Valley softball standouts bound for the NCAA Tournament

BEREA, Ohio (WKBN) – Three softball standouts from the valley are bound for the NCAA Division III Softball Tournament with Baldwin Wallace University.

That includes Maddie Lester (Boardman), Lucia Wolford (McDonald), and Gillian Ryser (Hubbard). All three were named to the Ohio Athletic Conference All-Tournament Team.

Lester, a sophomore, is both a designated player and pitcher. She led the Yellow Jackets in batting, posting an average of .372. She piled up a team-high 37 RBIs, 13 doubles, 16 walks, 7 home runs, and 2 triples. In the circle, she was second on the team with nine wins. In 84.2 innings, she amassed 60 strikeouts with a 3.39 ERA.

Wolford, likewise a sophomore, is second on the team in hitting with a .370 batting average. She also led the Yellow Jackets with 73 assists on the field. She was also second in RBIs with 28 and doubles with 10.

Ryser owns a batting average of .345. The sophomore has started all 37 games for the Yellow Jackets this season. She has 38 hits, including six doubles, and 19 RBIs. She has also stolen three bases for BW.

It is the second trip to the NCAA Tournament in program history. Baldwin Wallace will travel to Greencastle, Indiana for the double-elimination tournament which is being hosted by DePauw University.

The Yellow Jackets open tournament play against Coe (Iowa) College on Thursday, May 16.

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