The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
High school softball watch list
Players to watch (In alphabetical order) Daliz Alvarez, Geneva:
She burst onto the scene as a freshman hitting .488 with 41 RBI, 36 runs and 20steals. She’s one of the most feared hitters in the area this year.
Halle Blackford, Madison: Her sophomore season saw her hit .500 with 27 RBI and 31 runs. Now a senior, she will be a major piece of the Blue Streaks’ offense.
Jess Dodd, North: A Kent State signee, Dodd hit .463 with 23RBI and 17runs as a sophomore. She can hit for average and for power. She’s going to be a tough out for teams.
Tara Gall, West Geauga: She hit .528 as a freshman. She’ll be expected to be a big run-producer this year for the Wolverines.
Elle Infalvi, Perry: A record-setting 3-point shooter on the basketball team, Infalvi hit .477with 42 runs and 30RBI as a sophomore. She moves from her normal position at catcher to second base this season. Emmy Klika, Gilmour:
Her .660batting average and .704 on-base percentage as a sophomore were eye-popping numbers. This slick-fielding shortstop can do it all.
Emily Lamos, Riverside: An all-around standout who can hit (.441 as a sophomore) and pitch, Lamos will lead a veteran group of Riverside players this season.
Alyssa Lavdis, Madison:
The senior pitcher has signed with TennesseeChattanooga. As a sophomore, she went 8-2 with 135 strikeouts and a 1.28 ERA. Not only is she an absolutely dominating pitcher, but she also hit at a .432 clip as a sophomore. Makenna Matriano, South: She was the area’s premier table-setter as a sophomore when she hit .538with 27 RBI and 29runs scored. Now a senior, she’s expected to be a terror for opposing pitchers to deal with. Megan Mlinaric, Gilmour: She had a magnificent breakout season as a freshman
Mentor huddles before facing NDCL in a season opener March 27. The Cardinals are playing under a new coach, Jo Bondra, and on a new diamond this season. with a 9-4 record, 1.29 Harvey, Hawken and Orange ERA and 134 strikeouts on in the CVC Chagrin, Berkshire, the bump, as well as a .477 Cardinal, Kirtland, West average at the plate. Geauga, Wickliffe and Crestwood Sydney Moon, Perry: The in the CVC Valley and pandemic shut Moon out of Brooklyn, Cuyahoga Heights, a junior year she would have Independence, Lutheran missed anyway because West, Richmond Heights and of a torn ACL. She’ll be Trinity in the CVC Metro. back with a vengeance this • Also playing a brand new year after hitting .519as a schedule this year is Fairport, sophomore outfielder. which is no longer in the CVC, Kayla Noerr, Chardon: A but rather in the Northeast Butler University commit, Athletic Conference. Noerr can whip the ball • Perry is geared to win its at 63 MPH. She has the fifth straight CVC title and makeup of a dominating enters the season with a pitcher, one of the top arms 56-game winning streak in the WRC this year. in league play. The Pirates are deep and talented, with many starters returning from a regional-qualifying team two years ago. Keep an eye on sophomore Emma Pietrzak, one of the top young third basemen in Ohio. Overall, the Pirates are going to be tough to beat this year. • Riverside has four players who are four-year starters (even though last year was canceled) — Molly Binkiewicz, Emily Lamos, Katie Ross and Abby Watson. Having a solid 1-2 pitching punch with Lamos and junior Grace Fisher will benefit the Beavers. • Mayfield is anchored by three-year starters Brynn Gillen (a Lake Erie College commit), Hannah Daedelow and Ashley Dearden. The
Leah Temple, Mentor:
Veteran leadership on the bump is a big advantage in a season like this. Temple showed that grit in her team’s opening win over NDCL this weekend.
Mia Welms, Wickliffe:
A veteran, senior catcher, Welms hit .400 as a sophomore. The Blue Devils have a lot of youth this year, including six freshmen on the roster, but Welms’ experience will go a long ways.
Squeeze plays
• With the expansion of the Chagrin Valley Conference, the league is fielding four divisions. The breakdown for softball has Edgewood, Geneva, Grand Valley, Lakeside and Perry in the CVC Lake, Beachwood, Chagrin Falls,
Wildcats will be without junior Giana Ditomas, who is out after having knee surgery. • With the North Coast League disbanding this past year, that means NDCL, Beaumont, Gilmour and Lake Catholic will all be entertaining independent schedules this season. • South coach Matt Burk is technically in his second season as the Rebels’ head coach. However, since last year was wiped out by the coronavirus, it’s pretty much his first. He has a very good hitting lineup, anchored by Makena Matriano, Catherine Heckman and Myla Hodge, just to name a few. Senior Emily Kelly got a lot of pitching time as a sophomore alongside Riley Frizell, who now plays at Missouri. Kelly’s experience on the mound is important. • Madison is primed to be one of the top teams in the area with experience and depth. Alyssa Lavdis is arguably the area’s top returning pitcher, and the hitting quartet of Lavdis, Halle Blackford, Chloe Wakim and Emili Blackie is extraordinarily dangerous. • Chardon qualified for the Division I regional tournament for the first time in program history two years ago. Four starters return from that team — pitcher Kayla Noerr, catcher Madison Russo, first baseman Madison Hauser and shortstop Lindsey Leggett. There are some youth questions, but the Hilltoppers could make another regional run this year.
• North has a ton of upperclassmen leadership. The scrimmage portion of the schedule, including an impressive hitting display against Perry, suggests the Rangers are going to be right in the thick of things in what looks to be a rugged WRC race.
• Two of the most impressive softball facilities you’ll see belong to Perry, which did some major field and dugout renovations in the offseason, and Mentor, which finally gets to play at its new state-of-the-art, artificial turf facility this season after it sat idle last spring because of the pandemic.
• Anchored by seniors Norah Vargo, Gina Grandini and Eric Kokavsek, Lake Catholic coach Jim Galloway says this year’s Cougar squad is the deepest he has had in his tenure with the program. • There are some new — but familiar — faces running the Cardinal program. The new coaches are Haley Adams, a former multi-sport athlete at Cardinal, and Shawn Richter, a former All-Ohio football player at North.