By By SCOTT NOVAK / Niles Daily Star
BATTLE CREEK – Demidoo is one of the many nicknames for Niles senior first baseman Demi Schrader.
What most people should be calling her now is "Demi-can-do!"
Schrader delivered the game-winning hit, made a great defensive play at first and helped Niles win its first ever state softball championship and its first team title of any kind since 1964.
Schrader is one of the leading "characters" on the Lady Vikings' team. She keeps her teammates loose during games as well as the coaching staff.
But on the field, Schrader, who will play both softball and volleyball at Ancilla College.
She has had a lot of big hits throughout the season for the Lady Vikings, however, in the post season she has been clutch.
In the regional semifinals, Schrader delivered the game-winning hit as she doubled in the fourth inning to plate Heather Daniels and then she drove in another run with a ground out in the sixth inning.
Her performance prompted No. 2 ranked Wayland-Union coach Cheri Ritz to say of Schrader, "their No. 6 hitter (Schrader) came through. That's not a girl that we had heard about. We heard about their top four hitters and that they could hit the ball."
In the district opener, Schrader drove in two runs with a single in the title game and broke open the semifinal contest with a bases loaded double.
She came up big again on Saturday, this time on the biggest stage she has every performed on.
"The confidence Demi's gained throughout the tournament has been amazing," Niles coach Gary Collins said. "That's been a big part of our success."
Schrader said that she knew she could come through in the title game because she had been there before.
"I just believed I could do it, because I have don it before," she said. "I've gotten that hit before."
Just as Maggie Ernsberger's two-run home run in the bottom of the first was a huge hit for the Lady Vikings in the semifinal, Schrader's blast was the key on Saturday according to teammate Jenna Ignowski.
"I think the most important hit of the game was Demi's," she said. "She's been a real clutch hitter this year. We wouldn't have been able to make this run without her."
While a very demonstrative player, Schrader was kind of at a loss for words following the game and the attention that was turned on her by the media.
"This is kind of strange," he said. "I'm not used to this being about me."
Used to it or not, Schrader fielded the questions from the press as adeptly as she played first base for the Lady Vikings this season.
But what else would you expect from Demidoo?