High school softball preview: Local offenses expect to shine this spring

Medina County's eight softball teams are eager to shake off cabin fever and hit the field running this spring. Brunswick, Buckeye, Highland and Medina will head south for spring break trips to give Northeast Ohio temperatures a chance to rise and thaw the winter doldrums. As things warm, expect to see plenty of red-hot bats across the county, as offense will likely be the name of the game while a number of pitchers adjust to expanding roles. The past two Gazette MVPs are back in Buckeye junior pitcher Lilly Young (2024) and Medina center fielder Katie Rubino (2025). Wadsworth and Medina Christian have new leadership, as alumnus Sarah Keating will head the Grizzlies and the Knights will be mentored by Brunswick native Angela Schill. Here's a closer look at the county teams: Black River Coach: Scott Nader (2nd season at Black River, 14-9 record) Last season: 14-9, 10-4 (2nd, Lorain County League) Key letterwinner lost: Mallory Eckert (HM All-Gazette) Letterwinners: Remington Dieter (HM All-Gazette, OF, sr.), Madelyne Stief (C/2B, sr.), Abbey Kiser (All-Gazette, P, jr.), Jenevieve Dieter (HM All-Gazette, OF, so.), Rebekah Miller (SS/P, so.), Olivia Bailey (OF, so.). Newcomers: Briley Jackson (C, fr.), Haley Jackson (3B/1B/P, fr.), Heidi Clark (3B/1B/P, fr.). Noteworthy: Kiser emerged to lead the county in ERA (3.04) last season and will lead a defense that should be built on sound fundamentals. l With as many as three freshmen in the lineup, how quickly the Pirates adjust to the speed of the varsity game will go a long way to determining their success. Brunswick Coach: Julie Salzman (21st season, 362-174) Last season: 17-5, 10-2 (2nd, Greater Cleveland Conference) Key letterwinners lost: Ava Beas (All-Gazette), Giovanna Diligente (HM All-Gazette), Elena Osowski (HM All-Gazette). Letterwinners: Kiley Williams (HM All-Gazette, P, sr.), Brooke Sorowski (P, sr.), Bri Flanigan (3B, sr.), Gabby Diamond (OF, sr.), Gabby Diligente (All-Gazette, P, jr.), Addison Compton (All-Gazette, SS, jr.), Lilly Leichliter (C, jr.), Madison Miller (1B, jr.), Abbey Nemec (2B, jr.), Ava Williams (3B, jr.), Kaelyn Stolarski (OF, jr.), Sophia Trush (OF, jr.). Newcomers: Lyla Kaye (P, fr.). Noteworthy: The season opener against Uniontown Lake, a 7-0 loss, was first time Brunswick was able to get work on a field from the start of the preseason. l The Blue Devils are anticipating a trip to Pigeon Forge, Tenn., next week as a great opportunity to get more accustomed to new roles. Buckeye Coach: Dale Dawson (2nd season at Buckeye, 21-6) Last season: 21-6, 14-0 (1st, Cleveland West Conference) Key letterwinner lost: Kwynn Czerwony (All-Gazette) Letterwinners: Sarah Michaels (All-Gazette, SS, sr.), Cassy Minarchick (All-Gazette, 2B, sr.), Lilly Young (2024 Gazette MVP, P, jr.), Kelsey Morano (1B, sr.), Faith Shaw (HM All-Gazette, OF, jr.), Eleanor Shaw (All-Gazette, C, so.), Ava Piovarchy (HM All-Gazette, 3B, so.), Maddie Wilhem (OF, so.), Juliana Melillo (OF, so.), Ryenne Ford (DP, so.). Newcomers: McKenzie Cenname (util., fr.), Sienna Berthold (util., fr.). Noteworthy: Buckeye has won 22 conference games in a row. l Young is back healthy after dealing with an arm injury for almost all of last season. Cloverleaf Coach: Blair Shimandle (3rd season, 14-34) Last season: 4-21, 2-12 (7th, Metro Athletic Conference) Key letterwinners lost: None. Letterwinners: Alyson Croft (P/1B/3B, sr.), Caroline Sitko (2B, sr.), Mady Sweitzer (SS/OF, sr.), Kennedy Bailey (P/util., jr.), Kennedie Prok (OF, jr.), Aubrey Willig (C/3B, jr.). Newcomers: Cheyanne Bachtell (1B/OF, fr.), Pacey Crow (C/util., fr.), Eleanor Freund (1B/3B/DP, fr.), Jaelynn Holmes (P, fr.), Brooklyn Newton (OF/2B/SS, fr.). Noteworthy: Cloverleaf is averaging 13.0 runs and hitting .484 after a doubleheader sweep of Smithville on Saturday. l Defensively, the Colts should be pretty position-diverse to handle a variety of situations. Highland Coach: Brent Belsole (9th season, 106-70) Last season: 8-16, 5-9 (5th, Suburban League American Conference) Key letterwinners lost: None. Letterwinners: Kiley Martin (1B/C, sr.), Riley Hoag (2B, sr.), Alexis Mutch (SS, sr.), Arisa Murray (3B, sr.), Lily Horton (OF, sr.), Michayla Oyler (3B, jr.), Elsa Riedy (C, jr.), Kate Muri (P/OF, jr.), Addison Helminger (OF, jr.), Caelan Carmody (OF, so.), Alyssa Muri (P, so.). Newcomers: Frankie Ciocca (1B/OF, fr.), Kelsey Denholm, (P/OF, fr.). Noteworthy: Offensively, the Hornets have a diverse set of skills. l Highland will deploy a committee pitching approach to maximize the talents of the team's depth. Medina Coach: Eric Mizner (2nd season, 12-10) Last season: 12-10, 6-6 (T-3rd, GCC) Key letterwinner lost: Bella Case (HM All-Gazette). Letterwinners: Katie Rubino (Gazette MVP, OF, sr.), Ryann Allar (All-Gazette, 1B, sr.), Hannah Neal (SS, sr.), Lily Cassidy (3B, sr.), Olivia Hendrickson (OF, sr.), Kelsey Swinko (OF, sr.). Newcomers: Kylie Thompson (P/OF, jr.), Olivia Kish (OF, jr.), Brooke Housum (P, fr.), Bailey McCoy (C, fr.), Reese Todaro (2B, fr.). Noteworthy: Rubino (43 runs, 52 hits, 7 triples, 6 home runs, 36 RBIs, .947 slugging percentage) and Allar (16 doubles, .573 batting average, .634 slugging percentage) give Medina a powerful duo to build the lineup around. l Housum will step in and lead the pitching staff. Medina Christian Coach: Angela Schill (1st season) Last season: 3-7, 3-4 Lake Effect Conference Key letterwinners lost: None. Letterwinners: Esther Hussey (SS, jr.), Leah Stroup (1B/C, so.), Aaliyah Rauckhorst (C, so.), Johanna Kyle (2B, so.), Newcomers: Amanda Shinko (OF, jr.), Zanny Fay (P, fr.), Addy Jewell (P, fr.), Hailey Maletich (3B/P, fr.), Stella Cavanaugh (OF, fr.), Kaitlin McClarnon (OF, fr.), Neveah Davis (OF, fr.). Noteworthy: In their third season as a program, the Knights have a youthful approach with six freshmen and three sophomores out of 11 players. l Schill grew up in Brunswick and is a literature teacher at Medina Christian. Wadsworth Coach: Sarah Keating (1st season) Last season: 10-12, 7-7 (4th, SL National Conference) Key letterwinner lost: Lauren Ball (All-Gazette) Letterwinners: Emily Gerber (SS, sr.), Riley Gibson (C/3B, sr.), Isla Gragg (P, jr.), Allison Capela (2B, jr.), Myah Barlow (C/3B, so.), Olivia Vujas (3B, so.). Newcomers: Savannah Blizzard (3B/C, jr.), Kailyn Seibert (OF, jr.), Camila Hernandez (OF, jr.), Delaney White (OF, so.), Addison Stringfield (SS, so.), Keira Myers (util., fr.), Lucy Roesink (util., fr.). Noteworthy: The Grizzlies are led by seniors Gerber and Gibson but have a good mix of youth with seven freshmen. l Keating is a 2018 graduate of Wadsworth. Assistants Kenzie Doyle and Paul Grywalski are also alumni. Contact John Urchek at jurchek@medina-gazette.com.