The calendar soon flips to May, and that means the Ohio High School Athletic Association softball postseason is right around the corner.
Three Licking County teams are ranked in the state coaches poll – Watkins Memorial in Division I, Licking Valley in Division IV and Newark Catholic in Division VII. The Licking County League-Cardinal Division also remains up for grabs with Lakewood leading Johnstown by one game.
The tournament draw for Division III through VII is ahead on May 3, and the draw for Division I and II follows May 10. Here is what The Advocate will be watching:
Licking Valley staking its claim
Licking Valley opened eyes last season, winning a Division IV district championship and reaching a regional final. The Panthers earned high expectations, and they so far have met them, continuing their unbeaten season with their second eight-inning victory of the season against Mount Vernon, 13-9 on April 24.
Valley has been ranked No. 2 in the first two state polls behind Kenton Ridge, which knocked it out a season ago. The Panthers will have their choice of brackets, so a potential rematch with the Cougars does not have to come until the state tournament.
Sophomore Emory Whisner’s two-way play deservedly is earning attention, as she is hitting .500 with seven home runs while carrying a 0.73 ERA, but the Panthers have depth. Junior shortstop D’Neya Dennis is an ignitor at the top of the order, hitting .468 with 22 runs and junior Chloe Cooperrider and sophomore Tori Baughman each are hitting .409 with a combined three home runs and Cooperrider knocking in 17 runs.
Balls are flying
The power does not just reside in Hanover as Licking County features several sluggers flexing muscles.
Granville sophomore Aubrey Lackey has hit 11 home runs, already with games of a state-record tying four and three to her name. Utica sophomore Kenzie Fletcher has hit eight home runs.
Watkins is riding its offense to a state ranking in Division I as the Warriors have hit 21 homers. Junior Gracie Gerhardt and freshman Emma Jellison lead the way with four.
Lakewood makes foray into Division I
It might cause fans to do a double take to see Lakewood in Division I when the brackets are filled out next month. The Lancers elected to make the jump from Division IV to Division I this season.
Coach Jon Griffith is making a bet on his Lancers as they will compete for one of seven district titles.
The Lancers have a seasoned team led by senior Averie Adams, hitting .519 with two home runs and 18 RBIs, and junior Ashlyn Carder, hitting .511 with seven homers and 24 RBIs, and they have faced a difficult schedule. Lakewood has a Division I victory against Dublin Coffman, and the Lancers have a challenging week ahead, including a trip to Licking Heights on April 28 before a visit from Valley the following day.
Where is the competition?
Newark Catholic is in pursuit of a second consecutive Division VII district championship, and the Green Wave still are not certain who might stand in their path. Only seven Central District schools are expected to play in the postseason as Fisher Catholic, which was district runner-up a season ago, is one of the teams to not field a team this spring.
The Green Wave will go for broke this season led by senior Joanna Bailey, hitting .608 with a home run and 23 RBIs, and junior Brooklyn Kurtz Merricks, hitting .490 with two homers and 23 RBIs, because NC might unfortunately be in the same boat in 2027. NC has six seniors and does not have a reserve team to replenish the roster.
Johnstown, Heights dangerous
Neither Johnstown nor Licking Heights are expected to be seeded in a position to win, but few will be surprised if either is among the 16 teams heading to a regional tournament.
Johnstown will be as tested as anyone in Division V with all four of its losses to date coming to state-ranked teams in higher divisions. Junior Lucia Kuhn has struck out 67 in 51 innings while hitting a team-best four home runs, and the lineup is led by seniors Addy Zak, hitting .533 with three home runs and 16 RBIs, and Jenna Hochanadel, hitting .493 with 24 RBIs.
Heights held the lead late in a Division II district final last season before falling to Dublin Scioto, and the Hornets are confident they can earn another crack despite graduating six seniors. Junior Natalie Mahoney has allowed two runs or less eight times.
This article originally appeared on Newark Advocate: 5 Licking County softball storylines heading into May
Reporting by Kurt Snyder, Newark Advocate / Newark Advocate
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
