Jessica Dunkel is a senior captain this year on the varsity softball team. Dunkel has been on the varsity softball team all four years of her high school career. She has been playing softball from a young age and has put copious amounts of her time into the sport. 

“Being a four-year varsity athlete is so rewarding,” senior Jessica Dunkel said. “Being a part of such a strong team has been a major highlight of my high school years. Also being able to represent my school is so fun and the amount of memories I have received from being with this team has been phenomenal.” 

Dunkel has been mentored by the same coach for all four years, Ken Brant— the head coach for the Fenton Tigers softball team. She has played third base all four years and worn the number 24 for three of the four years. She has also been a co-captain on the team for two years now, learning how to coach her teammates and take on a leadership role. 

“The four years I have been on the varsity team I have seen three years of graduates leave Fenton High School,” Dunkel said. “Having friends on the team makes the experience ten times better, but seeing them leave is painful.”

As captain Dunkel takes on multiple responsibilities, she also is the speaker for the team. If there are any worries from the team or suggestions that they want the coaches to hear she is there to pass the message on. She is the role model for the Fenton Tigers Softball team, as a captain she is an example of what the players should act like. 

“Playing softball with Jessica has been an amazing experience,” junior Megan McDermott said. “She has taught me to have confidence in what I am doing and to believe in myself. She is a ray of sunshine every practice and game day, she always brings the best energy and highest work effort out of the whole team.” 

Being on the varsity team for four years, Dunkel has seen multiple classes of freshmen enter and seniors leave. During the four years on the school team, she also participated in year-round club softball for Finesse Fastpitch. Playing the sport full year, she was able to compare the two teams to each other.  

“I am going to miss wearing the Fenton uniform,” Dunkel said. “Playing club ball is exciting, but you have over 30 teams that look identical to you. Being able to be on the team that represents your school and program is much more exciting than club softball could ever be.” 

The Tigers this year are reaching for a state trophy since last year’s season they came so close to achieving that award. To date this season, they have played three games against Walled Lake Northern and Swartz Creek. They have won both games against Swartz Creek but started the season with a loss against Walled Lake Northern. 

Visit https://fentontigers.org/ for more information about the Tigers’ upcoming games.