Ohio (37-19 overall, 18-8 Mid-American Conference) had a very strong season, showing it can contend at the top of the MAC. It finished as the best overall pitching team with the production of redshirt junior Skipp Miller, freshman Anna Wise and sophomore Mikie Lieving. The team also finished top 7 in the conference in both batting and fielding.
Ohio’s season started with the Elon Softball Classic, where it would dominate the competition, winning all four games while outscoring opponents 52-32. Ohio was flowing in every part of the field, especially the offense; against UConn (35-19) both junior Shelby Westler and junior Belle Hummel scored four runs apiece in an 18-14 victory lasting eight innings.
Ohio struggled in the Bear Down Fiesta tournament as it opened the tournament with back-to-back losses against Cal State Fullerton and South Alabama. Ohio would pick up its only win of the tournament against South Alabama next game with a close 3-2 win. Ohio would proceed to also lose the next two games, the first against No. 15 ranked Arizona (48-13) and the second to Cal State Fullerton again.
After a tough stretch of opponents in the Bear Down Fiesta and picking up four losses, Ohio regrouped and managed to win out in the Lowcountry Classic. Ohio went 4-0 with the last game being cancelled. The strongest performance was a 15-2 six-inning shutdown of the College of Charleston. Ohio’s pitching and fielding didn’t allow Charleston to get many opportunities and the offense delivered, bringing Ohio to 9-4.
The next tournament, the Purple and Gold Challenge, started poorly for the Bobcats, as they seemed to lose all the steam they had in the previous games. Ohio dropped the first two against Northern Iowa and Lipscomb. Ohio stepped up after the losses and won the next three games, defeating both teams by scores of 2 or more. The team defeated Illinois State by a score of 7-2 to end the tournament.
Ohio moved into its final tournament, the George Mason Tournament, with a three-game win streak, which would be extended to a seven-game streak. Ohio scored a combined total of 15 runs in the tournament compared to its opponents' combined 2.
Ohio came out swinging for MAC play, ending the first two series with a record of 5-1 in the conference. The first series against Buffalo (17-33) was an offensive showcase for the team as it scored a combined 18 runs in the first two games while shutting out Buffalo in both, as both games ended in 5 innings. Ohio slowed down a bit in the third game but still won.
In the second series, this time against Northern Illinois, Ohio once again won the first two games dominantly. However the Bobcats shockingly lost the last game by a score of 9-1 after they had dominated the entire series. It was Ohio’s first conference loss of the year.
Ohio continued to cruise through conference play, defeating Kent State in both games and splitting games with Akron. Ohio also hit a road bump against Toledo, the first MAC series it lost. That didn’t shake the team, though, as it swept Bowling Green in the next series.
The biggest moment in the season came against Miami in The Battle of the Bricks. Ohio had the home-field advantage and put it to good use, as many fans turned out to watch the top two teams in the conference battle it out. Ohio swept Miami despite cutting it very close in the last game with a score of 7-6. These games launched Ohio to the top of the conference late in the season.
The hope for a win against Ohio State ended quickly, as it showed why it was ranked No. 22 in the country. Ohio State won with a score of 15-5 and had numerous players score home runs. The game ended in 5 innings, but Ohio cruised on to finish its play in the MAC.
Ohio ended the regular season losing a series to Western Michigan, as it won two games to Ohio’s one. With the regular season over, Ohio was the second overall team in the MAC conference and boasted a record of 37-19.
Heading into the MAC tournament, its first game was against Northern Illinois, a team they had dominated earlier in the season. Ohio continued that trend and shut them out, resulting in a 7-0 score and a win.
All of Ohio’s next three games were against Miami, with Ohio comfortably winning the first game with a score of 5-2. However, Miami was able to regroup for the second and third games, not letting Ohio score a single run in the second game with a score of 6-0 and sealing the deal in the third game with a score of 8-2.
The peak of Ohio’s mountain this season was the MAC championship game. Despite falling short of a win, this season showed the team can still compete next season as key contributors such as sophomore Brenna Farmer, Miller, Westler, Hummel and Izzie Wilson are returning.
bg326422@ohio.edu
