'We're looking to make a push': Loudonville softball hoping for a long postseason run
LOUDONVILLE — Karena Burgess and her Loudonville teammates started playing softball together when most of them were around 10 years old.
They’ve grown up together on the diamond, which has turned into a unique bond.
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That closeness has helped the Redbirds win two consecutive Mid-Buckeye Conference championships despite having one of the youngest rosters in the area and most likely the state.
“We’re doing really well with working together and trying to beat our competition [in the MBC] and being better than our competition,” Burgess said.
Loudonville rolled to an 18-0 five-inning win over visiting Mansfield Christian on Wednesday, improving to 13-4 overall and 7-0 in the MBC.
Winning the MBC is one of the Redbirds’ goals each season. They will never take that accomplishment for granted.
They know, though, the conference is smaller and weaker than many in the area, so they make sure to play a loaded nonconference schedule each season.
Loudonville plays in the Wendy’s Spring Classic every year for that exact reason. The second day of the annual tournament was canceled this year because of inclement weather, so the Redbirds traveled to Triway, which was supposed to play them that morning, for a nonleague game later that afternoon once the weather improved.
Loudonville lost 12-5 to the 2021 Division II state runner-up Titans, but experiences like that have played a key role in the development of young players such as Burgess.
“We really try to load our nonconference schedule,” Loudonville coach Serena Fenton said. “That’s what we really try to focus on.”
Burgess was one of four freshmen who started last season in a D-IV district semifinal game against Cuyahoga Heights. Loudonville didn’t have a single senior in its starting lineup that day, as the rest of the lineup included four sophomores and a junior.
The Redbirds lost 3-1 to Cuyahoga Heights, which went on to finish as state runner-up. That game showed just how far the youthful ‘Birds had come throughout the season. It was also a clear sign that they were destined for big things in 2022.
“[Last year’s experience] has really helped us learn from our mistakes and work more at fixing the issues we’ve had in the past, so we can get better,” Burgess said.
Hitting was one of those problems. Burgess and Fenton both mentioned how much they’ve improved at the plate this season as a team.
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The Redbirds entered this week with a .336 batting average, which is 22 points higher than last year. Three players were hitting at least .400 with three others above .300.
Burgess had a team-high .509 average, while Morgan McClure was second at .409. Brooke Christine, Loudonville’s lone senior, was hitting .405.
“We’ve definitely done better with our hitting,” Burgess said. “Our defense has always been good, but our offense has gotten so much better this year. We’ve been making more contact at the plate and having better at-bats.”
The Redbirds set two goals at the beginning of the season — win the MBC and advance further in the postseason than last year. That would mean making it to at least the district championship game.
“We were in districts last year with a young team,” Fenton said. “We still technically are a young team. Brooke is our only senior. ... We’re looking to make a push. We know we’ll run into Hillsdale, who is having a really good season so far this year, but that’s what our goal is.”
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Burgess, Morgan McClure (two RBIs), Maddie Kline, Braylayn Haudenschild and Olyvia Fenton (two RBIs) all had two hits to lead the way against Mansfield Christian. Alesha Felix tossed a two-hitter with four strikeouts to earn the win in the circle.
The Redbirds still have plenty of room for improvement, but they’ve already accomplished the most important thing.
Playing for one another.
“We’ve all just worked together so well,” Burgess said. “We’ve gotten close and have really good bonds with each other, so it’s easier to work together on the field because we jell together more.”
Reach Chris at csnow@times-gazette.com
On Twitter: CSnow_TG
This article originally appeared on Ashland Times Gazette: Loudonville softball is hoping to make a lengthy tourney run
