2024 SOFTBALL STATE TOURNAMENT PREVIEW
AKRON OH- For the second straight season, YSN will head down to Firestone Stadium in Akron to follow three of its teams on a quest for a state title. Each of the three teams is making a return trip to the state semifinals, and they each had different results a season ago. In Division 1 Austintown Fitch is going for a repeat state championship. In Division 2 Canfield is looking to get themselves back in the championship game falling one win short a season ago. In Division 3 South Range is going to try to get the program back to the title round after falling in the semifinals last season. Everyone in the area knows what makes these three YSN teams so special, but who will be standing in their way? As the games get closer, let’s take a closer look on each team’s bracket, and their path to a state championship.
DIVISION I
Semifinal 1: Austintown Fitch (21-1) vs Fairfield (23-3) Friday 3:00.
Semifinal 2: Anthony Wayne (30-1) vs Watkins Memorial (30-1) Friday 5:30.
Teams In Fitch’s Way:
Fairfield: Fairfield has had a solid season, against a tough list of opponents. Their program hasn’t been to this round of the playoffs in 33 years, and it wasn’t easy to get here. Fairfield won a 1-0 nail biter against Centerville (25-5). They were lifted by their pitcher Megan Spence who tossed a 3 hit shutout in the biggest game of her life. The junior plays for a premier travel team in the Cincinnati area (Doom Premier Towe) and sees great competition throughout the summer. She has pretty good velocity, but her success stems from her ability to move the ball and hit her spots well. Fairfield has six seniors on their roster, so leadership is not an issue for the Indians. Senior Jillian Huey is a Division 1 commit going to Rio Grande to continue her softball career. Fellow senior Abby Stanfield is continuing her softball career at Lourdes University. Fairfield has been known all season for their ability to make comebacks, they might not always get off to a great start, but the veteran Indians will fight until the last out.
Anthony Wayne and Watkins Memorial square off in the other Division 1 semifinal. Both teams are elite programs who were both in this situation a year ago. Fitch beat Anthony Wayne 6-1 in last year’s state championship. Anthony Wayne beat Watkins 2-1 to get there. The Generals have now been to 3 final fours since 2021 and have a better record than a year ago, they lost 5 games in 2023 but just 1 game this season. They feature a pitching staff that is loaded with talent. Kat Meyers their ace is committed to Michigan to continue her softball career, and if that wasn’t enough, junior Molly Conner is committed to play at Notre Dame. The Generals pitchers have allowed just 2 runs through their tournament run, and they’ve scored 36.
Watkins on the other hand are just as good, they lost to Anthony Wayne 2-1 in last year’s tournament. Their pitching is the definition of shutdown. Their team ERA is barely above 1 at 1.27, and Michigan State commit Carson Cassady has an eye popping ERA of 0.282 and over 300 strikeouts on the season. On the offensive side Ohio commit Jordyn Wycuff is mashing this season with a team leading average of .641 with 11 home runs and 49 RBI. Watkins has a 5 game shutout streak going on at the moment, they haven’t allowed a run since their 9-8 loss to Miamisburg (Cassady did not pitch by the way).
DIVISION II
Semifinal 1: Canfield vs Kenton Ridge Friday 10:00am
Semifinal 2: Bryan vs Logan Elm Friday 12:30.
Teams in Canfield’s Way:
Kenton Ridge (28-4) won a regional championship over the favorite in the region Granville 6-2 at Wright State. Granville beat the Cougars in last season’s regional championship. This is Kenton Ridge’s first regional championship in 11 seasons. In the circle the Cougars have relied on junior Kyanne Tyson all season. Tyson is great at forcing weak contact and trusting her above average defense behind her to make a play. She can get her strikeouts, she has 111 all season, but when compared to some of the other pitchers in the state level, Tyson is much more of a contact pitcher, and she’s good at it. Her ERA on the year is 2.36 in 139 innings pitched. Tyson is helped by her elite sophomore catcher Brenna Fyffe who does an amazing job at managing Tyson’s game, especially for an underclassmen.
Bryan (16-4). The Golden Bears are in the middle of their best season in program history. The were in their programs first regional final against Lexington, and the won it 4-1. They have been led by 1st Team All State pitcher Thea Staten who only allowed 1 run in the regional round. In the regional semifinal she went 7 innings, and struck out 12 while only giving up 2 hits. Bryan has two seniors that have brought nothing but glory to the entire athletics room at the school. Ella Voigt and Kailee Thiel are three sport athletes that have won 5 district titles, and led multiple sports to their longest tournament run to date. They might be in their first state round, but these seniors have plenty of experience when it comes to doing things no one at the school has done before. Between their three varsity sports, Bryan has a .816 winning percentage in the past four years.
Logan Elm (21-8) Logan Elm is coming off a 7-3 win over Dover in the Regional Finals. This is their first state tournament birth since 2012. The Braves six seniors were given their diplomas before the start of Friday’s regional final. Going to state is a pretty good excuse for missing commencement. Their six seniors are Katie Wilson, Lynsay VanHoose, Kaitlin Otterbacher, Tia Fowler, Taylor Fowler and Jaycie Clifton. Taylor Fowler brings plenty of pop to the Braves lineup, and plenty of clutch. She hit a walk off three run home run with the game tied at 5-5 in the regional semifinals against premiere program Jonathan Alder. Other players to watch are sophomore Peyton Richendollar brings speed to the team as well as plenty of softball experience playing travel for Central Ohio Pride. She will be someone catchers must keep their eye on when she’s on the bases. She’s a stolen base expert.
DIVISION III
Semifinal 1: Oak Harbor vs Liberty Union Thursday 3:00
Semifinal 2: South Range vs South Webster Thursday 5:30.
Teams in South Range’s Way:
South Webster (25-3). South Webster might have pulled off the biggest upset the state of Ohio has seen in a long time. They went up against two time reigning state champion in Wheelersburg. The Pirates beat South Webster twice in the regular season, both times in run rule fashion. The Jeeps were not intimidated in the slightest, pulling off a 4-3 victory. The Jeeps might not have been the favorite against Wheelersburg, but then again there aren’t many teams in the whole state that would have been. The Jeeps know how to win. Their lineup is potent. Shawnee State commit Ashlee Spence who knocked in the game winning run against the Pirates is one of the best hitters in the Jeeps region. She also hit a walk off home run in the district championship over Ironton. Senior outfielder Skylar Zimmerman is one of the best outfielders in the state of Ohio. Isabella Claxon is a strong senior leader who will continue her athletic career in volleyball at Mount Vernon Nazarene.
Oak Harbor (27-2). Oak Harbor features a D1 athlete in the circle in senior Alyse Sorg. Sorg, who will be a swimmer at Bowling Green has mounted an ERA of 2.11. She is a spin pitcher who makes sure that hitters don’t get solid contact off of her. In fact she’s only given up 5 home runs this year in over 600 batters faced. She’s also only given up 23 extra bass hits. Their offense is led by Porter Gregory who hits .538 with 33 RBI. Oak Harbor is a team known more for their on base percentage than their power, they’ve only hit 11 home runs on the year, but they have a team on base percentage of .456.
Liberty Union (22-6). The Lions have won 14 of their last 16 games, and come into the state semifinals on an 11 game winning streak. Liberty Union won a high scoring 9-7 regional final against Miami East. They’ve scored at least 6 runs in 6 straight games. Junior Payton Hochradel is ranked 82 in the Extra Innings top 300 for outfielders. Like many other teams in this year’s state bracket, Liberty Union is making this trip for the first time for the players on their roster. In fact, the Lions district championship over top seeded Fairbanks gave them their first district trophy since 2011.
With this group of teams stacked against each other, YSN’s coverage of the state tournament is sure to be exciting this season. Make sure to tune in to all of YSN’s social pages Wednesday at 8:00 for the State Softball Send Off Show which will feature coaches and players from Canfield, South Range, and Austintown Fitch.
YSN would also like to wish the best of luck to Mathews who will be representing the area in the Division IV state bracket. If the Mathews community would like the Mustangs to be a part of the YSN family, get in contact with your AD and have them reach out to us about joining the 60 plus teams that are already signed on.
