Danielle Holmes and her big sister, Brandy, had a good laugh on the phone last fall.

Danielle, a senior shortstop at Clay, told Brandy, a former City League Pitcher of the Year for the Eagles, that she had just committed to play softball at the University of Detroit Mercy next year. Brandy is a redshirt sophomore pitcher at Cleveland State University.

Detroit Mercy and Cleveland State are both members of the Horizon League, so the Holmes sisters will likely face each other on the ball diamond next season.

“She always knew I was leaning toward Detroit Mercy, and I called her and she congratulated me,” Danielle said. “She was excited. She said if she ever got to pitch against me, the first pitch would probably come straight at my head. I knew she was kidding.”

Danielle said her entire family, including parents Laurie and Bill, is thrilled they will get to see Danielle and Brandy play against each other over the next two years.

“Everyone in my family wants to see us play each other,” said Danielle, who committed to Detroit Mercy in November. “We've always either been on the same team or didn't play together because we were never at the same age level. Our immediate and outside family are all making bets on who's going to win and what's going to happen.”

Holmes is making the most of her senior season for coach Brenda Radabaugh's Eagles. A two-time all-league and all-district selection as a right fielder, Holmes, a co-captain (along with junior Kim Crawford) moved to shortstop full-time this season after the graduation of three-year starter Hallie Thompson.

“I had a feeling last year I was going to be at shortstop this year,” Holmes said. “When Hallie wasn't playing there, that's where I played. I played two or three games there last year. I haven't really played shortstop since my freshman year. I was in favor of (the move), whatever it takes to make our team better. I'm usually really comfortable wherever they play me.”

Holmes played shortstop on her summer travel team, Buckeye Heat Toledo, which went to the ASA Nationals in College Station, Texas, last year.

“That's why I was more prepared to play shortstop this year than I have been any other year,” Holmes said.

Defensively, Holmes had 17 putouts, 29 assists and six errors through 21 games this season.

“Not bad for an outfielder playing shortstop,” Radabaugh said. “She's done fairly well. I would love to have kept her in the outfield, but she's in on so many more plays in the infield.”

Holmes also had to make a transition at the plate early in her high school career. Holmes, a right-hander, was asked by Radabaugh to start batting left-handed as a freshman. Radabaugh wanted to take advantage of Holmes' speed out of the batter's box.

“She's our best hitter,” Radabaugh said. “She hit left-handed on the jayvee team; as a sophomore she was a slap-drag hitter from the left-hand side.”

Holmes made a living legging out infield hits as a sophomore and junior, but this year Radabaugh has given Holmes the green light at the plate. Holmes, who bats third, has responded by hitting a team-high .529 with seven doubles, 21 runs and 22 RBI.

“She has a very smooth swing and she hits the ball really hard,” Radabaugh said. “She's been swinging away this year a lot more than I've had her slap and drag. She's fast and she has a good eye at the plate.”

Holmes admitted that, at first, she was “angry” that Radabaugh wanted her to bat left-handed and be a slap hitter.

“I'm kind of fast and she saw that I had potential,” Holmes said, “but I was so close to hitting home runs right-handed. I was a power hitter on my summer teams. When I got to high school, (Radabaugh) wanted me to hit left-handed and I had never done that before.”

Holmes, who made the CL All-Academic team this year along with senior teammates Kim Scharff, Ashley Cousino and Cassi Laberdee, said she and her father spent countless hours in the family's basement, working on hitting left-handed.

“We have one of those big blue nets you hit into,” Holmes said. “I started off with a tee, hitting regular balls. Then we went to Wiffle balls, and then we'd do drills. Once summer came around, I would be outside every day hitting Wiffle balls or we would go to the rec center down the road. It worked out for me in the long run. I am so surprised and so shocked at how well I'm doing.”

The Eagles (15-7, 9-1 CL) began their quest for a third straight league crown at this week's CL tournament, but they fell short in their bid for a Division I district title on Tuesday. Clay lost to top-seeded Southview, 6-1, in a semifinal game at Rolf Park in Maumee. Clay defeated visiting Southview, 7-4, on April 9.

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