Of Heumann Interest: Grace Lehto shines for Central Michigan softball

LANSING, Mich. (WILX) - Former Eaton Rapids High School softball standout Grace Lehto is making waves at the college level as the ace pitcher for the Central Michigan Chippewas.

Lehto, who had an impressive record of 81-9 with 750 strikeouts during her high school career, is now in her junior year at CMU and leading her team into this week’s Mid-American Conference tournament.

Lehto’s success can be attributed to her hard work, competitive spirit, and dedication to her team. When she first arrived at CMU, she felt at home thanks to the coaching staff and the supportive environment. Her coach, McCall Salmon, describes her as a great pitcher and teammate who wants the team to be successful and does whatever she can to help.

“Grace is the definition of a competitor,” Salmon said. “Great student, great person - and these are the people we want to recruit to play softball here at Central Michigan.”

Lehto’s academic pursuits in biochemistry and pre-med have also been challenging, but she perseveres despite the difficulties. She has learned to embrace failure, which has helped her grow as a player and deepen her love for the game.

Although Lehto is not yet dominant at the college level, she has won 14 games this season with 188 strikeouts and recently threw a no-hitter against Bowling Green. With her talent and determination, there’s no telling how far she’ll go in her softball career.

You can watch Fred Heumann’s full story in the video player above.

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