Rockets’ softball run reaches D-II state final four

For the first time in the Oak Harbor softball program’s history, the Rockets are regional champions.

Dating back to the 1990s, Oak Harbor had won plenty of Sandusky Bay Conference titles and three district championships, but until this season, the closest the Rockets had come to advancing to the state final four was in 2017 when they lost, 2-0, to perennial power LaGrange Keystone in a Division II regional final.

But during this year's regional final, Oak Harbor held off Lexington, 5-4, sending the Rockets to play in Akron, the site of the state tournament.

“It feels fantastic,” Oak Harbor coach Chris Rawski said. “For little old Oak Harbor to do their thing and be going to the state final four with the expectations this group had, it says a lot for the girls and the hard work they put in.

“It’s never about me. It’s about how hard this group works. Losing our first nine games when we started in 2012 to getting to the state final four is pretty darn cool.”

The win over the Lady Lex was not an easy one. Oak Harbor jumped out to a 3-0 lead after two innings and scored two runs in the sixth to push the lead to five, only to see Lexington score two runs in the sixth and two more in the seventh with two outs.

But Reagan Schultz, following a conference on the mound with Rawski, her infielders and catcher Allie Giezie (.339 BA, 17 RBIs, 1 3B) that came after an error left the tying run on second, induced Eyan Underwood into hitting a groundout back to herself to end the game.

“I was trying to tell myself that I’m so proud of my team and keep my composure so the underclassmen did not freak out,” Schultz said. “That was the bottom of the seventh and that’s all Lexington had left. We had to stay strong and stay positive. We had to work together and believe in each other in order to get through that.”

As for the Rocket offense, it was in attack mode from the very start.

Schultz (.529 BA, 6 HR, 30 RBIs) led off the game with a single and advanced to second on a bunt by Remi Gregory (.337 BA, 34 R, 25 RBIs). Porter Gregory (.415 BA, 5 HR, 29 RBIs) grounded out to move Schultz to third, and Hannah Schimmoeller (.438 BA, 2 HR, 26 RBIs) drove her in with a single to right.

In the top of the second, Ashley Schiller (.360 BA, 24 R, 19 RBIs) singled and Alyse Sorg (.277, 29 R, 13 RBIs) drew a walk before Sydney Overmyer (.333 BA, 22 R, 21 RBIs) grounded into a force at second base. Schultz then walked to load the bases and Remi Gregory pushed the lead to 3-0 when she singled to score two runs.

In the bottom of the second with two out and nobody on, Schultz took a line drive from Kaylie Eichorn to the abdomen and was on the ground for a few minutes. But Schultz shook it off and got Sydni Clever to line out to third to end the inning.

The difference in the game came when Oak Harbor added two runs in the sixth inning. Shortstop Reese Adkins (.392 BA, 24 R, 19 RBI), who made a couple of fantastic plays on defense, singled and advanced to second on a passed ball before scoring on Sorg’s single. Sorg advanced to second on the throw to the plate and scored on a base hit by Schultz to push the lead to five runs.

Emily Sommers, who plays left field, is the other starter. She’s had a great season, hitting .438 to go with 40 runs and 27 RBIs.

The achievement is the culmination of something special that’s been 10 years in the making since Chris Rawski took over the program. His team’s went 28-28 in his first two years but have been a force since then. In the next seven seasons, Oak Harbor has made it at least as far as the district finals six times.

“I think all of these experiences that this group of coaches has had — how to handle the preparation, the layoff between games, things like that. We have two former players who are assistant coaches in Dani Epling and Kaytlynn Sandwisch who had their hearts ripped out twice at regionals.”

It wasn’t easy for the Rockets in the early part of the season, one that saw the Rockets start 2-5 during it’s spring break trip to Florida, only to see them win 22 of their next 25 games to get to 24-8. 

“We played some great competition down there. It made us better at every single thing. We were 2-5, but we came back thinking we were so much a better team than when we started,” said Rawski. “The little intangible thing is we came back so tight as a group. We went down there as little groups in classes and we came back as a family. That’s made the difference.”

Schultz says the team’s camaraderie provides the extra incentive.

“This team is friends on the field and off the field,” she said. “We are so close. Not one girl argues with each other, and we all have the same goals.”

The Rockets, who were seeded first in the Genoa District, defeated Rossford, 15-0, in five innings in the sectional final and followed that up with a 3-2 win over St. Ursula, a 10-3 victory against Wauseon and a 6-0 defeat of Norton.

Schultz, a Kent State University commit, gave up just nine runs in those five games.

In the win over the Panthers in the regional semifinals, Overmyer drove in a run in the second inning to give Oak Harbor the lead for good, Sommers drove in a run in the third and the game was blown open in the sixth when the Rockets scored four runs.

Rawski is the CEO of the program, but he’d be the first to tell you he’s had help from a capable group of assistant coaches. Epling and Sandwisch both graduated in 2019, Brian Schultz, Reagan’s father, is the first base coach, Rob Schimmoeller, Hannah’s father, is another assistant and Andy Szypka is the pitching coach.

“They are the best,” Rawski said. “No one better.”