Despite coming out of high school with an impressive athletic resume, Horan, a Rosebush native, wasn’t being looked at by many Division 1 programs.

“She is a kid that (Mount Pleasant High School coach) Ted McIntyre told me that he thought she could play Division 1,” Jonker said. “And he has not said that about many people. He usually is very tough on his kids as far as saying where they can play at the next level.”

A high school letter winner in softball, basketball and wrestling, Horan set single-season records with 21 doubles and 13 triples in 2010 and was awarded a first team all-state honor that season. Horan eventually decided upon CMU, a decision which didn’t come until late in her senior season.

As a freshman Horan has been on a tear, hitting .375 in her last 40 at-bats. With 18 hits in 44 at bats, she has accounted for 14 hits since April 6, including the only hit, a two-out single, in the Chippewas’ April 13 loss to No. 2 ranked Michigan.

This past weekend Horan combined to go 5-for-12 in doubleheaders against Miami and Ball State on Friday and Sunday, respectively. In the four games Horan contributed two RBIs on Friday to boost her season total to seven.

Horan also scored a run on the day as CMU swept Miami by scores of 5-3 and 8-5. Horan’s stats dipped slightly on Sunday as she had only one hit and no runs scored.

She says her offensive spurt is as simple as trying to make something happen each time at the plate.

“It’s just going out there and not thinking too much, just trying to put the ball into play and make something happen,” Horan said.

Horan also sits in second place on the team in steals, with nine in 10 attempts.

Defensively, Horan may have made the biggest impact over the weekend as she contributed eight total put outs on Friday. Despite winds in excess of 25 mph throughout the day, Horan was able to make several acrobatic catches in left field to help prevent runs.

“It was tough playing the wind and playing the best I could,” Horan said. “(On the one missed ball of the day), It just tailed a lot — the wind affected it, but also being a lefty it tailed a lot too.”

Sunday was equally as challenging for the left fielder as winds gust upwards of 36 mph were registered at Margo Jonker Stadium. The wind changed directions and blew away from her post in left field, but Horan added a put-out that she grabbed against the outfield fence. Horan’s currently fielding at a 1.000 percent with no errors on the year.

Jonker said Horan’s performance of late has been exceptional and she has been more than pleased with the contributions she has made.

“She is such a good athlete and she is tough,” Jonker said. “She shows that willingness to get down and dirty when you need to.”

Volunteers are teaming with the local Habitat for Humanity to build a house for Jason and Amanda Baird on Monroe Street in Rosebush and make up volunteer hours the family cannot maintain.

“The Habitat requires anyone in the family that is 18 years or older to put in 250 equity hours on the building of the house,” Clark said. “Jason was naturally distraught because he wouldn’t be able to put his 250 hours in, and was worried his family would lose the house.”

But Jason Baird is part of the armed forces and was deployed to Iraq, said Office Manager of Habitat Edwina Clark. And Amanda Baird has been putting her time in with the house, but finds it hard with two kids, said site supervisor Jamie Smith.

Mount Pleasant resident Corey Snow works on a new Habitat for Humanity House in Rosebush. The house is being built for Jason and Amanda Baird and will be completed in November. (Neil Blake/Senior Photographer)

There have been about 45 to 50 people out to volunteer with more to come, Smith said. The Baird family waited more than a year to get a house.

“The Habitat felt Jason was definitely putting his hours in by serving our country,” Clark said. “We’ve been trying to recruit other local military veterans to volunteer to help build the house in honor of Jason’s departure.”

Construction began in late July and is expected to complete in November.

“So far, progress on the house is going smoothly and is right on schedule,” Smith said.

Volunteer work includes help from the Michigan Works Association, a member of the American Legion, a couple construction contractors, a few CMU student groups and Richard Clark, the construction chairman for the Habitat, Smith said.

“My job is to guide and instruct all of the volunteers on the site,” Smith said. “It hasn’t been a difficult process to find volunteers for this project.”

The Habitat gets its funding for equipment and materials from donations they received throughout the years, Clark said.

“We have been a small local affiliate for 20 years, so we’ve gotten many donations through fundraising,” she said.

Michigan Works also is helping with the Rosebush house project.

“Through state stimulus money, Michigan Works hired 18 to 24 men to help work on the house,” Smith said.

The Habitat for Humanity chapter at CMU helped a great deal with the Rosebush project, and plans to continue, Smith said.