Thanks for the softball memories

Of all the high school softball seasons I've watched over the years, none will ever be more memorable than this one. Anyone who has ever watched youngsters blossom into varsity players knows why.
Eight years ago, the teen in our home was one of the 10-year-old pioneers when Canfield Baseball Club switched from slow-pitch leagues for players ages 9-16 to fast-pitch.
Nine seasons later, the wild ride softball has taken us on is about to end for most of the seniors in the Mahoning Valley. What a thrill it's been.
Softball community
Thanks to softball, our family has been exposed to talented names and faces from all over Mahoning, Trumbull and Columbiana counties. Among them are: Jennifer Feret, Jennifer Pancake, Audrey Martinko, Kristen Laskowski, Gina Rango, Mary McCabe and Laura Amero of Boardman; Sarah Knill, Tiffany Fonagy, Jessica Lamport and Steffi Graf in Poland; Holly Hickenbottom in Struthers; Kristina Ferenac in Howland; and Abby Markovich in Salem.
Fast-pitch was Canfield's entry into Little League and Junior League tournaments. In 1997, Canfield's 12-year-old team caught fire, sweeping the district and finishing state runner-up in Sciotoville (a Ohio place so far away that we had to drive through West Virginia and Kentucky to get there).
It's not surprising how well that team did. Three of those players will be collegiate athletes, albeit in other sports: Kristy Gaudiose, basketball, Youngstown State; Kelly Williams, basketball, Baldwin-Wallace; and Jill Vertanen, volleyball, University of Hartford.
Another player, Megan Turocy, has more than enough talent to pitch in college, but she's chosen to attend Ohio State University in the honors program for business.
Slugger Elizabeth Brown will study art at Ohio University, but her batting skills might someday be a welcome walk-on addition to the Bobcats squad. Nikki Garrett has collegiate hopes after her Class of 2004 graduates.
Leading the way
These players didn't excel on their own -- they were fortunate enough to have caring coaches. Bob Williams and Mickey Muzevich taught that 12-year-old team such intricacies as slap bunts and drag bunts.
A year later, Marty Gaudiose guided Canfield's top Tri-T team, instilling in them the knowledge of hot-box and bunt coverages.
At age 14, Canfield's current seniors were exposed to travel softball when Bill Garrett created the Ohio Stars program.
The Stars brought together Canfield players with North Jackson's Corey Velk, Niki James and Lyndsey Kosa and Western Reserve's Tiffany Shugart.
Over the past four summers, hundreds of games (travel and otherwise) have been played at Mineral Ridge, Cullinan Fields in Austintown, McCune Park in Canfield, Champion's softball park on Route 305, Poland's Sheridan Road park, Boardman's Fields of Dreams and many other locales too numerous to mention.
Families of travel softball players know the feel of too much sun, wind, rain and dirt.
Growing closer
Friendships and respect develop as you continue to see the same faces at the different sites week after week.
It culminates for most players with a final varsity season, senior night honors, one last tournament and the realization that there soon won't be any more games.
Once again, Boardman (with Feret, Pancake and Martinko) and Poland (with Lamport and Graf) have excellent teams with state dreams.
Howland, led by Ferenac, Darcy Quinlan and Meredith Schneider, has hopes of scaring the Spartans in a district finale. Laskowski's Mooney team has the same dream in a rematch with Poland.
Velk's Bluejays and Shugart's Blue Devils could meet one more time at the district level.
Bob Hope said it best: "Thanks for the Memories."
XTom Williams is sportswriter for The Vindicator. Write to him at williams@vindy.com.