From the get-go the Red Dragons bats were on fire from the beginning of the order to the end, as the team posted run totals of 15, 13, 22, 9, 16 and 17 early.

But even on a team that was routinely tearing the cover off the ball, Elise Swanson stood out game in and game out.

Look no further than Maple Grove’s June 3 meeting with Portville in the Class C crossover game.

With everything knotted up at 3-3 entering the top of the fifth inning, Swanson went yard over the left-field wall and jogged her way to home plate to a screaming group of teammates after giving her team a crucial lead.

Elise Swanson, middle, and her Maple Grove teammates had plenty to celebrate during their Section VI Class C championship run this spring. P-J file photo

It was the sort of play that you expect from The Post-Journal Player of the Year.

“The turning point in that game, when Elise hit the two-out home run over the left-field fence, just also happened to be caught by my father,” remembered Maple Grove head coach Rebecca Allen. “Somehow after that, I just knew we’d come out on top.”

The Red Dragons would do just that, exploding for seven runs in the sixth inning to earn a 14-6 victory and the overall Section VI Class C title before eventually falling to Warsaw in the Far West Regional.

Swanson was named the CCAA Division 2 West Player of the Year for her efforts, joining teammates Lynne Nordin, Clare Crossley and Meghann Nolan on the First Team.

Hitting .519 and slugging .949, Swanson belted out a team-high 41 hits (edging out Crossley by two), including 10 doubles, three triples and six home runs–accounting for every deep shot Maple Grove had all year.

“Elise is one of the greatest hitters fundamentally that I’ve seen in my career. She always has been,” said Allen. “This year, her game just opened up and she was really able to show everyone what she’s spent countless hours on. I can’t explain what it was that allowed her to break out of her shell this season, because I’ve always known what was behind it. She led our offense in almost every category. In total hits, RBIs, batting average, slugging percentage, and on-base percentage.”

And on the defensive side of things? Swanson was just as good.

She led Maple Grove in fielding percentage with a .990, committing just three errors at first base while leading the way with 199 putouts.

“She is just a beast at the plate and a wall at first base,” said Allen. “I remember discussing throwing errors with my shortstop and Erin (Mansfield) saying to me, ‘I know that all I have to do is get it close to Elise, she will grab anything.’ On top of that, she is the first person to tell a light-hearted joke if tensions are getting heavy, she is the first person to encourage a younger player after a mistake, and she is the first person to take ownership of any mistake she has made.”

Swanson will now be heading to Houghton College, pursuing her athletic careers in both softball and tennis.