Debbie Kent first went to the Lansing Laurels softball clinic when she was just 13. She was still too young to try out for the squad, but she became the batgirl.
Little did she know then that eventually she would become one of the best pitchers to ever wear the Laurels jersey, and now Kent will be honored as part of the Greater Lansing Sports Hall of Fame's 2026 class.
"I found out that my friends had nominated me for it, and it's a great honor," Kent said. "I really am very appreciative of it. My teammates and coaches are really the ones who should be getting it."
As soon as Kent was old enough to participate during the Laurels clinic in the early 1970s, her pitching prowess was quickly noticed. She made the team and thrived on the mound from ages 16-18, and her entire family got to travel with her to see the Laurels play across the Midwest.
"That was the most important thing to me, having my family there to support me," Kent said. "We always knew when my dad arrived because he had a cowbell and he would start ringing it and you could hear it from two blocks away so everyone would know he was there."

#little