Softball: Kenton Ridge chasing repeat after historic 32-0 title run
· Yahoo Sports
Feb. 19—A year after winning its first state championship in program history, the Kenton Ridge High School softball team is back with an even bigger target on their back.
The Cougars went 32-0 last season, beating Hillsboro 9-0 in the Division IV state championship game to become the first softball team in Clark County history to bring home a state championship trophy.
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During the offseason, MaxPreps named the Cougars the top overall team in Ohio and ranked them 15th nationally.
"We're really not trying to focus on any of that right now," said Cougars coach Sarah Schalnat. "We appreciate all of the accolades and things like that, but we're still just trying to focus on us and focus on what we can do. We talk all the time about things that we can control, and that was something that we really implemented the last couple of years. That's what we have to focus on is us playing every single day and practicing."
They began their quest for back-to-back state championships Monday as softball practice officially began across Ohio.
Kenton Ridge advanced to the state tournament seven times, falling four times in the state title game before winning last year's state title.
"It's easier said than done," Schalnat said. "It is about talent. We've had a lot of talented athletes go through Kenton Ridge and we hadn't won it. There's a lot of things that gotta go your way. You have to have a little bit of luck, too. We had a little bit of luck in situations. You know, we could have easily lost in the state semifinals."
They open the season March 24 against Miami East, which qualified for the regional semifinals in D-V. The Cougars will play a loaded schedule that includes games against defending D-V state champion Wheelersburg and defending D-VII state champion Portsmouth Notre Dame. They'll also play a doubleheader against D-I state champion Lebanon and D-I state runner-up Centerville.
They return all but two players from last year's state title team, including sophomore pitcher Ivee Rastatter, an All-American who went 29-0 last season. Other returning starters include junior Jayden Davis, an Ohio State University commit; senior catcher Brenna Fyffe, an Ohio University commit; senior shortstop Annie Fincham and senior outfielder Kendall Massie, both three-year starters; senior infielder Cara Cammon, junior outfielder Chloe Glass and sophomore infielder Lily Foulk.
There's one moment from last season that Schalnat believes will fuel the Cougars — the bus ride home from Akron.
They'll be chasing that feeling again this spring.
"It was an experience last year, after winning the state championship and coming home on the bus together and going around Northridge for a parade," she said. "They all got to experience that, whether they were a junior at that time or a freshman at that time. I feel like being a part of that, and knowing how it felt and what the experience was, I think will help them all be leaders in their own way. That was just an experience. That was something that was really cool."