No pressure on the softball diamond: Southwest Ohio players to watch as season begins

The softball season officially begins this weekend in Ohio as teams across the state begin the road to Canal Park in Akron.

This season holds a little extra intrigue because it is the final season before the softball postseason expands to seven divisions.

Lakota West was the most recent local team to win a state championship when they capped off a dominant 28-4 season in 2022 with a 9-2 win over Holland Springfield. K.K. Mathis led that charge by the Firebirds. Here are several players looking to build off stellar 2023 campaigns and lead their team to Akron.

Jaycee Bailey, Goshen

She will be looking to have a big senior year after hitting .533 in 2023. Look for her production to increase as she had just nine RBI, four doubles and two triples as a junior.

The middle infielder was a Southern Buckeye Athletic and Academic Conference-American Division first team member and a Division II honorable mention.

Kylie Bailey, Waynesville

The sophomore led the Spartans in 2023 with a .522 average, 36 RBI, 34 runs scored, nine doubles, nine stolen bases, seven home runs and five triples.

Thanks to her offensive capabilities and defensive responsibilities at shortstop and third base, Bailey was the SWBL-East co-Player of the Year. The Spartans, now in the Buckeye Division, will play for their third consecutive league title.

Olivia Basil, St. Ursula

The Girls Greater Catholic League Player of the Year led the league with 150 strikeouts, was third with a 2.61 ERA and won all 10 of the Bulldogs' games as a pitcher. At the plate, Basil hit for a .412 average with 17 runs scored, 13 RBI and eight doubles.

Sydney Doyle, Clinton-Massie

The defending SBAAC-American Player of the Year will hope to lead the Falcons to the district tournament after they ended the 2023 season in the sectional semifinal.

She was second in the league with a .656 average while driving in 29 runs and hitting seven triples and seven home runs. Doyle also used her speed to steal 15 bases. The third baseman was a Division II second team honoree.

Annabelle Geiser, Mason

Geiser was one of nine Comets to finish the 2023 season with at least a .400 batting average. She led the team with a .560 average in 100 at-bats and contributed 34 runs, 26 RBI and 14 stolen bases.

Geiser also sported a .957 fielding percentage with four assists and only two errors in 41 opportunities. She was named a Division I all-state honorable mention.

Ava Hensley, Fairfield

As a sophomore, she led the Indians with a .438 average, 42 hits, 13 doubles and seven stolen bases. She also scored 30 runs and drove in 21 runs as Fairfield advanced to the regional championship.

In the outfield, Hensley recorded six assists while not committing any errors, leading to a perfect fielding percentage. At the end of the season, she was named a Division I all-state honorable mention.

Haley Johnson, Bethel-Tate

As a junior, she led the SBAAC in batting average (.699) and RBI (63) and was second in the league with seven home runs. She had 20 multi-hit games, hit 17 doubles and struck out twice in the entire season.

As a pitcher, Johnson had a 17-6 record, a 2.73 ERA and 127 strikeouts. She was the SBAAC-National co-Player of the Year and a Division III first team selection.

Annie Katuska, Seven Hills

The Miami Valley Conference Pitcher of the Year led the league with 12 wins, 177 strikeouts and a 1.44 ERA. She has a career record of 21-3 with a 0.96 ERA in two seasons.

At the plate, she hit for a .636 average, 44 RBI, 30 runs scored, nine home runs, eight doubles and six triples. Katuska also sported a .939 fielding percentage, committing only two errors all season.

Kiera Kirk, New Richmond

The senior is already a three-time selection to the SBAAC-American first team and will be looking to make it four. As a team, the Lions are attempting to win at least a share of the league title for the third time in four years.

In 2023, Kirk hit for a .449 average, batted in 35 runs, crossed the plate 34 times and hit 14 doubles.

Halle Klaiber, Badin

The junior was an all-around weapon for the Rams, who advanced to the Division II district semifinals. She led the GCL-Coed with 15 wins, was second in strikeouts (156) and third in ERA (2.76).

At the plate, Klaiber had a .526 average with 49 RBI, 41 runs scored, 23 walks, 10 home runs and eight triples. She was the GCL-Coed Player of the Year and a Division II all-state honorable mention.

Camrynn Linneman, Taylor

As a junior, she led the Yellowjackets in the circle and at the plate. With a bat in her hands, Linneman led the team with a .617 average, 57 RBI, 43 runs scored, 14 doubles and 11 home runs.

She pitched 121.2 of the team's 154 innings in 2023, piling up 266 strikeouts to just 15 walks. She finished the year with a 15-6 record and a 0.86 ERA. Another telling stat is her 0.518 WHIP, a stat that calculates the number of walks and hits a pitcher allows per inning.

Linneman was the Cincinnati Hills League Player of the Year while her dad, Craig, was the Coach of the Year. She also made the Division II all-state first team.

Meghan McClellan, Milford

She put up an outstanding freshman season, starting 22 games in the circle for the district champions. McClellan finished the year with a 16-4 record and a 2.08 ERA while allowing more than four runs in just three games. She led the Eastern Cincinnati Conference with 186 strikeouts and issued just 30 walks.

McClellan was credited with six shutouts in 2023, but did not allow a run in eight starts. Two of those wins were run-rule shortened victories. She was named to the All-ECC first team and was a Division I honorable mention.

Grace Pitzer, Mount Notre Dame

She was named to the All-GGCL first team after racking up a .564 average, 25 runs, 22 RBI, nine stolen bases, eight doubles and four triples in 2023. She also had a .977 fielding percentage and led her team with 29 defensive assists.

Pitzer and the Cougars will be playing for their third straight league title this year.

Ella Teubner, Lebanon

Teubner is one of the best players in the state, as evidenced by her selection to the Division I all-state second team. As a sophomore, she had a .533 average in 92 at-bats, 48 runs scored, 46 RBI, 14 doubles and five home runs. She also had the patience at the plate to draw 23 walks.

In the field, she only had 19 putouts, but recorded five assists and did not commit any errors. Another big year is certainly on tap for Teubner as the Warriors look to repeat as regional champions.

Gina Wilson, Deer Park

As a junior, she recorded the second highest single-season average in OHSAA history when she hit .815 (44-for-54). She rounded out her offensive prowess with 65 RBI, 54 runs scored, 26 walks, 19 doubles and 11 home runs. Wilson was a CHL first team and All-Ohio Division III second team member.

The Wildcats went 11-10 in 2023 and finished fourth in the CHL with an 8-6 league mark.

Ava Winchester, Norwood

As a junior, Winchester led the Indians in batting average (.796), RBI (59), runs scored (32), doubles (11) and home runs (six). She also stole 31 bases; Norwood swiped 168 bags as a team.

Winchester was the MVC-Scarlet co-Player of the Year and led the Indians to a sectional championship alongside Laney Murphy and London Smith. They have never won an MVC league title, but will be contenders to do so this spring.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: OHSAA softball: Greater Cincinnati players to watch