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14U softball team advances to nationals
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The 14 and under Ohio Magic Travel Softball Team won the Sluggers Summer Bash Tournament with a record of 5-0. The team includes, Julia McMenamin (front row left), Soriya Rezapourian, Amy Mikulich, Christiana Savo, Brianna Protain, (second row from left), Maddie Everhart, Natalie Lynn, Mckenzie Luknis, Kara Gatta, Adrianna Popovich, Alex Franken, Coach Melody Ward, (third row from left) Tim McMenamin, and Steve Ward.
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Neighbors | Submitted.The 14 and under Ohio Magic Travel Softball Team finished second out of 16 teams in the Ohio Magic Softball Classic Tournament qualifying for the National Tournament, which is August 1-5 in Salem, Va. Members of the team include (front row), Brianna Protain, (second row from left), Soriya Rezapourian, Julia McMenamin, Alex Franken, Amy Mikulich, Adrianna Popovich, (third row from left), Coach Melody Ward, Kara Gatta, McKenzie Luknis, Maddie Everhart, Natalie Lynn, Coach Steve Ward, (fourth row from left, Coach Mike Gatta and Tim McMenamin.
By EARTHA TERRELL
The 14 and under Ohio Magic Travel Softball team created quite a splash after winning the Sluggers Summer Bash Tournament June 22-24 with a 5-0 record and landing a national bid.
The team, which is comprised of nine girls from Austintown and two from Liberty, proved it could handle playing under pressure after winning the Sluggers Summer Bash Tournament, where it competed against teams with players that were much older.
The team scored 42 runs and took home its first trophy, which earned them a spot in the national tournament Aug. 1-5 in Salem, Va.
“These girls are in the seventh and eighth grade and they’re already competitive,” said coach Melody Ward.
The team also made it to the championship game and finished second out of 16 teams in the Ohio Magic Softball Classic Tournament June 15-17.
“Working with these girls we’ve had solid pitching performance and when we’re on defensively, we’re hard to beat,” Ward said.
Melody and her husband, Steve, who are both Fitch High School varsity softball coaches, put together a team in August 2011 as a way to prepare players for varsity when they came to high school. But neither could’ve predicted the amount of success the team has had.
“My husband and I are the head coaches at Fitch High School, and we wanted them to be more competitive. Our ultimate goal was to get them ready for their high school careers. We’ve met all our expectations and beyond. We’re made of mostly 12-year-olds competing in a 14 and under competition,” Ward said.
Although the team has a had a winning steak, Ward is most proud of the dedication and tenacity that the team has shown throughout this entire experience.
“It makes me very proud of these girls and we have something very special with them. These girls have a competitive drive and desire to win. They’ve all been playing together since they were young and they have good solid chemistry on the field. My husband and I are looking forward to seeing them in high school,”