Three Toledo-area high school softball teams will be chasing regionals in Division III and Division IV this week.
In Division III, sixth-ranked NBC champion Oak Harbor (24-2, 11-1) looks to earn its second trip to the state final four in three years after reaching the D-II semifinals in 2022.
The Rockets of second-year coach Cami Haas face former longtime Sandusky Bay Conference foe Margaretta (19-10) in Wednesday's 5 p.m. semifinal at Findlay High School.
Two area teams have qualified for regionals in Division IV, with Buckeye Border Conference runner-up Montpelier (17-7, 7-1) facing Monroeville in the 5 p.m. semifinal at Rossford, and SBC River Division member Fremont St. Joseph (12-13) facing eighth-ranked Vienna Mathews in a 2 p.m. semifinal at Berea.
All regional finals at scheduled for 5 p.m. Friday at the respective sites.
DIVISION III
■ Oak Harbor vs. Margaretta
The Rockets have been led in the circle by senior Alyse Sorg (23-2, 2.69 ERA, 129 strikeouts in 150 innings), who is also batting .402 with 29 RBIs and 44 runs scored.
She is well-complemented by three other teammates who started on the 2022 state semifinal team – seniors Porter Gregory (1B, .531, 2 HR, 30 RBIs, 34 runs) and Reese Adkins (SS, .495, 37 RBIs, 42 runs), and junior Allie Giezie (catcher, .360, 21 RBIs).
Other top producers include junior Ava Geyer (RF, .404, 28 RBIs), sophomores Karder Haas (2B, .349, 2 HR, 32 RBIs) and Tatum Baumgartner (CF, .304, 2 HR, 25 RBIs), and freshman left fielder Morgan Lalonde (.480, 13 RBIs, 36 runs).
Last season, Oak Harbor split its two SBC games with Margaretta (15-3 win, 7-4 loss), but did not play the Polar Bears during the 2024 regular season.
In 2023, Oak Harbor finished 22-5 after a tough 9-8 district-semifinal loss to Defiance Tinora in a game in which the Rockets made six errors. Last week, Oak Harbor beat Tinora 6-1 to win the district final at Springfield.
“Tinora was a great team [last year],” coach Haas said of the bitter 2023 tournament exit, “but we all decided that we beat ourselves in that game. So, we were bound and determined not to let that happen again. We were going to play loose and take it out by out. Last year we bunted a lot. This year, I really trusted our bats. They’ve proven what they can do at the plated, and they hit the ball very well this time around.
“Margaretta is our old SBC rival, so it’s kind of ironic the way that it worked out. We’re very familiar with one another, and it should be a good game.”
DIVISION IV
■ Montpelier vs. Monroeville
Montpelier, which is making its second trip to a regional, lost in the 2004 semifinals. The Locomotives are led by junior pitcher Madelyn Hopper (14-4, 1.40 ERA, 191 strikeouts; 545 average, 3 HR, 27 RBIs), and classmates Kelsi Bumb (SS, .478, 5 HR, 25 RBIs, 34 runs) Jada Uribes (1B, .444, 16 RBIs), and Lyla Mahan (catcher, .400, 28 runs).
■ Fremont St. Joseph vs. Vienna Mathews
St. Joe has been paced by pitcher Stella Thomas (11-8, 4.02 ERA, 105 strikeouts; .379 average, 16 RBIs), along with Emma Kelbley (.397, 17 RBIs), and Maddie Militello (.368, 19 RBIs).
The Crimson Streaks from Fremont are looking to match their program-best tournament advancement to the D-IV regional finals in 2010. Vienna Mathews was the D-IV state runner-up in 2012.
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