LCC’s softball comeback starts now

By Emmett Roman
Staff Reporter

This year was a learning curve for the LCC softball team, as the team ended their series with a 23-34 record.

“This season was a challenge for a young team that started with a fall season that went pretty well against four-year schools such as Michigan State, Central Michigan, Western Michigan and the University of Toledo. We also played against Division II schools: Saginaw Valley State University (SVSU), Indiana Tech and Davenport,” Head Coach Marc Kibby said. “At the break, we went from 22 players to 18, and by the time we were done, our roster had 14 players.”

Not only was the loss of players difficult for the team to navigate, but the team was also playing against lots of competitive schools from different states. From Florida to Illinois, “We grew as a team and battled the whole season and that's all the coaching staff can ask,” Kibby said.

However, not every part of the season was disappointing for the team. Despite playing 58 games and losing 34, there were still 23 games where the Stars prevailed. Towards the start of conference play, because of going against southern teams, the team was able to hold their own and do well. The stars beat several teams including the Jackson Jets, the Chargers of Marian Ancilla College, the Cougars of Kalamazoo Valley and many more.

The team ended up coming third place in their conference, qualifying them for the regional tournament. They ended up getting a score of 1-2, ending the season on a loss. However, Kibby was still proud of the Stars. “Having a very young team of freshman, we experienced a lot of growth and had may challenges along the way,” he said.

Zoie Tupper and Audrey Hillard were the only returning starters and sophomores on the team. As stated in the previous The Lookout softball article, Kibby expected these two to be “star players,” and star players they were. “They lead us and I commend them for what they have done for the team and program for the last two years.”

Recruitment for the next season has gone well so far, which Kibby hopes will boost the program in the upcoming season. “As far as next year, we have a strong nucleus of returners and a very good class of freshman coming in and our plans are to return back to the top of the Michigan Community College Athletes Association (MCCAA) and Region 12,” Kibby said.

The team have been Western Conference champions for many years, most recently in 2025. And Head Coach Kibby plans to be right back to that standard of success for 2027.

 

The 2025 softball team holding up their district tournament champions plaque. Photo courtesy of Lansing Community Colleges Softball Facebook page.