From holding the title “student athlete” to “coach” to “Hall of Fame inductee,” Evelyn Unithoven, Spring Lake’s new varsity softball coach, was honored this fall by being inducted into the Spring Lake Athletics Hall of Fame.
“You know who (Spring Lake’s) good athletes are now, but you forget that there were really great athletes all before, so that history has been really cool to see and be a part of.”
Unithoven played for Spring Lake softball for all four years of high school and graduated in 2012. Following graduation she attended Central Michigan University to play Division 1 softball. While at CMU, her senior year she was awarded “Miss Softball,” a prestigious award given to a singular pitcher and positional player who are distinguished as the best softball player in the state of Michigan.
“That was a really big deal and to win that award felt like validation that you can actually play,” Unithoven said.
Unithoven recently returned to the high school campus to begin coaching the varsity softball team.
“It’s oddly familiar to be coaching back at Spring Lake,” she said. Coaching the children of her coaches has been something unexpected, yet exciting, that she has experienced. Additionally, the softball program has gone through a well deserved “facelift” with updates to the field and uniforms.
“It’s been really fun to be on the other side and see what it’s like from an administrative perspective.”
Unithoven looks to longtime Spring Lake coach and middle school teacher Bill Core as one of her biggest mentors.
“He was a huge advocate, not just for me, but for a lot of women in softball,” she said. “Woman sports has gone a long way, but I think it’s always the underserved population.”
Unithoven said being an advocate and continuing to play, as well as encouraging young girls to play, is the best that we can do to work towards equality.
“The scales will even out eventually, it just takes time.”
