’ve received from returning veterans, including last year’s All-LVC selections Alyssa Goldman, Emily Searle and Zoie Gagnon.

“The upperclassmen have all been really good role models to all of us,” Eller said. “I look up to every single one of them.”

Added Cleary: “The seniors and juniors on this team are great leaders and kind of took the freshmen under their wing at the beginning of the fall. Just watching the way they all worked all offseason, plus seeing some of them play together in the summer, you can see why they’re not intimidated right now.”

White Lake Lakeland celebrates a home run during a Lakes Valley Conference softball doubleheader on Tuesday, April 14, 2026.

They certainly didn’t look intimidated stepping into the batter’s box against Western. Schlotterer was 3 for 4 with an RBI and three runs scored in Game 1 and 2 for 3 with a walk and three runs scored in the nightcap. Pawlak was 2 for 3 with two RBIs and a walk in Game 1, while Zamenski went 1 for 2 with a walk and three RBIs in Game 2.

It’s clear the Eagles will go as their young players go this season, which is saying something because tough league matchups await against No. 2 South Lyon, the Division 1 state runner-up last spring, and fourth-ranked Walled Lake Northern, led by Toledo commit Lyla Turmell, arguably the best pitcher in Oakland County.

“Like I told them at the beginning of the season, we’re going to be better in May than we are right now in April,” Cleary said. “And we’re going to be better in June than we’ll be in May. So by the time we get to the end of the season, these guys won’t be freshmen anymore, in my opinion. They’re barely freshmen right now, judging by the way they play.”

White Lake Lakeland's Alyssa Goldman fields a ball during a Lakes Valley Conference softball doubleheader on Tuesday, April 14, 2026.

Other standouts in the doubleheader included Emily Searle going 4 for 5 with three RBIs and three runs scored, Gagnon finishing 3 for 4 with three RBIs and Goldman collecting three hits and driving in three runs in Game 1. Goldman was 4 for 4 with four RBIs and three runs scored in Game 2, followed by Gagnon going 1 for 1 with three walks and one RBI. Pitchers Melina Wing and Meredith Peterson each picked up wins.

“What I like about this team, especially when we’re down, is that we do a really good job of coming back and not hanging our heads,” Eller said. “When the little things go wrong, we don’t hang our heads, and that makes a big difference at the end of the day.”

Brandon Folsom covers high school sports in metro Detroit for Hometown Life. Follow him on his new X.com account at @folsomwrites.

This article originally appeared on Hometownlife.com: White Lake Lakeland softball beats Walled Lake Western, 19-9 and 14-4