Serving Lucas, Ottawa, Sandusky and Wood Counties
Gibsonburg’s fifth-year head coach Sarah Gruner has led her program to state semifinal berths in two of the past three seasons, and with a slew of talent returning from last year’s team, the Golden Bears hope to make it back-to-back trips to Akron.
Last year’s team, which finished 19-8 overall and 15-3 in SBC play, tied Tiffin Calvert for second in the league behind New Riegel. With a pair of freshmen pitchers in Ava Amor and Alivia Wauford, Gibsonburg got off to an 0-3 start before advancing all the way to the Division VI state semifinal.
It was the program’s sixth trip to the state semifinals, joining the 2023, 2004, 2003, 2002, and 2001 teams.
“We just need to remember that the season is more of a marathon, not a sprint,” Gruner said. “We'd love to get off to a great start right away, but also every year we come in with a new team, new girls, new positions, different things. We treat it as a fresh start for everybody every single season. Like last year, we did get a little bit of a slow start, but it helped us to learn. We learned from our mistakes, and we were able to grow from there.”
This year’s team will have to replace two key players in that postseason run in shortstop Ansley Fleming, who graduated, and catcher Cheyenne Reese, who graduated a semester early and is now playing at NCAA Division II West Liberty University.
Gruner said this year’s team features a lot of versatility, which will be one part of the solution in replacing Fleming and Reese, and is fortunate enough to field a JV team for the first time in at least five years.
“While I don't necessarily want to say we're replacing them, people are stepping up,” Gruner said. “We have so many options this year that we don't need to stick with a true starting nine. We can feel out our opponents and decide who would be better in the situation. We're looking at probably two or three shortstops in the mix and two catchers in the mix as well.”
One key to this year’s success will be the sophomore pitching duo of Amor and Wauford. Prior to last year’s tournament run, Amor was injured and Wauford stepped in to play a key role on the way to Akron. This year, Wauford is still working her way back from an injury, so Amor will be featured a lot early in a bit of a role reversal from late last year.
Wauford led the team with 20 appearances last year, which included 106 strikeouts and a 3.39 ERA over 88.2 innings. Amor registered a 1.91 ERA over 18 appearances with 71 strikeouts over 73.1 innings.
“They're both able to just lock in mentally,” Gruner said. “They don't let one bad thing bring them down. Amor has so much control, and Aliv comes in with control, and I think she throws a little bit harder. They're both just great girls. Their personalities are amazing, and they bring so much more to the team than just being on the field. They make things fun, and they're true leaders.”
Sophomore Katie Hall could also see time in the circle depending on Wauford’s health.
“I'd love to see (Wauford) come back stronger than ever, but I have to keep realistic for now,” Gruner said. “If she can, I'd like for her to take most of the innings there with Amor and Katie supporting.”
Offensively, Amor also batted .427 with 30 RBIs, six home runs, 10 doubles and 26 runs, while Wauford hit .316 with 18 RBIs, 11 runs, nine doubles, and two triples.
Other key returners include senior left fielder Leah Hall, senior first baseman Emily Henderson, and sophomore centerfielder Mia Brink.
Leah Hall batted .380 with 22 RBIs, 22 runs, 10 doubles, two triples, and one home run.
“Leah covers a lot of ground, and she is so aggressive on the bases,” Gruner said. “When she connects with the ball, she has a very powerful swing, but when she gets on base, she is so aggressive. She's tough to get out on base.”
Henderson hit .246 with 18 RBIs, 22 runs, six doubles, and two home runs.
“Defensively, she's strong,” Gruner said. “She's strong up to bat also. She is definitely a big senior leader this year.”
Brink hit .250 with nine RBIs, six doubles, one triple, and 14 runs as the team’s right fielder last year, and she’ll slide over to center this season.
“She is just so quick and has a great read on the ball, even up to bat,” Gruner said. “She's got a strong swing, and her softball IQ is unreal. She's tough on the bases, as well.”
A surprise addition to this year’s roster is junior Elly Evarts, the school’s All-Ohio basketball player. She will see a middle infield role for the team, perhaps even filling in at shortstop for Fleming.
Evarts played baseball growing up, and Gruner is hopeful that she’ll also continue playing softball next year.
“Defensively, it's hard to get anything by her,” Gruner said. “She is just aggressive, not afraid to get dirty. She's coming along great.”
Another key newcomer is freshman Brooklyn Smith, who will see time in right field to start off. Gruner said she is super-fast and has a good read on the ball, and she is expecting great things from her.
“Collectively, we just have so many pieces to this puzzle that we can mix and match,” Gruner said. “We have options this year, and I'm so excited for it. I'm excited for everybody to get some more reps in between our JV and varsity. We're looking to make a run this year.”
Gruner is especially excited to see what the team can do offensively.
“We're going to get into the mental aspect and hopefully become a little bit stronger mentally, but I think our opponents should watch out for our bats,” she said. “We have some good, strong bats coming through.”
All that means high expectations for this year’s team.
“I always have very high expectations of the girls, but ultimately I just want to keep growing, do better one day at a time — start strong and end strong is always our saying,” Gruner said. “I'm looking for leaders this year. I've had a couple step up already who may have been quiet in the past few years, who are really stepping up in their upperclassmen roles here. That’s awesome. We have a great team dynamic.”
Former Gibsonburg star pitcher Jamie (Wonderly) Reno has joined the coaching staff this year, as well. She led the Golden Bears to three state championships from 2001-03.
“She’s already brought so much,” Gruner said. “With Aliv being hurt and having a full JV roster, we ran into some pitching issues. Maybe not issues, but a lack of pitchers, I guess, and she's been really working with them. She's working on the mental side of the game also. She's upbeat and the girls seem to like her and listen to her, so she's definitely a great pickup for our program.”
