3 days ago
Centerville set for first final four appearance
CENTERVILLE, Ohio (WDTN) – Centerville softball will make history on Saturday. For the first time, the Elks will be playing in the state Final Four.
Centerville defeated conference rival Fairmont in the Division I Regional Final to advance to its first state semifinal appearance in school history. The Elks (17-13) face Massillon Jackson (21-7-1) on Saturday for a chance to go to the state championship.
'The goal was to win a state championship, and I think that is something that we're going to continue to work towards, and it could just as much be us as it could be anybody else,' head coach Wendell Hutchinson said.
The Elks have embraced an underdog mentality as they head to Akron. After a bumpy start to the season and a fourth-place regular season finish in the G-WOC, the team feels as though it may be overlooked this weekend at state.
'A lot of people will look at that record and see the number of losses that we've had and think that we're maybe the lesser team in the Final Four,' Hutchinson said. 'But we don't look at it that way. We played as good a schedule as anybody in the state of Ohio.'
'We always kept our faith, and we always showed up,' senior outfielder Olivia Castle said. 'I think being an underdog is pretty cool and having that mentality is pretty cool… It's felt amazing to fight through the adversity and fight through all the losses and come back to be where we are now.'
First pitch between Centerville and Massillon Jackson is Saturday, June 7 at 3 p.m. The winner will face the winner of Lancaster/Lebanon for the Div. I state championship on Sunday at 4 p.m.
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