Spring 2016 Forecast Magazine 1 LORAIN COUNTY SOFTBALL PREVIEW ..............................pg.4 LORAIN COUNTY BASEBALL PREVIEW...............................pg.7 WEOL FORECAST MAGAZINE SPRING 2016 PREVIEW A Publication of AM 930 WEOL LAKE ERIE CRUSHERS Volume 17 Issue 3 Andy “Bull” Barch New Ownership and New Leadership ...pg. 9 Station Manager CLEVELAND INDIANS Preview..........................................pg. 12 Tim Alcorn Editor Matt Douglass BASEBALL SCHEDULES LAKE ERIE CRUSHERS .......................................................pg. 10 Feature Writers Andy Barch CLEVELAND INDIANS ........................................................pg. 15 Tim Grattan Joel Hammond Todd Shapiro WEOL BROADCAST SCHEDULES Cover Design KOLCZUN & KOLCZUN DIAMOND DUELS ........................pg. 3 BozCorn Productions FROM THE DUGOUT..........................................................pg. 13 Publisher Douthit Communications About the Cover: Marques Inman: Marques Inman of Elyria had an outstanding senior season in 2015 earning the honor of Lorain County Mr. Baseball . During his final season, the Pioneers first baseman was a headache for pitchers hitting an impressive .400 with 10 doubles, 3 triples and a home run. Along with being named First-Team All-Ohio, Inman was also highly regarded throughout the county. Perfect Game, a national amateur baseball publication, had high praise for the Elyria native and named him high honorable men- tion on their All-American Squad. While Inman’s future will very likely see him playing professional baseball, the former Pioneer will be suiting up for the West Virginia Moun- taineers in 2016. Anna Edwards: In the circle or at the plate, Avon’s Anna Edwards was a force to be reckoned with in 2015. Many would claim it was the pitching that led the Avon hurler to the Miss Lorain County Softball award, and with a record of 8-3 and a 1.41 ERA it would be hard to argue against. However, as good as Edwards was in the circle she was just as dangerous to opposing teams when she stepped into the batter’s box. In her career with the Eagles, Edwards held a batting average of .438 and drove in 100 runs. After leading Avon to their first conference title in 39 years, Edwards went onto to become just the second Lorain County player to win both the Miss Softball award and the Lorain County Senior Player of the Year Award. 2 Spring 2016 Forecast Magazine Welcome Letter, Spring 2016 Yes, we’ve had a relatively mild winter. Even so, there’s nothing like spring and sum- mer, sitting back and enjoying a baseball (or softball) game whether it’s on the local sandlots or professional diamonds. As my co-host of the WEOL Morning Show, Bruce VanDyke has said, baseball is the soundtrack of summer. Welcome to the 2016 spring edition of FORECAST. Inside, you’ll find team sched- ules, our broadcast schedules and previews of your favorite teams. WEOL AM 930 is proud to bring you Cleveland Indians baseball, select games of the Lake Erie Crushers and a busy schedule of high school baseball and softball games from Lorain County. Thanks to all of our terrific sponsors who make these games possible along with the managers, coaches and players from the majors to the minors and high school ball- fields. Play ball! Craig R. Adams Operations Manager/News Director WEOL AM 930 Spring 2016 Forecast Magazine 3 2016 Lorain County High School softball preview By Todd Shapiro sion I recruits on their roster, who both hit over .400 last sea- The 2015 softball season led by seniors Summer Consta- son. ended like so many others in ble and Sammie Stefan, who Elyria had its string of 10 recent memory, with a Lorain batted .535 and .517 respec- consecutive district champi- County team playing in the tively last year. Keystone also onships broken last year by state tournament at Akron’s returns junior pitcher Lauren Westlake with its pitching ace Firestone Stadium and on AM - Shaw, a University of Iowa Katie Lew, a Cornell recruit; 930 WEOL With the amount of recruit, who went 20-6 last but the Pioneers will be loaded talent returning to the local year. Senior Destiny Weber is once again in 2016, as they sandlots this spring it’s likely the fourth Big Ten recruit on look to return to the state tour- the 2016 season will play out the Wildcats roster. Weber, a nament for the 12th time. The the in the same manner. senior catcher, hit .458 last sea- Pioneers, who are now mem- Keystone made its 14th son. bers of the Greater Cleveland appearance in the state tour- Stefan was also Lorain Conference, will have senior nament last season, losing to County's home run leader last Elizabeth Ellis, a 20-game win- Hebron Lakewood, 4-0, in the year with six in the regular sea- ner each of the last two sea- Division II state semifinals. KRISTIN BAUER / CHRONICLE son. sons, in the pitcher’s circle. The With nine of its 10 starters Keystone Coach Jim Piazza. Keystone also has a pair of Elyria offense will be led by returning from last year’s team Keystone? They enter the sea- Division I recruits — Madi Ellis, senior Carly Bachna and the Wildcats are a favorite to son ranked No. 14 in the coun- Cendrosky and Paige Hartley sophomore April Howser. Pio- make it back to Akron and try in the MaxPreps Top 100 — who will be staying closer to neers coach Ken Fenik joined contend for its fourth state national softball rankings. home and playing their college an elite group of coaches with championship. How good is The Wildcats have six Divi- softball at Cleveland State Uni- 500 career wins last season. versity. Avon broke a 39-year In coach Jim Piazza’s 14 drought last year by winning years at Keystone he has sent the final West Shore Confer- 18 players on to play NCAA ence championship. This year Division I softball. the Eagles will join Midview Elyria Catholic was one and North Ridgeville in shifting game away from Akron last over to the Southwestern Con- year, losing the Division III ference, joining Amherst and regional final against Warren Avon Lake. Champion. The Panthers, who Avon will have to replace will be competing in the new 2015 Miss Softball award win- Great Lakes Conference this ner Anna Edwards but the spring, also returns almost its Eagles only had two seniors on entire starting lineup from last year’s roster and return a 2015, led by junior Sam Filiaggi pair of .400 hitters in Alex and senior Leigha Donaghue Kozich and Tina Clark. See SOFTBALL, 5 4 Spring 2016 Forecast Magazine Mease proved herself as one of rely on the hitting of Brooke The good news for Vermilion is SOFTBALL the area’s elite hitters last year White, who batted .382 last that they return both of their From 4 batting .529. If the Rangers can season and the pitching of Alli- pitchers — Savannah Hitlan get consistent pitching they son Bouscher, who went 9-1 as and Becca Oates — from last The Amherst Comets will find themselves competing in a freshman with 65 strikeouts season and infielder Carley have a potent offense led by the upper tier of the SWC. in 59 innings. Skettle, who was second on the University of Connecticut The Avon Lake Shoregals Oberlin expects its strength team with a .337 batting aver- recruit Ashlee Dahman, who were a young team that experi- to be in the pitchers circle age. led the team with a .441 aver- enced some growing pains in where senior Arianna Ambro- Veteran coach Pam Jackson age last season. Amherst also 2015 but they had one of the returns its top-two home run area’s top home run hitter in sio and freshman Bryanna will have her Lorain Titans in hitters juniors Sarah Miller and junior Sarah Scott and a fresh- Rivas will share time. The contention to compete for the Madison Cruzado. man pitcher Lexi Anderson Phoenix also return a pair of Lake Erie League title. Midview will have one of the who was among the top-10 in senior outfielders –Jayna Open Door Christian deepest teams in SWC, if not strikeouts. Mitchell and Rhiannon McKee School, is Lorain County’s only the entire area, with nine The Patriot Athletic Confer- — and junior power hitting other independent team. The returning letter winners, led by ence Stars Division has been infielder Makenzie Tallman. Patriots will have their third pitchers Lauren Landers who Keystone’s private playground Clearview struggled last sea- coach in as many season in went 12-6 last season and Sara since the league was founded son but expects to be much 2016 as Bill Dunston will be Lowman, who was 7-2 with a in 2005 but the Wildcats are far improved in 2016. Clippers leading a team hoping to make team-leading 1.12 ERA. Scor- from the only talented pro- coach Denny Myers hopes that a run in the Division IV tour- ing runs should not be a prob- gram in the Stars Division. an influx of new talent com- nament. lems for the Middies with four Wellington has the rare one- bined with a veteran senior The best place to see all of hitters who batted over .400 two combination of four-year class will give his team a the top local talent will once returning to the lineup this letter winners at pitcher and chance to make a run at its again be the Prebis Memorial spring. Senior center fielder catcher in Olivia Bradstock, an first league title since 2012. Classic. This year’s Classic will Morgan Hamker's .545 batting 11-game winner last season, average last year was the best who will be throwing to Mor- Vermilion is a team without be played on April 29-30 at in Lorain County.