Cassidy Perry, Alli Hodgkinson, Rachel Baker lead Manchester softball to 20-win season

Manchester is playing a brand of softball that few teams in the Greater Akron area can match.

The Panthers (20-5) entered this week winners of 12 of their past 13 games ahead of a Division III district semifinal against Tuslaw at 5 p.m. Tuesday at Wellington.

"They work hard," Manchester softball coach Jim Morehart said of his players on May 1 after a 10-0 win at home over Canton South. "They like to practice, which a lot of teams don't. They don't have a problem with coming, running drills and doing stuff that a lot of teams feel is tedious or they don't need to do it. ... We don't keep them two, three hours. We get there, we run through our practices and we are out of here. They know if they work hard, they don't have to stay here three hours. They can get on with their lives."

Manchester opened the season with a 6-5 win in nine innings at Hoover and then lost to Triway 5-0 and 4-1. Hoover and Triway have state championship pedigree and are in a district bracket once again. Over the last month, they twice defeated league-rival Tuslaw, split two games with Jackson and two with Hoban, and beat Lake, St. Vincent-St. Mary, Field and reigning Division II state champion Tallmadge.

"This is a great bunch of kids," Morehart said. "They have each been solid since they were in ninth grade, that group that are juniors now. Our starting shortstop, Kyia [Rankin], she got hurt. She blew her knee out in basketball. She would have been a sophomore starter for us as well. We have got a nice little nest egg of underclassmen here."

Sisters Cassidy Perry and Courtney Perry provide spark for Manchester softball

Cassidy Perry is enjoying a standout sophomore season, leading Manchester in batting average (.557), hits (49), home runs (seven) and runs (45). She is second on the team in RBIs (30).

"Everybody works hard out of school and in school," Perry said. "Being in a grade lower has been difficult, but all of my teammates help me get through it. We all work together and we all have each other's backs."

Perry is also having fun playing with her sister, senior Courtney Perry. The two have played together since little league.

"Her being a senior is difficult, but she has pushed me through a great season," Cassidy Perry said.

Courtney Perry is batting .346 with three home runs, 22 RBIs and 26 runs.

Alli Hodgkinson and Rachel Baker step into large roles for Manchester softball

The junior class that Morehart referred to consists of Rachel Baker, Alli Hodgkinson, Cayleigh Bowe, Lilly Konen, Kailyn Eshbaugh and Alivia Slimak.

"I try to bring a positive attitude and keep the team motivated," Baker said. "Our team all has each other's backs. Not everyone is going to be on every single day, and if we are not, then other teammates will pull through. That is how we win."

Baker has an 18-3 pitching record with a 1.62 ERA and 229 strikeouts in 121 innings. She is also batting .357 with 30 hits, two home runs and 26 RBIs.

"Rachel has been pitching well," Morehart said. "She has been solid all the way through. Alli is solid. She caught for us last year and she moved to shortstop this year when Kyia got hurt. That has been a little bit of their adversity. We had to move people around, but they have owned it. That is all you can ask from them."

Hodgkinson is batting .476 with 40 hits, one homer, 42 RBIs, 28 runs and 16 steals. She is also having fun with her father, Jeremy Hodgkinson, and grandfather, Bruce Hodgkinson, on Morehart's staff.

"We have been facing adversity very well," Alli Hodgkinson said. "We have been able to hit when we need it, wake up when we need it and even when stuff goes wrong, we still keep our spirits up and keep our energy up."

Courtney Perry, Amanda Adkins (.388 average, one homer) and Maddison Mayer are Manchester's three seniors.

"I love how our seniors take over leadership and we all have fun," Alli Hodgkinson said.

Bowe is batting .429 with one home run and 22 runs. Konen is hitting .324.

Manchester's other impact players are sophomores Saige Rankin (.330, 33 runs) and Chloe White (two homers).

"We go into every game thinking that 'We got this,'" Bowe said. "We never go into a game thinking that we don't. Even if it is a hard team like Hoban. We lost to them the first time and the second time we didn't think about it. We came back and got the win. We were on our A game."

Michael Beaven can be reached by email at mbeaven@thebeaconjournal.com and is on Twitter at @MBeavenABJ.

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Manchester is on a roll entering OHSAA softball district tournament