Ohio
Diamonds and pearls: Who are top softball players in Southwest Ohio ahead of this season?
The 2025 Ohio High School Athletic Association softball season sure was a memorable one for Southwest Ohio teams. Fairfield advanced to the Division I state tournament for the first time since 1991. Bethel-Tate won its first district title in a decade.
None of that would have been possible without the players who have a love for the game. After the season, 15 Cincinnati-area players were named to All-Ohio teams; four of those girls return this year hoping to once again lead their teams to postseason success.
Here are the top softball players in Southwest Ohio ahead of the season, which starts March 22.
Kylie Bailey, Waynesville
One of two Akron commits on this list, she hit .556 as a junior with five doubles, 33 RBIs and 39 runs scored. Her 10 homers led the Southwestern Buckeye League. She is a three-time SWBL first-team member and was the player of the year as a freshman and sophomore. She can also step into the circle at a moment’s notice; she threw 16.1 innings with 15 strikeouts last year.
Paige Baker, Ross
She stepped into the circle as a freshman and made an instant impact, racking up a 9-3 record, a 2.72 ERA and 103 strikeouts in 83 innings. At the plate, she hit .333 with eight doubles, one triple and 7 RBIs.
Olivia Basil, St. Ursula
She is a three-time Girls Greater Catholic League first-team honoree and was the player of the year as a sophomore in 2023. She has a career .352 average and will look to rebound from a junior season in which she had three doubles and a triple, but a career-best 23 RBIs.
On the mound, her stats have gotten better every year. As a junior, she finished with a 15-4 record, a 2.42 ERA and 148 strikeouts while allowing just 36 earned runs in 104 innings.
Natalia Brignoni-Marcano, Kings
Brignoni-Marcano was one of five Knights on the Eastern Cincinnati Conference first team in 2024. Last year, she hit .551 with nine doubles, three triples and 12 RBIs. She stole 16 bases and scored 33 runs. In the field, she only made two errors and had a .938 fielding percentage.
Alisha Fox, Mason
The Greater Miami Conference will once again be a fight to the finish. The Comets may have the edge thanks to an overwhelming amount of talent. Fox leads the way in the circle, coming back after posting a 14-2 record with a 2.49 ERA, 109 strikeouts and three shutouts in 2024.
Quinn Frieden, Talawanda
As a freshman, she helped the Braves claim their first Southwest Ohio Conference title. In the circle, she pitched 52 innings, finishing the season with a 6-3 record and a 2.42 ERA. She was also one of seven players to hit .400 or better, helping Talawanda to a .409 team average. Frieden also had seven doubles, 17 RBIs, and is one of the top returning base stealers, swiping 13 last season.
Annabelle Geiser, Mason
She was named to the All-Ohio first team after hitting .620 with three doubles and 18 RBIs. She is also a two-time GMC first-teamer. Her best tool is her clutch factor as she led the Comets with 45 RBIs and 29 stolen bases. She needs 54 hits to reach 200 for her career, which is an attainable milestone.
Ava Hensley, Fairfield
The Akron commit is a three-time GMC first team honoree and was named an All-Ohio honorable mention as a junior. She hit .455 with 14 doubles, five homers and 26 RBIs last year. She also scored the winning run as the Indians walked off to win a district title, then went 3-for-7 in two regional tournament games.
Khloe Legner, Harrison
The Wildcats have been at the top of the SWOC for a while now. Even after dropping two games to Talawanda in the 2024 regular season, they got revenge with a win in the postseason. Legner, a junior center fielder, is one reason they could reclaim the league crown this season. She has a career .444 batting average and drew 17 walks last year while only striking out nine times. She also scored a team-high 40 runs.
Meghan McClellan, Milford
A second-team All-Ohio honoree, McClellan put together an 18-4 record with a 1.17 ERA and 203 strikeouts in 131 innings last year. She had five shutouts, including a five-inning perfect game against Winton Woods, and shutouts against Lebanon and Kings to help the Eagles win their ninth Eastern Cincinnati Conference title in the last 10 years. She was also the ECC Defensive Player of the Year.
Miley McKernan, Harrison
McKernan had a breakout junior year to earn SWOC co-Player of the Year, and be named to the league’s first team for a second straight season. She was second on the team with a .500 batting average and led the Wildcats with 13 doubles, four home runs and 34 RBIs.
Amber Munoz, Lakota East
Munoz earned her first GMC first-team honor as a junior after hitting .389 with 11 doubles, two triples, eight home runs, 31 RBIs and 41 runs scored. She also led the Thunderhawks with 11 stolen bases.
Grace Pitzer, Mount Notre Dame
Pitzer is a two-way star, getting it done on the basketball court and the diamond. She is a three-time GGCL first-team selection and was the 2024 co-athlete of the year. She hit .556 with six doubles, two triples, three home runs and 18 RBIs last year. At shortstop, she had a .898 fielding percentage.
Grace Richardson, Talawanda
As a sophomore, she was the SWOC co-Player of the Year after hitting .476 with eight doubles, two triples, five home runs, 30 RBIs and 24 runs scored.
Emili Schappacher, Hamilton
She was one of two sophomores at the forefront of the Big Blue’s revival in 2024 (Reese Thieken was the other). Schappacher was the GMC pitcher of the year thanks to a 12-8 record, a 2.36 ERA and 162 strikeouts in 121.2 innings. At the plate, she hit .375 with nine doubles, a triple, two homers, 23 RBIs and 23 runs scored.
Megan Spence, Fairfield
Fairfield had the luxury of two dominant pitchers in the circle last season. With Jillian Huey graduating, Spence will bear the majority of that load. As a junior, she piled up a 14-4 record, a 1.65 ERA and 142 strikeouts in 119 innings. She had eight shutouts last year, including a 1-0 win over Centerville in the regional finals.
Ellie Stafford, Taylor
As a freshman pitcher, Stafford learned from one of the best in the city in Camrynn Linneman. It paid off as she was named to the Cincinnati Hills League first team. In 54.2 innings, she had a 9-0 record with a 0.26 ERA and 101 strikeouts. She also hit .545 with nine doubles and 34 RBIs.
Ella Teubner, Lebanon
The Iowa commit was second-team All-Ohio as a sophomore and a first-teamer last year. She was also the ECC Player of the year in 2024. The Warriors made it to the state tournament in 2023 and are looking to get back.
Teubner hit .532 with 12 doubles, three triples, nine homers and 46 RBIs last year. She also patrolled the outfield, making three assists with no errors for a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage.
Amanda Tudela, Waynesville
Tudela has a big senior season on deck. As a junior, she pitched 106.2 innings and finished the year with a 15-4 record, a 2.30 ERA and 85 strikeouts. She also hit .386, one of six Spartans to hit .350 or better last year, tied for the team lead with 10 doubles and hit four homers. With 27 hits, she produced 30 RBIs.
Ginny Theobald, Wyoming
The Cowgirls have gotten closer to the top of the CHL over the last couple years, and closer to beating Taylor. If they can topple the Yellowjackets this season, Theobald will be a big reason why. As a sophomore, she was named to the CHL first team after hitting .547 with five doubles, three triples, four homers and 34 RBIs. She also stole a team-high 11 bases and scored 22 runs.
Alyssa Vearil, Williamsburg
The Wildcats have a bright future as a team; three underclassmen were named to the Southern Buckeye Athletic and Academic Conference-National first team. Vearil is one of the most promising players in the SBAAC. She hit .277 last year but had a .446 slugging percentage and .460 on-base percentage
She can also pitch on a moment’s notice. Last year, she accrued a 5-4 record with a 2.83 ERA in 57 innings. As a freshman, she threw a complete game no-hitter against East Clinton.
Piper Willis, New Richmond
The Lions have a powerful one-two punch in the circle with Willis and Izzie Carroll. Willis is more of a power pitcher, finishing 2024 with a 12-2 record, a 2.42 ERA and 96 strikeouts in 78 innings. She also hit .447 with six doubles, a triple, two home runs and 28 RBIs. She was also named the SBAAC-American co-Player of the Year.
Is the Christian thing to do to turn a blind eye to this tragedy? Would it be to advocate for more money towards a system that is already flush with cash?
The Center for Christian Virtue, or CCV, is Ohio’s largest Christian public policy group.
The Center for Christian Virtue, or CCV, is Ohio’s largest Christian public policy group.
Aaron Baer is president of the Center for Christian Virtue.
Parents deserve options, competition and constitutional clarity — not fearmongering.
A February Dispatch guest column by teachers’ union gadfly William Phillis criticizing the Center for Christian Virtue is a case study in how teachers’ unions attempt to distract and divert the public’s attention away from the education crisis facing Ohio.
Tracking Phillis’ rants can be difficult. But in his piece, he manages to attack the Center for Christian Virtue for advocating for parental choice, goes on a rambling pseudo-legal argument about the First Amendment, and ends with a complete butchering of Jesus’ words.
What his column never does is address the plight of Ohio’s kids in a failing education system created by the teachers’ unions. Because for Phillis and his friends, this discussion is not about the kids — it’s about protecting their monopoly and the billions of dollars that flow through their system.
The numbers don’t add up
This system needs reform from the ground up. And that’s what Center for Christian Virtues’ work is all about.
At its core, CCV’s education agenda is about expanding opportunity, strengthening parental authority and ensuring more families can access schools that meet their children’s needs.
Through our advocacy for EdChoice and other scholarship pathways, CCV has helped broaden access to nonpublic education for families who previously had few realistic options.
Critics like Phillis describe this as “diverting” public funds. The numbers tell a different story.
The combined cash reserves of Ohio’s school districts now exceed $10.5 billion, nearly triple what they were just 12 years ago. Yet three out of five Ohio fourth graders are not proficient in math and two out of three struggle with reading, according to the National Center for Education Statistics’ latest report.
Columbus City Schools tells the same story.
In fiscal year 2019, the district enrolled 48,927 students, spent $21,336 per pupil, and ended the year with a $229 million cash balance. By 2025, enrollment had dropped nearly 10% to 43,998. Yet per-pupil revenue rose 8% to $23,166, and cash reserves grew 62% to $372 million.
Despite higher funding and larger reserves, academic outcomes remain troubling: Just 25% of Columbus City Schools eighth graders are proficient in reading, and only 23% are proficient in math.
Simply pouring more money into underperforming public schools and into the political priorities of teachers’ unions has not produced the academic gains families were promised.
We must stop blindly throwing money away
That’s why the Center for Christian Virtues advocates for expanding educational options and fostering healthy competition among schools. This isn’t abolishing the public schools, this is challenging the public schools to meet the needs of families today, instead of just blindly throwing money after the problem.
Phillis also falsely raises alarms about the separation of church and state. But the constitutional framework governing school choice is well established.
The U.S. Supreme Court made clear in Zelman v. Simmons-Harris that Ohio’s school voucher program is constitutional and that scholarship programs driven by private parental choice do not violate the First Amendment.
More broadly, Center for Christian Virtues’ education advocacy extends beyond vouchers. Through the Ohio Christian Education Network, we help communities launch new schools where demand is strong and equip educators with operational support to serve families seeking alternatives.
We also protect the religious liberty of Christian schools while expanding access to Gospel-centered education for Ohio families who choose it.
Yet what Phillis gets most wrong is his use of scripture to try to silence Center for Christian Virtues and our Ohio Christian Education Network.
We cannot stay silent
Jesus commands his followers to “love our neighbors as ourselves,” and to care for the “least of these.”
So, as Christians, when we see a generation of American children suffering at the hands of an education establishment that is getting more money than ever and producing worse results, we cannot stay silent.
Research from neuroscientist Jared Cooney Horvath revealed that Generation Z is the first generation in American history to perform worse academically than the previous generation.
Is the Christian thing to do to turn a blind eye to this tragedy? Would it be to advocate for more money towards a system that is already flush with cash?
No. As Christians, we serve a God who cares for the “orphan, the widow, the stranger.” He loves those forgotten about by society. And there are few more overlooked today than the kids in our schools who are being starved of the educational opportunity our state has promised to provide them.
Phillis seems upset that Center for Christian Virtues is growing and having success helping families find better schools. While he continues to call us names and criticize our work, we’ll stay focused on helping kids.
It’s what Jesus would have us do.
Aaron Baer is president of the Center for Christian Virtue.
COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohio State President Walter “Ted” Carter Jr. resigned on Monday after disclosing “an inappropriate relationship” with a woman seeking public resources for her private business.
Carter, 66, said in a statement that he had resigned voluntarily after informing the university’s board of trustees of his error. He did not elaborate on the nature of the relationship and said he was leaving with his wife, Lynda.
“For personal reasons, I have made the difficult decision to resign from my role as president of The Ohio State University,” he said. “I disclosed to the board of trustees that I made a mistake in allowing inappropriate access to Ohio State leadership.”
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Ohio State is the nation’s sixth-largest university, with more than 60,000 students, over 600,000 living alumni and a highly ranked football team and medical center. Carter oversaw a fiscal year 2026 budget totaling $11.5 billion in revenues and $10.9 billion in expenditures.
The university brought Carter on board in 2023 from the University of Nebraska system. He is also a former superintendent of the U.S. Naval Academy and holds the national record for carrier-arrested landings with over 2,000 mishap-free touchdowns.
He filled a vacancy at Ohio State left by the mid-contract resignation of President Kristina Johnson, which went largely unexplained. The engineer and former undersecretary of the U.S. Department of Energy had been chancellor of New York’s public university system before she joined the Buckeyes as president in 2020.
Copyright © 2026 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.
The Olentangy Orange girls wrestling team pulled away on day two of the district tournament for its fourth consecutive title since the Ohio High School Athletic Association added the sport in 2023 and sixth overall.
The Pioneers (183) finished ahead of runner-up Marysville (131) on March 8 at Big Walnut. The top four finishers in each weight class advanced to state March 13-15 at Value City Arena.
“It gets tougher every year,” Orange coach Brian Nicola said. “This is one the toughest districts in the state. You have all these great teams here and everyone comes in ready to battle. The girls wrestled really hard, so I was very excited.”
Mackenzie Carder (120 pounds) and Lacie Knick (130) won titles for Orange, which will have eight wrestlers at state as its seeks a third consecutive title in that tournament.
Marysville has five state qualifiers, led by 100-pound district champion Avery Riley.
Canal Winchester senior Razilee Wisseh advanced to her fourth state tournament and earned her 150th career win, beating Gahanna Lincoln’s Jordan Mills 9-4 in the 170 final.
Here are the central Ohio state qualifiers from the girls district tournament. When four qualifiers are listed for a weight class, they are in order of finish.
100: Avery Riley (Marysville), Kenleigh Ballance (Pickerington North), Mila Cruz (Watkins Memorial), Aaliyah Dawson (Reynoldsburg)
105: Hali Rayburn (Hilliard Bradley, third), Ellianna Perry (Watkins Memorial, fourth)
110: Ashlynn Brokaw (Mount Vernon, first), Andrea Acheampong (DeSales, third), Delaney Tackett (Orange, fourth)
115: Reagan Johnson (Thomas Worthington, first), Arden Heckman (Westerville North, third), Malaya DiMasso (Olentangy Liberty, fourth)
120: Mackenzie Carder (Orange, first), Cami Leng (Marysville, second), Skylar McCuen (Olentangy, fourth)
125: Kendleigh Dowalter (Grove City), Kara Hockenbery (West Jefferson), Kelly Lemons (Bradley), Sarah Amonette (Orange)
130: Lacie Knick (Orange, first), Mina Gee (Gahanna Lincoln, second), Payton Morse (Watkins Memorial, third)
135: Adison Justice (Licking Valley, first), Chloe Tompkins (Orange, second), Katelyn Norris (Big Walnut, third)
140: Nora Johnson (Hartley, second), Alanna Smith (Orange, third), Cara Leng (Marysville, fourth)
145: Reese Thomas (Jonathan Alder, first), Tara Davis (Orange, second), Andrea Mendez (Marysville, third)
155: KyLee Tibbs (Gahanna, first), Maya Keane (Hartley, second), Tamia Davis (Orange, third), Brielle Proffitt (Watkins Memorial, fourth)
170: Razilee Wisseh (Canal Winchester), Jordan Mills (Gahanna), Grace Glandorff (Bradley), Evelyn Krauss (Delaware Hayes)
190: Mykah Bailey (Gahanna, first), Abbey Enders (Liberty, second), Emma Bolton (Highland, third)
235: Tara Nagel (Madison-Plains, first), Maci Lee (Marysville, fourth)
High school sports reporter Frank DiRenna can be reached at fdirenna@dispatch.com and at @DispatchFrank on X.
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