Random Thoughts: baseball and more

SCOTT TRUXELL/independent sports

This week’s installment of Random Thoughts includes congratulations, teams in first, a quick firing, a college quarterback entering rehab, and a draft that looks good.

Belated congrats

Congratulations to Lincolnview’s Lainey Spear for becoming the school’s new softball record holder for career RBIs. She has 146 and counting, surpassing the previous record of 145 held by former standout Destiny Coil. Earlier this season – Game No. 2 to be exact – she broke the school’s career home run record, which was 35.

Last week, Lincolnview head coach Eric Schwab hit 100 career wins. Also last week, Ila Hughes surpassed 300 career strikeouts. 

So far so good

Of course it’s very early in the Major League Baseball season but if you’re a Cincinnati Reds, Chicago Cubs or Cleveland Guardians fan, there’s some good news. As of Monday, the Reds were alone in first in the NL Central division, with the Cubs just a game behind. The Guardians were a game behind first place Detroit in the AL Central division.

That didn’t take long

What have you done for me lately? For Alex Cora, not enough for the Boston Red Sox, who fired him on Saturday, just 27 games into the season. Boston was 10-17 at the time. He wasn’t the only one to be shown the door – five members of his coaching staff were given the boot as well.

Cora won the 2018 World Series, then was fired by the Red Sox in 2020 in connection with the sign stealing scandal. He was brought back the following season but has had just two winning seasons since then – 2021 last year.

Despite his struggles, he’ll mostly likely be a highly sought after hire in the offseason.

Weekend roundup: baseball, softball

VW independent sports

Baseball

Van Wert 7 Delphos St. John’s 6 (11 innings)

DELPHOS — A bases loaded walk scored Griffin McCracken in the top of the 11th inning and Van Wert was able to hold on for a 7-6 win over Delphos St. John’s at Stadium Park on Saturday.

A two-out RBI single by Finley Dickinson in the second inning gave the Cougars a 3-0 lead, but the Blue Jays answered with four runs in the fourth, including two on a Van Wert error. The Cougars tied the game 5-5 in top of the seventh when Finley scored on an RBI single by Cam Werts, then Van Wert took a 6-5 lead in the top of the 10th when Noah Krites scored on a bases loaded walk. Delphos St. John’s tied the game 6-6 on a Cougar error in the bottom of the 10^th.

The game featured eight pitchers, four by each team. Easton Putman earned the win by going the last four innings and giving up two hits and a run (unearned), while striking out four. The Cougars pounded out 15 hits, including four by Dickinson and two each by Putman, Alex Benner and Zach Scott.

Van Wert (6-8) will host Wapakoneta on Tuesday. Delphos St. John’s (7-3) will face Lincolnview on Wednesday.

Fairview 4 Lincolnview 0

DEFIANCE — Pitching was the name of the game at the PBR Spring Classic at Defiance High School on Saturday.

Lincolnview and Fairview combined for just four hits, two by each team, but the Apaches scored all four of their runs in the bottom of the fourth to defeat the Lancers 4-0. Two of the runs came on RBI singles, while a third came on a bases loaded balk. Fairview’s Elijah Arend earned the complete game win with a pair of strikeouts and two walks. Lincolnview’s Graham Kill also went the distance and struck out four and walked three.

The Lancers (9-2) are scheduled to host Columbus Grove today.

Softball

Patrick Henry 8 Lincolnview 3

Lincolnview 10 Ada 0

Ila Hughes and Emme Stevens each had two hits but Lincolnview fell to Patrick Henry 8-3 on Saturday. Cassidy Rank drove in two of Lincolnview’s three runs.

The Lancers bounced back with a 10-0 win over Ada.

Lainey Spear had three hits, including a first inning RBI double and a two-run homer in the third. Ila Hughes had a pair of hits and drove in three runs and earned the complete game win by holding Ada to just two hits with 12 strikeouts and four walks.

Lincolnview (12-4) will host Columbus Grove today.

Knights compete at Troy Relays

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TROY — The Crestview girls placed 12 out of 16 teams and the Knights boys finished 10 out of 15 teams at Friday’s Troy Relays. Troy won the team title on the girls’ side with Springfield finishing as the runner-up. Miamisburg was the team champion on the boys’ side, with Troy placing second. Crestview’s results are listed below.

Girls

4×200: (8th) — Lydia Grace, Ellieannah Ward, Delanie Balliet, Graylie Grose

Sprint medley: (4th) – Ellieannah Ward, Marissa Gros, Graylie Grose, Delanie Balliet

4×100: (4th) – Graylie Grose, Delanie Balliet, Lydia Grace, Ellieannah Ward

Iron 4×100: (8th) – Emily Adams, Lyndsey Reinhart, Ella Lamb, Georgia Long

Long jump: (6th) – Ellieannah Ward, Marissa Gros

High jump: (8th) – Evie Williman, Zoe Ross

Boys

4×1600: (4th) – Hudson Perrott, Derek Young, Lincoln Smith, Kale Vining

Sprint medley: (8th) – Noah Mosier, Hayden Perrott, Beckam Putman, Logan Matson

Distance medley: (5th) – Hudson Perrott, Ian Owens, Lincoln Smith, Derek Young

4×400: (8th) – Brentyn Rodriguez, Kale Vining, Beckam Putman, Ian Owens

4×100: (7th) – Hayden Perrott, Liam Putman, Drayden Hoffman, Braxton Leeth

Iron 4×100: (2nd) – Kale Lichtenstieger, Draven Frost, CJ Speelman, Bladin Scott

4×800: (7th) – Kale Vining, Derek Young, Lincoln Smith, Hudson Perrott

Tennis team wins!

Van Wert picked up a big WBL tennis win with a 3-2 road victory over Wapakoneta on Friday. The Cougars received wins from Zach Stoller at first singles, Beau Bear at third singles and the first doubles team of Ben Verville and Kaz Moynihan. Van Wert is slated to return to action at home against St. Marys Memorial on Tuesday. Photo provided

Defiance holds Van Wert in check

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DEFIANCE — Cam Werts singled in Trevor Halker in the first inning but the Cougars were held off the scoreboard for the rest of the game and fell to Defiance 5-1 in Western Buckeye League baseball action on Friday.

The Bulldogs tied the game with a run in the bottom of the first and the game remained 1-1 until the bottom of the fourth, when an RBI double by Jaren Honsberger gave Defiance the lead for good. The Bulldogs then added three more runs in the fifth.

Halker finished with two of Van Wert’s four hits. Jace Huebner pitched the first 4 ¹/₃ innings and allowed five runs (three earned) on five hits with two strikeouts and seven walks. Finley Dickinson pitched the remaining 1 ²/₃ innings and gave up two hits with a strikeout and a walk.

Van Wert (5-8, 1-4 WBL) will play at Delphos St. John’s today.

OHSAA releases football divisons, regions

VW independent sports/submitted information

COLUMBUS — The Ohio High School Athletic Association has announced the new divisional breakdowns and playoff regions for 2026 football season and there are some notable changes around the area.

Among Northwest Conference teams, Bluffton has moved from Division VI to Division V, making the Pirates the only Division V team in the NWC. Columbus Grove and Lima Central Catholic are both moving from Division VII to Division VI, Region 22. Allen East, Crestview and Spencerville are staying in Division VI, while Delphos Jefferson and Fort Loramie, a football-only member, will both remain in Division VI.

In the Western Buckeye League, the only change involves Bath, as the Wildcats are dropping from Division IV to Division V. Celina, Defiance, Shawnee, St. Marys Memorial and Wapakoneta are once again in Division III, while Elida, Kenton, Ottawa-Glandorf and Van Wert are again in Division IV, with the Cougars remaining in Region 14, which stretches from Bellefontaine to the Cleveland suburb of Bay Village.

Green Meadows Conference member Wayne Trace is dropping down a division, going from Division VI to Division VII. Defending Division VII state champion St. Henry will compete in Division VI this fall, and perennial power Coldwater is going from Division VI to Division V.

A total of 37 schools moved up a division from their 2025 assignment, which is due to the 2026-27 school year being the start of a new two-year base enrollment cycle, and/or also the OHSAA’s competitive balance process.

Of note, school consolidations are anticipated this summer within Cleveland Metropolitan School District and Youngstown City School District, which will result in some schools within those districts being reclassified into higher divisions. The OHSAA annually sets September 10 as the date to collect enrollment data from new schools and schools that have consolidations.

Starting Monday, schools will have a two-week window to opt up to Division I, per OHSAA bylaw 2-1-1, which could result in additional changes to divisional assignments.

Prep roundup: softball, baseball, tennis

VW independent sports

Softball

Van Wert 8 Miller City 4

MILLER CITY — Van Wert scored four runs in the first and never looked back on the way to an 8-4 win at Miller City on Thursday.

In the first, Layla Sudduth stole home, then Isabella Wise doubled and drive in Haley Dunlap. Lauren Gearhart stole home, then Wise scored on an RBI single by Grace Kitson. Miller City scored a run in the third and another in the fourth, but Gearhart doubled and drove in Sudduth and Dunlap in the fifth, giving Van Wert a 6-2 lead. An inside the park home run by Miller City in the bottom of the fifth made it 6-4, but Sudduth doubled home Kitson in the sixth, then Wise singled in Dunlap in the seventh.

Sudduth and Kitson each had three hits for Van Wert (5-6), while Gearhart and Wise had two hits each. Emma West earned the win on the mound, striking out 15 Wildcat batters while walking two and allowing 10 hits.

Van Wert is scheduled to host Defiance today. 

Lincolnview 13 Spencerville 0 (five innings)

SPENCERVILLE — Lainey Spear homered twice – a two-run shot in the first and another in the fifth to lead Lincolnview by Spencerville 13-0 in five innings on Thursday. She also doubled twice, once in the second and again in the fifth and finished the game 4-of-4 at the plate with five RBIs. Ansley Schwab had three hits and Emme Stevens drove in three runs. Ila Hughes went the distance for the Lancers, allowing just one hit while fanning 11.

Lincolnview (10-3) is scheduled to host Tinora today.

Bluffton 8 Crestview 7

BLUFFTON — Bluffton scored three runs in the bottom of the sixth then held on to beat Crestview 8-7 on Thursday.

The Lady Knights took a 2-0 lead in the first, when Violet Dirr’s two out, two-RBI single scored Kaci Gregory and Dakota Thornell. The Pirates scored a run in the first and two in the second for a 3-2 lead but in the third, Thornell’s solo homer tied the game 3-3, then Ayla Kreischer singled and drove in Emma Ward for a 4-3 Crestview lead. Bluffton tied the game 4-4 on an RBI single by Peyton Worcester in the bottoom of the fourth, then two batters later Macy Schaadt doubled in Worcester to put the Pirates up 5-4. Lyric Temple singled home Kaylee Owens to tie the game 5-5 in the sixth. However, Bluffton scored on a bases loaded wild pitch in the bottom of the sixth, then a single by Evelyn Boyles scored two. Gregory scored on a wild pitch in the seventh and Thornell scored on a grounder by Alli Thatcher, but Crestview could draw no closer.

Boys, girls track and field recap

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Cougars compete at WBL tri-meet

WAPAKONETA — Van Wert’s track and field teams faced stiff Western Buckeye League competition Tuesday night, squaring off against host Wapakoneta and Ottawa-Glandorf in a challenging tri-meet.

Despite the depth and strength of both opponents, the Cougars showed resilience and competitiveness across the board. The distance crew led the way on both the boys and girls sides, highlighted by strong performances from Noelle Byrum and Isaak Castillo.

Byrum delivered an outstanding night on the girls side, placing second in both the 800-meter run (2:39.73) and the 1600-meter run (5:46.96), while also contributing to the Cougars’ efforts in distance events . On the boys side, Castillo showcased his toughness by winning the 1600-meter run in 5:05.69 and adding a solid effort in the 800 meters .

Van Wert also found success in relays and field events. The girls 4×400 relay team captured first place in 4:22.83, and the 4×200 relay added a runner-up finish. In the field, Flannery Foster led the way with a first-place throw in the discus (110-7), while Lily Greve earned a share of first in the high jump.

On the boys side, Evan Keuneke claimed a victory in the 400-meter dash (52.73), while the Cougars dominated the 4×800 relay, taking both first and second place to showcase their depth in distance events .

For their grit and determination in a highly competitive meet, Isaak Castillo and Noelle Byrum were named Cougar Pride Award winners, embodying the toughness and competitive spirit of the Van Wert program.

Crestview sweeps own quad

CONVOY — The Crestview boys and girls first first at Tuesday’s home quad against Antwerp, Continental and Hicksville. Here are the results for the Knights.

Random Thoughts: coaches, NFL, more

SCOTT TRUXELL/independent sports

The latest installment of Random Thoughts centers around some area coaching changes, the Cincinnati Bengals, the Cleveland Browns and spring football. The topic of baseball will resume next week. 

Head coaching news

Three coaching announcements came down last week. 

After 17 seasons at the helm, Parkway boys basketball coach Doug Hughes announced he’s stepping down. While I didn’t have the opportunity to speak with him more than a handful of times, I enjoyed our conversations. 

Edon head football coach Bob Olwin, who has coached at several schools around northwest Ohio, has been named the new head coach at Shawnee. It’s an interesting hire. His teams like to throw the ball a lot. 

Kenton boys basketball coach Christian Williams recently stepped down but has been named the head coach at Perry. 

Cincinnati Bengals

Let me see if I have this right – the Cincinnati Bengals didn’t want to pay defensive end Trey Hendrickson a ton of money, but they traded the No. 10 pick in this week’s draft for a guy, Dexter Lawrence, who wants a ton of money?

I realize the Bengals gave Lawrence a one-year, $28 million extension, but that seems like it’s just delaying the inevitable for a few months. 

I suppose there are different ways to look at it, but this just seems odd to me. 

Cleveland Browns 

To the Cleveland Browns – repeat after me: we will draft offensive linemen and wide receivers. More than one of each. We will draft offensive linemen and wide receivers. More than one of each. 

Yes, the Browns signed some offensive linemen through free agency but let’s face it – while an upgrade, those guys aren’t exactly all-pro caliber. A very good offensive line can mask a lot of weaknesses. 

Wide receivers – at least one with speed and all of them who can catch, or are willing to catch. 

Prep roundup: softball, baseball

VW independent sports

Softball

Van Wert 23 Antwerp 5 (six innings)

ANTWERP — Haley Dunlap and Isabella Wise each drove in five runs and Van Wert topped Antwerp 23-5 in six innings on Monday. The game was tied 5-5 after three innings but the Cougars scored 18 unanswered runs, including 13 in the sixth. 

Dunlap smacked a two-run homer in the fourth inning and Wise hit a three-run shot in the sixth. Dunlap and Wise each hit a double, Layla Sudduth hit two doubles and Addison Roehm and Lauren Gearhart each hit a double. Grace Kitson had a triple as the Cougars had what may be a school record 32 hits in the game. Emma West earned the win on the mound, allowing five runs on nine hits with 10 strikeouts and a walk. 

Van Wert (3-5) will play at Celina today. 

Lincolnview 2 Leo 1

Eric Schwab earned his 100th win as the Lancers edged Leo 2-1 on Monday. 

Both of Lincolnview’s runs came in the fifth inning – an RBI double by Lainey Spear, and a sacrifice fly by Bella Hire that scored Ila Hughes. On the mound, Hughes twirled a two hitter while striking out 12. 

Lincolnview (10-2) will travel to Ottoville on Wednesday. 

Crestview 9 Columbus Grove 7 

CONVOY — Dakota Thornell had four hits, including two doubles and drove in four runs to lead Crestview by Columbus Grove 9-7 on Monday. Kaci Gregory had two hits, including a triple.

Crestview (5-8) will host Archbold today. 

Baseball 

Wayne Trace 8 Van Wert 5

HAVILAND — Wayne Trace scored four runs in the bottom of the sixth and defeated Van Wert 8-5 on Monday. 

The Cougars (5-6) will host Celina today.