RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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The 1999 Okemos softball team went on a remarkable run throughout the season on its way to a Division 1 state title.
Now the team's season and championship will be forever remembered when it is enshrined into the Greater Lansing Sports Hall of Fame on Aug. 20 as the lone team in the 2026 induction class.
"It's a tremendous honor, and I'm really happy for the girls to be recognized like this," said Dan Stolz, the team's coach. "As you get older, it's nice to kind of relive those moments and get back together with your teammates.
"In my opinion, they were the best softball team that mid-Michigan has ever had. I'm sure that's up for debate, but they were such a hard-working, unified group that was so much fun to be around, and I'm just very blessed and pleased that those girls are going to go into the Hall of Fame."
Okemos went 42-3 during the 1999 season, defeating Troy 3-0 in the state semifinals before capturing an exhilarating, extra-inning win over Jenison in the state title game.
Jenison had captured three state titles over the previous seven seasons, but the mindset of the Okemos players all season was that they were good enough to beat anybody. The state title was the goal even before the season began.
"You hear different things about as coaches about talking about state titles or stuff like that, but this team had that in the forefront of their mind and that was one of our objectives," Stolz said. "We were good enough, and you know you're going to have to beat good teams along the way, but we had the ingredients to make a run.
"We had strong defense, good hitting and the best pitcher in the state. It's just something we talked about, and we played with confidence. It was a magical run, and we got just enough big hits and had great pitching and catching."
The pitcher Stolz referred to was Jessica Beech, who was named Miss Softball in Michigan after finishing her career with 57 straight victories. She went on to star as a pitcher at Michigan State as the Spartans' all-time career wins leader. Emily Elwood was a four-year starter at shortstop for Okemos, who had previously won regional titles and Softball Classics before going on its 1999 championship run.
Contact Nathaniel Bott at [email protected] and follow him on X @Nathaniel_Bott
50th Greater Lansing Sports Hall of Fame celebration
When: 4:30 p.m., Aug. 20
Where: Lansing Center
Tickets: Call (517) 484-0677 or email [email protected] for information.
2026 inductees: Dave Allen, John Holms, Tom Izzo, Debbie Kent, Cortney Scott, Denzel Valentine, Drew Valentine, 1999 Okemos softball
Sponsors: Dean Transportation, Shaheen Chevrolet/Cadillac, Dan Henry Distributing, One North Kitchen & Bar, ASAP Printing, Applegate Home Comfort, Magic Johnson Enterprises, Edward Jones Investments, Gregory Eaton Associates, Roland Carter Enterprise, The Bleacher Denizen
This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: State title run earned 1999 Okemos softball team its spot in Lansing Hall
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