2022 Tournament Run Teams Summary

[sportsnutscioto]

What an exciting 2022 season of softball. While this forum was a bit quite, the teams around the area were not. Congratulations to the State Champion Wheelersburg Pirates. Congratulations to the other teams that advanced deep into the playoffs. Below is a brief summary.


SOC II - The SOC II was probably one of the toughest conferences in the region to play in. With two of the top teams in the state in Wheelersburg and West in DIII and South Webster in DIV any given night you have a tough game ahead of you.

Wheelersburg is still the premier team in Scioto County having represented and won the state title. Until otherwise beaten, they have the best pitcher, with the best hitters on the best team…period.

With the likes of Howard leading the team in the circle and the big bat of All-State selection Eaton you can expect Wheelersburg to be on top again next year. They were (and will be) strong up the middle with a very talented All-State short stop in Boggs and spark of a player at second base in Myers. The young pitcher Carter also has the respect of coaches and players in the area and will help propel them into the future. Burg’s domination of the SOC II this year will only continue. They have the personnel to repeat and win the SOCII title again next year and will surely make another run at a state title. Coach Ruby will simply hit the reset button, makes a few adjustments, and she will find herself in the State tournament again.

West simply fell victim to having to play the state champions in regionals. Many have said that West was better than some of the teams playing at the state tournament. I can only go by word of mouth on that statement. All-State selection McDermott is a solid pitcher and dominated most of the other SOCII teams this past season. They have a talented short stop in Moore who had a great year and will continue to get better next year. Having Rollins 100% healthy next year will make a difference in their lineup without a doubt. West had a great year and a loss in the regionals should not overshadow that fact. West will give Wheelersburg a run for their money each match up next season. These will be some entertaining games to watch.

South Webster had a terrific post season run. They always have a team full of athletic players that play hard and can give any team a run for their money. Claxon at short stop was as good on the diamond as she was on the court. They were able to get a very solid season in the circle out McGraw and Spence is a quality bat that will continue to get better.

SOC I - The SOC I is very unbalanced. You have Notre Dame at the top by a wide margin. Clay and Symmes Valley battling for second and then a host of teams that struggle to compete with the top teams.

Notre Dame has one of the best young pitching staffs in the region. All-State pitcher Sparks is a dominate pitcher that will pitch at the next level and can lead a team to a state run if the other pieces fall into place. Ford is right there with her. I feel like on any given night these two have the ability to strike out 15-20 hitters in any game. In the small school setting like ND, you have to rely on the right players coming through the program to fill all the spots on the field and in the lineup to go deep into the playoffs. ND will continue to dominate the SOCI for the next couple years at least. I see ND making a deep playoff run the next two years.

OVC - The OVC is a pretty even conference. Having a tie at the top between several teams demonstrates that fact. Portsmouth, Ironton, Rock Hill, Gallia, Fairland and Coal Grove simply beat up on each other all season long.

Portsmouth had a solid season tying for the OVC championship. They were led by a senior heavy class led by All-State selection shortstop Perry, pitcher Phillips and third baseman Ramey. The Lady Trojans have a lot of key players returning next year and some young talented kids coming into the program. They should be able to compete again for an OVC title and make a run at a district title.