Avon softball: Eagles ready to shine in spotlight with berth in final four at stake

After defeating North Ridgeville, 4-2, in a regional semifinal, Avon continues to make history. On May 27, the Eagles will play for a berth in their first final four.

“The girls are excited (for the opportunity) and it helps us our program,” Eagles’ coach Ken Matuszak said. “The younger girls are excited. The community is excited (along with) the parents are excited. We have a lot of young players on the bench and they are getting valuable experience in pressure situations with good crowds and playing great teams. We are looking forward to (May 27).”

Over the years, the Avon community have seen its football team make it five consecutive state semifinals and most recently the boys soccer team make it to a final four. Matuszak wants the team to be the first girls team to make it to a state semifinal.

“They are very confident in their ability …” he said. “We all got off the bus (after the game) and we said that we got a job to do (on May 27). The first part of our job is coming to practice and getting a good workout and going to Gibsonburg tomorrow and competing against a really good Holland Springfield team.”

The main force driving this team in the postseason has been their ace Kayla Dykin, who is batting .769, with 14 RBI and three home runs. In the circle, she has a 0.75 earned-run average with 55 strikeouts in four postseason games. Matuszak said that he’s never seen a better playoff run by any player in his decades of coaching.

“(Dykin this postseason) could be one of the most dominating performances by a softball player and probably even a baseball player in Lorain County history,” he said.

On the other side sits the Blue Devils from Holland Springfield.

Their journey to the elite eight has similarities to the Eagles.

The Blue Devils received state recognition in the Division I poll, but always played second fiddle in its conference. Springfield finished second in the Northern Lakes League behind nationally ranked and undefeated Anthony Wayne.

Despite being swept in the regular season and knocked out by a walk-off in last year’s regional semifinal to the Generals, they avenged those losses by ending Anthony Wayne’s quest for a perfect season with a 5-4 walk-off win in extra innings by outfielder Hannah Schlachter.

Schlachter is one of four starting freshman on the team with shortstop Cam Hall and left and center fielders Cam Eckhart and Kenya Crowley.

The Blue Devils have a solid core of seniors and juniors. Their starting pitcher, lefty Mady Yackee, is clutch from in the circle and at the plate. The junior struck out all three Generals batters in the extra inning and escaped the top of the seventh inning with the bases loaded.

In the bottom of the seventh inning, Yackee hit an RBI double to tie the game at 4-4 to keep Springfield alive.

Reg semifinal

Holland Springfield looks to upset Anthony Wayne

Mady Yackee hits an RBI single to end the game to extra inning.

score is tied 4-4

@MJournalSports @ladydvlsnation pic.twitter.com/4IMweZzaB9

— Mark Perez-Krywany 🤓 (@MarkPerezK10) May 25, 2022

Springfield played Keystone and Amherst in the Prebis Memorial Classic with the Blue Devils winning both matchups 2-0 over the Comets and 14-2 over the Wildcats.

“(Springfield) upset (Anthony Wayne) and we have to recognize that,” Matuszak said. “We saw a little bit of Holland Springfield in the (2022 Prebis Memorial Classic). We know a little bit about them from some of our players, but not as much as we know about (teams) like (North) Ridgeville and Amherst. We look forward to the competition.”

The good thing about the Prebis for the Lorain County teams is that teams like Avon squared off against out-of-area opponents. The Eagles took on Hoover, Hilliard Bradley and Heath in Prebis. Matuszak says that experience will be a great help.

“(Elyria Catholic softball coach) Jim Piazza does a really great job at the Prebis bringing in great teams,” he said. “He gives us the privilege to go to the Prebis and play these tough teams. … We get to see all the teams. So, that is great exposure for our players to walk around and watch all of these great teams play and compete.”

Heath and Hoover made it to regionals in their division. Hilliard Bradley was 14-2 at the time.

In Avon’s playoff run, the Eagles have faced three teams from the Southwestern Conference and North Olmsted, which is in the Great Lakes Conference. Holland Springfield will be the first challenge as a team that isn’t from the area.

“(Facing them) is kind of exciting because we don’t know a lot about them and also scary because we don’t know a lot about them,” Matuszak said. “I know that they come from a good conference We played (Northview). We talked to them and they were really high on Springfield and Anthony Wayne. We have our work cut out for us.”

According to Matuszak, the best way to prepare his team to keep their identity strong by working on their game.

“We control what we can control on our side of the field,” he said. “Batting-wise, we think that (adjusting) is going to take one time through (the order) to made adjustments (as coaches). We don’t really know what she has and what works for (Yackee inside the circle).”

(4) Avon vs. (2) Holland Springfield

What: Division I Gibsonburg Regional final

When: 5 p.m., May 25

Where: 740 S. Main St., Gibsonburg

Records: Avon 17-7, Holland Springfield 23-6

Avon’s path: Def. Midview, 7-0, North Olmsted, 7-2, Amherst, 5-1 and North Ridgeville, 4-2

Holland Springfield’s path: Def. Sandusky, 10-0, Ashland, 10-0, Perrysburg, 8-1 and Anthony Wayne, 5-4

On deck: Winner advances to a Division I state semifinal to play the winner of Watkins Memorial and Lancaster on May 2.

Perez’s pick: Holland Springfield