by St. Joseph Academy And Girls Basketball Coach Karen Swanson-Haan Part Ways
Parma Heights, OH- As the cold winter makes way for sunny spring, a new OHSAA softball season is on the horizon! Last year, Strasburg-Franklin, Wheelersburg, Tallmadge, and Austintown-Fitch took home the four division titles. With the news that the OHSAA will be expanding to seven divisions for softball, this will be the last season with the prior mentioned four. Nonetheless, the anticipation for this upcoming campaign is in the air as many begin to wonder who will win the state titles, who will be standout players, and which teams will make some noise come May.
Holy Name impressed last season as they went 17-3 overall en route to the program’s first ever Sweet 16 appearance. It was in that round that the eventual state runners-up Canfield ended the Green Wave’s historic season with a 12-2 win behind stellar pitching from Buffalo-bound Malena Toth. This regional trip to Nordonia High School set a new standard for the Green and White as first year coach Tom Shiban had his team firing on all cylinders leading up to this game. In year two, Shiban looks to continue marching his team along in the OHSAA tournament.
While the losses of Erica Massey and Alli Rochette will hurt, optimism remains high heading into 2024. The freshman class brings Maura Mihalik and Alli Orzech into the mix. Mihalik looks to get some playing time in the outfield as HN lost 2023 starters Rochette and Kelsa Mares due to graduation. Orzech, a power hitter, will have the opportunity to provide plenty of RBI’s along with playing some games behind the dish. As for transfers, Holy Name brings sophomores Kylee Blinky and Ava Posa over from GLC East rivals Lakewood and Buckeye respectively. While softball played a role in Posa transferring, that does not tell the full story. She told me,
“My decision to transfer wasn’t just because of softball. Holy Name felt like home the day my family and I toured the school. There were things I liked about Buckeye that I do not like about Holy Name and things I love about Holy Name that I do not like about Buckeye. Overall, with a lot of consideration, Holy Name was a better fit for my softball career and to better my future outside of softball.”
Both Posa and Blinky are limited to 14 games this season due to transfer rules. In those games, look for Posa to catch and Blinky to hold down the fort in the middle infield primarily. The returning squad also has plenty of stars both offensively and defensively. Aubrey Stephens and Sami Zabak led the team with their batting averages both being above .375. As for pitching, Reagan Vavro and Victoria Shiban made up the best pitching duo in the Great Lakes Conference. Vavro started the games on the mound and Shiban would often come in to end the game. Very few pitchers in the area can match Vavro’s pitch speed given. That combined with the high softball IQ and calmness of Shiban made all 20 opponents HN faced work for each of their runs. Overall, the Green and White allowed 5.1 runs per game on average in 2023 thanks in large part to these two pitchers.
Opening day for Holy Name is on March 25 away in Chardon against future conference opponent NDCL. The Lions also had a strong campaign in 2023 as they ended with a 14-5 record. First pitch is scheduled for 5 p.m. The game will be broadcast live on Holy Name Athletics YouTube with myself calling the game.
