Serving Lucas, Ottawa, Sandusky and Wood Counties
Oak Harbor softball head coach Cami Haas is stepping down due to a changing family dynamic after a four-year run filled with three league championships and a pair of state semifinal appearances.
Haas’ daughter, Karder, just graduated from Oak Harbor as an all-state shortstop, and she’ll be playing for Walsh University next season. Her son is also entering high school.
“It was obviously a very tough decision to make,” Haas said. “Our family dynamic is obviously changing with Karder heading into college and playing college ball. And my husband helps coach high school ball. I needed to be sure that the program was given the ample time that it deserves, that it has had the last four years and beyond. I just wasn't sure I was going to be able to make that happen on my own with our new family dynamic.”
In four seasons, Haas posted a career record of 96-20. Her team made the state semifinals in 2024 and 2025. In her first season at the helm in 2023, she helped guide the Rockets to a Sandusky Bay Conference title. After the school joined the Northern Buckeye Conference the following year, Oak Harbor won two of the past three titles, including this past season.
Prior to her time as the head coach, Haas coached at the JV level at Oak Harbor when the program was led by Chris Rawski. She was a varsity assistant at Patrick Henry prior to that.
“It is just an honor to be given the job of such a successful program,” Haas said. “I knew the standards that it entailed, and I knew it was going to be a big undertaking. But with the assistant staff that we've had the past four years, we couldn’t have accomplished what we have without them.
“I knew coming in that the standards were high, and we worked really hard to get four more successful years out of the program, and I'm confident that we have such a strong foundation here that the success is only going to continue into the future.”
Haas said she’ll remember most the three league titles and the state semifinal appearances.
“That first year, we went into a strong SBC and came out as league champs, and then kind of built off that from there,” she said. “Our first year into the NBC, we came out league champs, and those two state Final Four appearances obviously are just a lifetime of memories for these kids that have worked so hard to make it to that stage.
“Just to be a small portion of that is something that I will always remember and something that I will always be thankful for. And to finish out as league champs is awesome. Three league titles in four years is something to hang the hat on. I’m just really proud of what the girls have accomplished.”
Haas took over a program that had experienced a lot of success with Rawski, who guided the program to a 206-90 record over 10 years (11 total including the Covid year cancelation).
Conversely, Rawski had taken over a program that was going through some rough times, and he won just nine games his first season. He was the first coach to lead the program to a regional appearance in 2017, and he even helped raise money that massively renovated the Oak Harbor softball complex.
“Coach Rawski really built this program up from the ground up, and sometimes when you head into coaching roles, some people head in and they have a lot of work to do to build it up. And then when you head into a successful program, that pressure level is still there to perform. I am proud of what we've accomplished.”
Under the direction of Haas, the program established several single-season team records, including home runs (24, 2025), runs (311, 2024), RBIs (255, 2024) and batting average (.408, 2023).
Looking forward, Haas said she’s not sure which direction the program will go, but she’s confident it will remain the same as it has been. The Rockets went 23-5 this past spring.
“It was important to me that the girls know how important they are to me, those that are still within the program,” Haas said. “I'm confident that the success will continue and that strong foundation will still be loud and proud.”
Oak Harbor’s first softball season came in 1987 under the direction of Kathy Hamilton. They produced the program’s first-ever win on April 24 in a 16-13 victory over Sandusky Perkins. With the elimination of the 2020 season due to Covid, next year’s team will be the 40th for the Rockets all-time.
