By Cort Reynolds
DELPHOS - Three Ada girls received All-Northwest Conference softball notice in voting by the league coaches Monday night at Delphos.
Ada senior outfielder Alexis Ennis was named second team all-league, while senior infielder Raina England and sophomore pitcher Leona Dalton received honorable mention notice.
Ennis played a strong center field for Ada this spring. The speedster batted leadoff and hit .373. A good contact hitter, she put the ball in play during 80 of her 85 plate appearances.
Ennis knocked out 31 hits and had a 16-game hitting streak. She started every game and played well on defense.
England played a solid shortstop and filled in occasionally as a pitcher for Ada. A tremendous bunter, she batted .368 and had a .915 fielding average.
"We will definitely miss both of our seniors," said Ada first-year head coach Rebecca Dicke.
England made 19 starts at shortstop and three starts as a pitcher. She collected 28 hits, 13 runs batted in and two walks.
"She was able to really step up and help with pitching even though she never pitched a high school game before," said Dicke. "Good speed allowed her to get on base with a bunt or hard hit.
Dalton won all nine games the Lady Bulldogs triumphed in this spring. She was second in the NWC in strikeouts with 129 whiffs in 119 innings (.59 per game), with 41 walks. She posted a 4.00 earned run average and completed 16 of her 19 starts.
Dalton also batted .232 and fielded at a .902 clip.
"Leona played injured most of the season with a knee bone bruise," said Dicke. "She missed the Bluffton and Lincolnview games. She will work hard in the off-season to get healthy and improve her pitch locations."
The Lady Bulldogs finished 9-13 overall and 1-7 in the NWC.
Bluffton junior pitcher Libby Schaadt was voted NWC Player of the Year. She led the Pirates to a 20-2 record with an 18-2 mark of her own. Both Bluffton losses came to Carey, including in the district semifinals.
Schaadt edged out senior teammate Averey Rumer, the defending league POY, in a close vote. Crestview junior Alexis Gregory finished third in the balloting.
Schaadt finished the season with a league-leading total of 177 strikeouts in 132 innings pitched. Her earned run average was 1.80. At the plate, Schaadt also was a powerhouse as she hit for a .477 average with seven home runs.
Bluffton coach Tony Rumer was a unanimous selection for NWC Coach of the Year in voting by his peers. Rumer guided the Pirates to their first-ever NWC title outright with a perfect 8-0 record in 2019.
Crestview came in second (7-1), followed by Paulding (6-2), Allen East (5-3), Lincolnview (4-4), Columbus Grove (2-6), Delphos Jefferson (1-7), Ada (1-7) and winless Spencerville (0-8).
Allen East senior catcher Lakin Basham and senior middle infielder/pitcher Olivia Lawrence were voted first team all-league.
AE sophomore Alivia Craig was voted second team All-NWC.
Mustang senior Summer McCloskey and freshman Savannah Sizemore were voted honorable mention all-league.
Two Bulldog baseballers named All-NWC
By Cort Reynolds
DELPHOS - Ada had two young baseball players earn All-Northwest Conference notice in voting conducted by the league coaches Monday night at Delphos.
Sophomores Zac Swaney and Brandon Hull were recognized by the league after posting fine spring campaigns.
Swaney, a center fielder, was voted second team all-league. His season was cut short by a broken collarbone.
Before he got hurt, Swaney sparked the offense out of the leadoff spot. He batted .417 with 20 hits, 24 runs scored, 29 stolen bases and a .509 on base percentage.
Second baseman Hull was named honorable mention all-league.
Hull hit .333 with 16 hits, three doubles, eight runs, 14 RBI, 10 walks, 11 stolen bases and a .427 on base percentage.
"These two guys had very good seasons as sophomores," said Bulldog veteran head coach Jason Campbell. "This was just the tip of the iceberg as far as their abilities can take them. I canít wait to see what they do next year as juniors."
After an 8-5 start, Ada finished 8-13 overall and 1-7 in NWC play.
Paulding (8-0) upset state-ranked Lincolnview (7-1) in the regular season finale 6-4 to capture the NWC title.
Columbus Grove (6-2), Crestview (5-3), Delphos Jefferson (4-4), Spencerville (3-5), Allen East (2-6), Ada (1-7) and Bluffton (0-8) rounded out the nine-team league standings.
Lincolnview senior shortstop/pitcher Jaden Youtsey was named NWC Player of the Year. He received 193 out of a possible 200 points in the voting.
Youtsey hit .560 in eight conference games. Overall, he hit at a .544 clip with 27 RBI and 18 stolen bases this spring. Youtsey also compiled a 4-0 record and a perfect ERA of 0.00 on the mound in 2019.
Paulding senior Westen Phlipot finished second in the balloting, with Columbus Grove senior hurler Nick Woods third.
Paulding coach Travis McGarvey was voted NWC Coach of the Year by his peers Monday. McGarvey led the Panthers to their 15th conference baseball championship with the win over Lincolnview.
Allen East sophomore Jordan Motter was voted second team All-NWC. Mustang seniors Devin Reed and Dalton Clum, as well as sophomore Bradden Crumrine, were name honorable mention all-league.
