DIAMOND friends are forever - The Oakland Press

PREP SOFTBALL

DIAMOND friends are forever

Current, future teammates in each dugout unite at MAC vs. OAA game

Alyssa Strohl of L’Anse Creuse attempts to beat a tag at the plate by Addison Cosgrove of Troy Athens, left, in Tuesday night’s MAC vs. OAA All-Star softball game. Cosgrove, named the OAA’s MVP, played as teammates Tuesday with high school teammate Addison Pokley, who will continue her career at Detroit Mercy with Sylver and Jenna Higgins, also of Dakota. PHOTOS BY GEORGE SPITERI — FOR MEDIANEWS GROUP

Dakota’s Jenna Higgins slides safely into third base in Tuesday’s MAC vs. OAA All-Star softball game. Higgins competed with several high school and future University of Detroit Mercy teammates in the contest.

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By Bryan Everson

beverson@medianewsgroup.com

ROCHESTER HILLS >> For some that competed in this week’s MAC vs. OAA All-Star softball game, Tuesday represented a bittersweet final time of suiting up together with high school teammates.

Others savored an opportunity to wear those colors alongside old teammates while also sharing the diamond with ones they’ll play in years to come.

Troy Athens was one of the handful or so programs that had multiple players who partook in the second edition of the game pitting two of the state’s best conferences. One half of that pair, Addison Cosgrove, walked away with the MVP award for the OAA team.

“It’s super exciting,” said Cosgrove, who finished the evening 3-for-4 with three singles. “I worked hard, just trusted what I can do.”

Cosgrove shared the ride to the game at Oakland University with her fellow Red Hawk, Addison Pokley, who roamed the outfield and also got on base despite the OAA’s defeat.

“We’re super sad,” Cosgrove said. “We played together for four years (at Athens), plus three more of travel ball.”

“We weren’t expecting to play again together here,” Pokley added, “but just having one more game with one of my best friends was really a cool thing. “To watch each other grow through softball, and just our friendship, it was really cool to play one last game together.”

While her time playing with Cosgrove, who is committed to Wayne State, comes to an end, Pokley was in the opposite dugout Tuesday of a future teammate in Dakota’s Jenna Higgins, who also had multiple teammates that suited up for the MAC side.

Pokley said the best friends, who have played travel ball together as well for Michigan Batbusters, will room together at University of Detroit Mercy.

“We’ve been playing together for five years, but now we’ve got the next four (together),” Pokley said. “We just get each other, so I think it’ll be easy. She’s one of my best friends, so we can just, like, read each other’s minds. It’ll be fun.”

Higgins also called it a bittersweet affair Tuesday, saying, “I still have a couple travel tournaments (with one of the girls), but Annika Sylver, we’ve played with each other since freshman year at Dakota on varsity. This was our last little hurrah (laughs), so it was really fun.”

Both committed to the Titans around similar times of their junior seasons, though that was never a coordinated plan.

“It never really crossed our minds at all,” Higgins said. “But when she was getting looked at and I was getting looked at, we were both like, ‘Oh, we could still be playing together.’ We’ve been really good friends, so having that continue on is going to be really special.”

Both halves of the duo laughed when asked whether rooming together would be any test of friendship.

“No, I think we’ll be fine,” Pokley said.

“Yeah, I’m not worried about it,” said Higgins. “We might argue. We always argue. We’ll be fine. I’m not worried about it.”

They’ll join up with a number of familiar MAC and OAA faces as Titans. Mercy listed three players from Anchor Bay, two from St. Clair, plus one each from Grosse Pointe North, Richmond, Stoney Creek, Dakota, Eisenhower, Berkley and Marine City on its 2025 roster.