In sports, it is very hard to be as successful as soft- ball has been. As winners of three straight N.O.C. River Division championships, this year’s team is looking forward to continuing its success under head coach Doug Hawkins.

Coach Hawkins is a 10-time returning head varsity coach for the girls and knows exactly how to lead a team to success.

“It has been very fun playing for Coach Hawkins,” senior Sadie Jones said.

Jones is a four-time returning varsity player and knows what it takes to win.

“Coach Hawkins is pretty laid back, meaning we can play relaxed. Taking off a lot of pressure has been a huge part of our success the past few years,” Jones said.

While winning three straight champi- onships, one may assume a fourth is easy to get; however, it is far from easy.

“Our two biggest goals are to win N.O.C. again and to make it to regionals. We have some pretty tough teams on our schedule this year like North Canton Hoover, who has won states four times in a row; however, we are very confident in ourselves, and we feel like we can com- pete with any team,” Jones said.

After losing three important seniors, the team leans on all four classes to pro- duce wins for the team this season.

“We have a really deep and strong line- up,” junior Landry Slider said. “Everyone plays their part well and if we continue
to play the way we know we can, we can accomplish what we have the past three years and even more.”

On April 1, the team traveled to Parma to take on Valley Forge in their first game. In a five inning, 28-1 victory, the girls proved they have tons of power.

“I really look forward to playing Hoover because they will be a challenge for us,” Slider said. “I’m also always very excited to play our rival Cuyahoga Falls.”

The team stands at 9-1 as of April 22 following their impressive 4-3 victory over division opponent Twinsburg.