CRESTVIEW — The Crestview softball team is looking to add another exciting chapter to its tradition of going to state. The team they are going to face, Williamsburg, is hoping to start its own book as the Lady Wildcats make their first appearance in the final four.
But only one of these teams will come away with a happy ending this year when they face off against each other in the Division IV state semifinal game at Akron Firestone Stadium at 12:30 p.m. on Thursday.
Crestview, sporting a 24-4 overall record, is making its 11th trip to the state tournament since 2000. The Knights captured the state title in 2005 and 2012 and finished as runners-up in 2003, 2009 and 2011. Since 2001, when the OHSAA broke softball into four divisions, Crestview’s 10 trips to state is the most by a school.
“They want to write their own chapter in the history of Crestview softball,” Knights head coach Carl Etzler said. “This is a unique group of girls who have been very successful. They like playing together, working together and being together. I haven’t sensed the feeling that they feel any pressure.”
While this is a familiar trip for the Knights, Williamsburg head coach Rick Healey said the Lady Wildcats first trip to the state semifinals has captivated the small town.
“It’s incredible how the whole town is excited about this,” Healey said. “It is really exciting at this point and the girls are excited to play at state.”
Healey said the team was motivated by last year’s loss in the regional finals and this year they finally broke through to state.
Williamsburg comes into the game with a perfect 28-0 record and a big win over Houston, 10-0, victory in the regional finals.
“Getting over that hurdle was huge,” Healey said. “We played with confidence at districts and the regional finals.”
The Lady Wildcat pitching duo of sophomore Carly Wagers and junior Kacey Smith are two of the main reasons Williamsburg has remained unbeaten. The righty-lefty combo has completely shutdown opponents and earlier this year the pair pitched back-to-back no-hitters.
But it is not just the Lady Wildcats pitching that is a formidable weapon, the offense is also potent. Coming into the district finals eight of their batters were hitting better than .400. Smith, who was the Southern Buckeye Athletic and Academic Conference (SBAAC) player of the year, was hitting over .600 prior to the postseason.
Five different Lady Wildcats made the SBAAC all-league first team and two were named to the second team.
Healey said he credits his seniors for the team’s excellence on the field and keeping the team on the winning path.
“We have had some great senior leadership,” Healey said. “I have three seniors and they have really kept the team focused.”
In the postseason, the Lady Wildcats have been dominating. In its six games, Williamsburg has outscored its opponents 77-6, and shut out the opposition four times. Conversely, Crestview has outscored its opponents 42-11 and shutout the opposition twice in its five games.
Healey understands it is going to be tough battle when the Lady Wildcats face the Knights but said it will be business as usual as far as preparation. He subscribes to the old adage of not messing with success.
Crestview is not changing that much itself but they are preparing for the Lady Wildcats hurlers.
“They have two pitchers a righty and a lefty who throw a rise ball,” Etzler said. “We are having a lefthander throwing against us tomorrow because we don’t see that very often and we have an individual who throws a rise ball. We are also using a pitching machine to throw a rise ball but of course that is a little different in live action. We are using all available resources to prepare.”
Etzler added that the team is confident.
“ We are going up against a team that is real good and is a lot like us. They are aggressive on the base paths with solid pitching so it will be a nice challenge for our girls.”
Crestview has a wealth of hitters and the pitching which has been led by Jada Preston who finished the season with a record of 17-3 for the Knights. In 117 innings of pitching she struck out 116 batters and compiled an ERA of 1.49 for the season.
The Knights seemed to be getting better as they have gotten deeper into the postseason. After some closely contested games in the sectional finals, a 9-5 win over Holgate, and a 6-5 win over Hicksville in the district semifinals, Crestview has gone on to beat Continental, 6-1, in the district final. In the regionals, Crestview posted an 11-0 win over Sherwood Fairview in semifinals which was followed up with a 10-0 downing of Carey in the finals Saturday.
“We know they are a very, very good team,” Healey said. “When you get this deep in the tournament the competition is going to get stiffer.”
.neFileBlock {
margin-bottom: 20px;
}
.neFileBlock p {
margin: 0px 0px 0px 0px;
}
.neFileBlock .neFile {
border-bottom: 1px dotted #aaa;
padding-bottom: 5px;
padding-top: 10px;
}
.neFileBlock .neCaption {
font-size: 85%;
}
