COLUMBUS, Ohio — The 40th Annual Ohio High School Athletic Association softball state tournament begins Thursday morning at historic Firestone Stadium in Akron. Sixteen teams that have battled their way through sectional, district and regional tournaments will play for the chance at state championships in four divisions over the course of the weekend.
Three teams— Cardington-Lincoln, Lucas and Carey—are making their first ever appearance in the softball state tournament, while two 2016 state champs—Hebron Lakewood (Div. II) and Wheelersburg (Div. III)—are back in Akron to defend their crowns.
The divisional order of play is I, IV, III and II. All 12 games will be broadcast live by the OHSAA Radio Network and live streamed at www.myspectrumsports.com, while the state championship games will also be televised on tape delay by Spectrum Sports.
The state tournament begins Thursday morning with the Division I semifinal between No. 10 Elyria (20-4) and No. 2 Gahanna Lincoln (25-5). Gahanna Lincoln is back to the final four for the fifth time and first since 2011 when the Golden Lions finished as runner-up. Elyria is making its 12th trip to the final four, winning two state championships in that span. The second Div. I semifinal features No. 1 Lebanon (29-3) and No. 6 North Canton Hoover (21-9). Lebanon’s high-powered offense is averaging nearly 15 runs per game in the tournament. Hoover knocked off defending Div. I state champion No. 3 Cuyahoga Falls Walsh Jesuit 11-3 in the regional final.
Division IV play begins Thursday afternoon when unranked Lucas (22-6) faces No. 2 Danville (28-2). The two teams faced each other twice in the regular season with Danville winning both contests. Thursday’s games conclude when No. 6 Williamsburg (27-2) faces No. 10 Carey (18-6). Williamsburg is making a return trip to Akron from last year, when the Wildcats fell to eventual state champion Convoy Crestview in the semifinals. Carey knocked off No. 1 and previously undefeated Gibsonburg 5-3 in eight innings in the regional final.
Division III play kicks off Friday morning with a clash of the Pirates when No. 4 Cardington-Lincoln (25-4) faces off with defending state champion No. 1 Wheelersburg (24-2). Wheelersburg has not given up a single run in the tournament and pitched 17 shutouts in 21 regular season games. Cardington-Lincoln’s high-powered offense won’t mind the challenge, as they averaged just over 11.5 runs per game in the regular season, hitting double-digits 16 times and once in the tournament. The second Div. III semifinal pits No. 2 Warren Champion (30-2) vs. No. 3 Springfield Northwestern (27-2). The 57 combined wins between the two teams is the most of any 2017 semifinal matchup in any division. Northwestern is back for its eighth state tournament appearance and first since 2000. This is Champion’s ninth appearance, with six state titles in that span.
On Friday afternoon, the Division II semifinals take center stage. The first matchup features No. 9 Plain City Jonathan Alder (22-4) and defending state champion No. 1 Hebron Lakewood (30-1). Lakewood has outscored opponents 73-2 throughout its five-game tournament run. Jonathan Alder is back in the state tournament for the second time in school history, the previous trip in 2014 resulting in a runner-up finish. The second Div. II semifinal game is No. 4 Akron Archbishop Hoban (23-2) vs. No. 2 LaGrange Keystone (26-4). Both teams are back in the final four from last year, and Keystone is making its third consecutive trip. In fact, this year’s state tournament appearance for Keystone is a historic one, as the Wildcats are now the first softball program in Ohio high school history to earn 16 trips to the final four.