Smiles came easily for Kelly Holmes May 4 during her brief visit to Canton High School s softball field, the place where in 1992 she struck out a still-standing national record 24 batters in a seven-inning game. Whenever I go by a softball field, I remember the smell of the freshly-cut grass, the dirt, everything, said Holmes, who was inducted into the Canton High School Athletics Hall of Fame in 2018. Being here brings back a lot of great memories.
In April 2020, Holmes, who starred as a pitcher for the University of Michigan s softball program for four years after graduating from Canton in 1993, was diagnosed with glioblastoma, an incurable form of brain cancer.