These 4 Greater Akron high school softball teams could make deep tournament runs
Fans will see the softball district tournaments amp up beginning this week, and there’s a solid chance Greater Akron could be very busy in the month of May.
That got the USA Today Network thinking about having to pick one team from each division in the area as its selection to reach the final weekend of the season.
Without further ado, here’s what we came up with:
Division I state softball tournament
Team:Walsh Jesuit Warriors (16-0)
What district are they in: Northeast 3 in Massillon
Who could be in the way at regional: Either No. 3 Louisville (19-4) or No. 4 Hoover (13-5) probably comes out of the Northeast 1 District, with the winner likely playing returning state champion Austintown Fitch (15-1).
Why the Warriors could do it: In anticipation of the season, coach Tony Scibelli loaded up the schedule and Walsh comes into the week undefeated. Natalie Susa has already thrown a perfect game against Beaumont and McKayla McGee threw a one-hitter at Cincinnati Turpin. The Warriors come into the week second in the Division I state poll and have a wealth of hitting behind Renee Brown, McGee, Caleigh Shaulis, Sienna Tepley and Brooklyn Marchette.
Division II state softball tournament
Team: Tallmadge Blue Devils (12-7)
District they are in: Northeast 4 in Akron
Who could be in the way at regional: Watch out for No. 2 Buckeye (15-6), which could pull off a win over reigning district champ and No. 4 seed St. Vincent-St. Mary (9-12). That would bring an all-Akron regional semifinal with Aurora (19-1), which has two wins over Tallmadge.
Why the Blue Devils could do it: Nothing beats experience and Tallmadge certainly has that from its 2023 championship team. Walsh University commits Sydney Becks and Ashlyn Severns join Baldwin-Wallace pledge Lexi Gray as members from last season’s squad. Add Riley Jackson, Katie Huth and Leila Staszak and Tallmadge isn’t hurting for veterans.
Division III state softball tournament
Team: Manchester Panthers (17-5)
District they are in:Northeast 4 in Wellington
Who could be in the way at regional: With a win at the district level over No. 2 Hillsdale (18-3), the Panthers would likely see South Range (21-2) in a regional semifinal. Win there and it’s probably Triway (23-2).
Why the Panthers could do it: Manchester came into the week winners in nine of its last 10 games and count two losses to Triway, which is ranked third in the state. Cassidy Perry, Alli Hodginson, Rachel Baker and Courtney Perry go two, three, four and six in the batting order and make for tough outs to start things. With Baker twirling in the circle, the Panthers are a tough out.
Division IV state softball tournament
Team: Mogadore Wildcats (14-5)
District they are in:Northeast 3 in Dalton
Who could be in the way at regional: McDonald (12-2) is probably going to come out of the Northeast 2 District to provide the Wildcats with a regional semifinal. After that, it’ll likely be Danbury (13-8) or Vienna Matthews (18-6). Mathews knocked Mogadore out of the postseason last year in the round of 16.
Why the Wildcats: Mogadore really shouldn’t be touched until it gets to the regional level. Once there, it’s tough to count out the Wildcats with two-time All-Ohioan Olivia Kidd at catcher and first-team all-state pitcher Katie Gardner. Mogadore won district last season and the Portage Trail Conference champions have what it takes to make a deep run this season.
Contact Brad Bournival at bbournival@gannett.com and follow him on Twitter at @bbournival
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Greater Akron has what it takes to win OHSAA softball state titles
