Unfazed by moment, Jenna Dodder blasting homers, coming up big for Cheboygan softball
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CHEBOYGAN – When Jenna Dodder’s at the plate, she doesn’t mind seeing a lot of people watching her.
She’s not really looking to impress, but when all eyes are on her, it gives her all the confidence she needs.
Dodder, who’s emerged as one of Cheboygan softball’s most powerful hitters this spring, showed just how much belief she has in her bat right now, smacking back-to-back home runs in a game one victory over Harbor Springs on Monday.
After homering in the bottom of the second inning, Dodder found herself with another chance to blow the game open in the third. Like her previous homer, Dodder blasted her second to the same location.
“I really just hit,” Dodder said. “I don’t really expect it to go over; I just keep hitting and hopefully it goes over. It’s been a good season so far. I’m proud of my hitting.”
With the blasts she hit on Monday, Dodder now leads the Chiefs with four homers on the season.
But where did all that power come from?
“Coach Mike LaLonde always tells me to stay on my back leg to get the power and I’ve been doing it recently,” Dodder said.
Dodder is delivering for the Chiefs currently, but not too long ago, she wasn’t playing softball. Volleyball was the sport of focus for Dodder, who didn’t play softball for two years. But with the influence of family members as well as her friends in the program, she returned to the sport she started when she was five. On junior varsity last year, she homered twice.
One person who’s clearly thrilled to see Dodder playing again is LaLonde, who saw the type of work the junior hitter put in during the offseason. Right now, it’s paying major dividends.
“She had a really good tryout, she had a really good offseason, and she’s hitting the ball hard,” LaLonde said. “We knew it was just a matter of time when she was going to really start making contact, and she’s really starting to come on.”
LaLonde made sure to add Dodder brings more to the table than just hitting dingers.
“She’s a very good kid to have on the team,” LaLonde said. “I can put her in the outfield, I can put her at third base, so she adapts very well.”
With her junior year still in session, Dodder is excited about what the future holds in her softball career. She's also thankful to those who mentored her along the way.
“I had Travis Lake as a coach when I was little, and Joe Kosanke, and ever since I had them they kept working with me, and I just kept getting better,” Dodder said. “My mom helps me, and Coach LaLonde has helped me a lot this year.”
Dodder and Cheboygan close out their regular season at Sault Ste. Marie on Thursday.
Contact sports editor Jared Greenleaf at jgreenleaf@gannett.com. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter @sportsCDT
This article originally appeared on Cheboygan Daily Tribune: Confident Jenna Dodder blasting home runs, lifting Cheboygan softball
