Centerville softball adds to school’s tradition with first state berth

The program’s first regional championship deserved all the fanfare.

“It’s awesome; it’s exciting,” Hutchinson said Tuesday. “It’s the first trip that the softball team has made. But being at Centerville High School, this is part of it. We routinely have teams go to the final four. We routinely have teams competing for state championships. To finally be a part of that school tradition, it’s very special.”

Centerville (17-13) will play No. 9 Massillon Jackson (21-7-1) in the Division I state semifinals at 3 p.m. Saturday at Firestone Stadium in Akron. Jackson beat No. 2 Perrysburg (27-1) 7-4 on Friday.

The 5:30 p.m. semifinal will pit No. 4 Lancaster (28-2) against No. 6 Lebanon (26-4).

The semifinal winners will play for the state championship at 4 p.m. Sunday.

The Division I state champion will be a first-time winner, as two-time defending champion Austintown-Fitch fell to Jackson in the regional semifinals.

Lebanon, which lost 3-0 to Austintown-Fitch in last year’s semifinals, is making its sixth state appearance, having finished second in 2012, 2015, and 2017.

Jackson reached the final four for the first time in 1986, finishing second.

Like Centerville, Lancaster will make its first state appearance.

“Everybody’s here for a reason,” Hutchinson said. “Some may have great pitching. Some may have great hitting. There’s something about each of the teams that has allowed them to continue winning and getting to the final four, and every one of us is doing something well enough to help us win a state championship. It’s just a matter of controlling your emotions now. Who can perform the best under the most pressure? It’s going to be there. There’s just no doubt about that.”

Freshman Caitlyn Belcher leads the Centerville pitching staff. She’s 14-12 with a 3.40 ERA with 99 strikeouts in 152⅓ innings. She’s also one of the team’s top hitters with a .455 average, six home runs and 31 RBIs.

Also leading the offense are:

• Sophomore Natalie Carr: .490; nine home runs and 33 RBIs.

• Junior Riley Bakan: .341; three home runs; and 37 RBIs.

• Junior Chayse Adkins: .398; 10 doubles; and 17 RBIs.

Centerville advanced with a 4-2 victory against Fairmont on Saturday at Indian Hill High School. A year earlier, Centerville lost 1-0 to Fairfield in the same round of the tournament.

“Last year, we had a chance,” Hutchinson said. “We didn’t knock down that door. This year, we got a second chance, and the experience that we got from being there last year definitely helped. The kids were not intimidated. They weren’t super nervous. Playing a team so familiar, like Fairmont, as good as they were, that kind of helps. You know what to expect.”