Sun staff
For the first time in school history, both the Williamsburg baseball and softball teams are conference champions.
The softball team last won a league title in 2001, their final in a three-year run of Southern Buckeye Conference championships, while the baseball team’s last league championship came in 1997.
“Obviously, it’s super exciting,” Williamsburg athletic director and head softball coach Rick Healey said. “It’s exciting for our kids and exciting for our school. Williamsburg’s not a very big school, so ultimately to find kind of successes that we’ve found, it’s a blessing. We’re excited about it, we truly are.”
Competing in the National Division, both teams compiled 9-1 records in the league with the softball team winning the conference outright over Felicity-Franklin and the baseball team sharing their crown with Blanchester.
“From a softball standpoint, I couldn’t be more proud of our kids,” Healey said. “They have done really well. They’ve worked hard, they’ve gelled as a team and they have great communication skills. It’s exciting that they’re (peaking) at the right time.”
“I think this is only the third (baseball conference title) in school history, so it’s awesome for the program,” head baseball coach Shannon Smith said. “It’s great for everybody to realize that Williamsburg baseball has come back around. These guys have worked their tails off and they deserve every bit of it.”
With conference titles in hand, both teams headed to last weekend’s sectional tournament draw meeting expecting favorable seeding in Division III.
The softball team, at 20-3 overall, was granted the No. 1 overall seed and drew a favorable sectional bracket with No. 6 Finneytown as their top contender and likely sectional final opponent.
Run-ruling No. 12 Purcell Marian on Monday, May 11, 10-0, in the first round was a confidence booster for Healey’s squad and something that would also put other team’s on notice were they scouting the Lady Wildcats.
“Kacey Smith pitched a perfect game through the five innings and struck out 13 of the 15 batters,” Healey said. “Then there was a 4 to 3 and 5 to 3 put out. From the standpoint of (Smith) depending on her teammates, they made two really good plays that kept the no-hitter and the perfect game (in tact).”
The mutual dependability between Smith in the pitching circle and her teammates behind her has made Healey confident that his team can win in a number of different ways.
Already the Lady Wildcats earned a sectional semifinal berth versus (10) North College Hill on May 13 thanks to that first-round win on Monday. The result of the sectional semifinal was not available at press time.
As for the baseball team, at 16-7 overall, they were selected as the No. 4 seed. In a nine-team sectional, the Wildcats had nowhere to hide from a sectional final match up against one of the top two teams. And with No. 3 Blanchester choosing (2) Madeira’s bracket, fourth-seeded Williamsburg were handcuffed into choosing top-seeded Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy’s section.
However, before Smith’s squad can worry about CHCA, they will need to get by SBC rivals Clermont Northeastern on Wednesday, May 13.
“I’m hoping for the same outcome as the two times we played them this year — a win,” Smith said of his team’s sectional semifinal game. “CNE’s a scrappy team and I know Coach (Mike) Kirk is going to come out and throw everything at us, except the kitchen sink. We’re expecting a dog fight and anything else would be unacceptable coming from CNE.”
As more history awaits on the sectional horizon, both the Williamsburg baseball and softball teams can rest assured that their legacy has been solidified at the school, even if their endings haven’t been written.