Serving Lucas, Ottawa, Sandusky and Wood Counties
Eastwood’s Kenzie Hady was nearly a unanimous selection as All-Press Pitcher of the Year, as was the case with Lake first baseman Parker Dart in earning All-Press Offensive Player of the Year recognition.
And two of the area's most successful leaders, Oak Harbor’s Cami Haas and Lake’s Dave Rymers, split the All-Press Coach of the Year award.
Dart's statistics were incredible as she hit .532 to go with 12 doubles, 10 home runs, 39 RBIs and 36 runs. The freshman broke Lake’s single-season home runs record and was instrumental in leading the Flyers to Northern Buckeye Conference and district championships this season.
"We finished 25-4, good for the most wins in school history, won our first league title in 30 years and the first district championship in 34 years," Rymers said. "It speaks to the dedication, hard work and teamwork these players (invested) every day."
Hady had a great season as the junior righty rebounded from an injury to finish 20-3 with a 1.68 ERA, and 233 strikeouts in 142 innings of work. She helped lead the Eagles to an appearance in regionals, a 22-3 overall record and a share of the Northern Buckeye Conference title with Lake.
Other players with great seasons included: Clay third baseman Ellie Haynes (.532, 5 HR, 45 RBI), Eastwood shortstop Ady Bowe (.463, 5 HR, 23 RBI), Gibsonburg third baseman Ava Amor (.425, 6 HR, 31 RBI), Clay shortstop Olivia Hass (.412, 6 HR, 29 RBI) and Oak Harbor outfielder Hannah Schimmoeller (.421, 9 HR, 33 RBI).
Two pitchers did very well at the plate in Oak Harbor's Morgan Lalonde (.413, 2 HR, 37 RBI) and Northwood's Lea Wauford (.609, 2 HR, 44 RBI).
All earned first-team honors.
Rymers credited his assistant coaches for their efforts.
"Our assistant coaches (Aubry Brown, Mackenzie Whiteman, Abbie Rymers and Austin Portillo) were absolutely crucial to our success," he said. "They were integral in planning our practices and serving as mentors to our athletes. Their dedication and passion were unmatched, making them critical to everything we achieved this season.”
As for Oak Harbor, the Rockets repeated as Division V regional champions, the second title for Haas. She has accomplished a lot in her three years as the coach of the team, and she has a loyal group of assistants in Jeff Sorg, Remi Gregory and Tashia Trimble.
"It means so much to me to have an incredible coaching staff who puts in as much time as I do, on top of the kids who continue to buy in and trust us," Haas said.
Oak Harbor won a thrilling district semifinal matchup en route to the state semifinals, rallying to defeat Galion, 5-4, scoring four times in the bottom of the seventh for the walk-off win.
"When you get into those situations in a tournament and know you're the better team, you have to persevere," Haas said. “There are seven innings for a reason, and the ability to play a complete game when the pressure is on is most important.
"Getting back to the Final Four was fantastic and something I give all the credit to the kids for. They bought in when it mattered."
