THORNVILLE — The only thing worse than the weather for Sheridan softball during its Division III district final game against Dover during the 2025 season was the outcome.
A 1-0 loss to the eventual state champions, who dominated the regional and state behind Ohio State-bound pitcher Jenna Molk and co-ace Kara Lint, was all the proof the Generals needed that they weren’t far from standing nose-to-nose with the state’s best.
“We were like, ‘that could have been us,” senior Haylie Clifton said.
If Clifton and her General teammate have things their way, they’ll get a chance to redeem themselves. As Sheridan coach Mark Paxton put it, “the path runs through (Dover) for sure.”
Strong Ranck and file
Clifton and Megan Ranck, who assumed the role of ace pitcher after All-Ohioan Cora Hall graduated, have been key leaders as the two seniors on a team that replaced many of its parts from the 2025 team.
“We had a bunch of new people coming in this year, a bunch of younger people, and we had to figure out where the puzzle pieces were going to fit,” Clifton said at a recent practice. “I feel like we figured it out, and a lot of our younger people have stepped up. Even Megan, she has done a lot for this team stepping up (as a pitcher).”
The latter has been the critical element to the team’s success.
Ranck, who was often used to give Hall’s arm a break as the No. 2 pitcher in previous years, has been the unquestioned ace in her final season and sported a 14-4 record entering a nonleague clash on May 8 against defending Division V state champion Wheelersburg.
It was a game her team won, 5-2, in comeback fashion and marked the eighth state-ranked team the Generals had faced — nine counting their rematch with John Glenn in Muskingum Valley League play. A loss at Portsmouth Notre Dame, against whom Ranck didn’t pitch, was another returning state champ.
It was also a display of Ranck’s steadfast approach to pitching.
“I feel like you can tell she just has the dedication to get on the mound and do her thing, and I feel like she has just shown that this year stepping up,” Clifton said. “Cora was big shoes to fill, but I feel like she filled them. She has done a great job, and she is such a team player. She cares about every single person on this team, and you can tell.”
Perhaps Ranck’s biggest moment of truth came the day after she allowed a 2-0 seventh-inning lead against John Glenn, which was down to its last strike, disappear after the Muskies rallied with two outs. The result was a 4-2 loss.
She came back in New Concord one day later and delivered a 9-2 win in a game the Generals got 12 hits and eight earned runs off Muskie ace Kendall Snider. It got them back to even with John Glenn in the MVL-Big School standings.
Ranck said it was a significant confidence booster for the team. The Generals won seven of their next nine games, going undefeated when Ranck pitched.
“Especially with Avery (Hall) hitting a home run. It was literally like the first pitch of the game,” Ranck said. “That made us kind of get out of our sad slump after we lost. It was like, ‘oh, this is a really intense game’ coming out and hitting right away like that.”
Ranck’s bat has been equally important. With Hall and Lakelyn Haas wreaking havoc in the top two spots in the lineup, No. 3 hitter Brooke Cadigan, another veteran, and cleanup hitter Ranck have been critical run producers.
Ranck is hitting .432 with a team-high 28 RBIs entering the postseason, and her five homers are tied for second behind Hall. Clifton has five homers and 24 RBIs.
“She has been awesome at the plate,” Paxton said. “I mean, she has been one of the top players in the league. There is no doubt. She has won (15) games in the the circle and hitting around .500, with some power. … She is right where she needs to be.”
Will schedule pay off?
All of the tough nonleague games, most all on the road, were in preparation for what they feel is coming down the pike in the postseason. Paxton and athletic director Lance Dupler gave the team no cookies when it came to nonleague scheduling, and Paxton said that theory has been by design.
As Paxton put it, there are no computer points needed to qualify for a postseason spot in softball. With the RPI system used by MaxPreps to rank teams, however, it does benefit the bold when it comes to seeding.
Chillicothe narrowly edged Sheridan for the top seed in the Southeast District, despite having four more victories. Beyond that, it’s about seeing the best competition possible.
“I want to play the team that I want to make us better,” Paxton said. “I finally got Wheelersburg to come here. (Springfield) Kenton Ridge, they’re coming here next year.”
The tournament opener, at 5 p.m. on May 14 at home against Washington Court House (2-24), has arrived.
Will the Generals’ approach pay off? Time will tell.
“It’s one of things where we are definitely confident, for sure, in what we can do,” Paxton said. “I think we are starting to buy in that we can be a special team. And we kind of feed off of each other.”
sblackbu@usatodayco.com; X: @SamBlackburnTR
This article originally appeared on Zanesville Times Recorder: Sheridan softball eyeing redemption this postseason
Reporting by Sam Blackburn, Zanesville Times Recorder / Zanesville Times Recorder
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