Preview: Crestview Lady Knights softball

SCOTT TRUXELL/independent sports editor

CONVOY — Six and six.

Those are two important numbers that surround Crestview’s softball program – Six letter winners from last year’s regional final team were lost to graduation, but six more are back to bolster the 2020 lineup, if the season gets underway next month.

Gone from last year’s 22-5 squad are outfielder Codi Miller (first team All-NWC, first team All-Northwest District, first team All-Ohio); second baseman Caitlin O’Hagan (second team All-NWC); outfielders Avery McCoy and Olivia Skelton; infielder Hailey Speith, and catcher Ashley Call.

While those losses would be big for any team, head coach Carl Etzler (seventh season, 111-39), has some important players back, including senior shortstop Lexi Gregory (first team All-NWC, second team All-Northwest District); senior outfielder/pitcher Aleigh Chesbro and four talented juniors: pitcher Kali Small (first team All-NWC); center fielder Bailey Gregory (second team All-NWC); first baseman/outfielder Olivia Cunningham, and catcher Breena Grace.

Along with those returning players, Etzler has some promising newcomers vying for playing time, including senior DH/pitcher Morgan Dowler, the third and final senior on the team; juniors Kylie Etzler (outfielder), Reagan Hammons (infielder/outfielder), Mandy Macki (second baseman) and Lindsey Barnes (outfielder/infielder). Two freshman are on the varsity roster as well: third baseman and outfielder Katelyn Castle and pitcher/first baseman Olivia Heckler.

“We should have nice overall speed throughout most of our lineup,” Etzler said of the 2020 Lady Knights. “We should have some good senior/junior hitting and we have some up and coming underclassman.”

“I believe we’ll need to rely on our athleticism. We must develop good team chemistry and the girls must work hard together. The girls are very coachable ladies who want to learn and master the game.”

“We will rely on junior and freshman pitching,” Etzler added. “We have
various girls who are working hard to become better.”

“We will have a balanced, experienced hitting line-up. We should have solid hitters in the middle of the line-up to drive in runs as the top of the order sets the table. We must stay free of injuries and limit both the physical and mental mistakes.”

While pleased and confident with his returning letter winners and newcomers, Etzler noted he has some concerns about defensive inexperience at the varsity level.

“We will be moving girls this season into positions that they had not played
previously,” Etzler explained. “We will depend on our overall athleticism while playing with some experienced seniors and juniors along with underclassmen.”

To compound that concern, spring practices ended suddenly last month when schools were closed statewide to help slow the spread of COVID-19. Etzler said before things came to a screeching halt, the Lady Knights enjoyed some very good high energy practices and he said the girls are still practicing, just in a different way.

“We have very dedicated young ladies who are trying to work on any part of the game that they can either by themselves or with family members,” Etzler stated. “Running, throwing and shagging balls are what the girls have shared with me through social media. We have a Zoom meeting once a week to give the girls a chance to share with each other.”

If classes resume on May 4, teams may practice that very same day and may begin regular season games on May 9. If that happens, it’s quite possible Crestview and many other teams will play a conference-only schedule and perhaps some key non-conference games, if the schedule and weather permit.

If games are indeed played, this year’s NWC championship race could be a wild one, just like last year, when Bluffton edged Crestview by a single game to win an outright title. Paulding finished third and Allen East fourth.

“I believe the Northwest Conference has a balance of good teams
this year, and most of the teams are all very capable of winning the conference based on last year’s performances,” Etzler said. “We have some outstanding coaches in the Northwest Conference all capable to guiding their teams to the top of the NWC. It is a conference that on any
given night any team can beat you. We must come ready to play and play hard during every league game.”

“We always set our sights high to be ready to compete once tournament time approaches,” Etzler added.

The revised OHSAA softball tournament schedule has sectional games taking place the week of May 30, district tournaments the week of June 8 and regional games the following week, then the state tournament June 25-27. However, regular season games can be played until July 4.