The Wadsworth Varsity girls’ softball team has begun their season for the year, this year with new coaches. Sarah Keating is the newest coach for the softball team, along with Mackenzie Doyle and Paul Grywalski.
“It feels amazing to be back as a coach in Wadsworth,” said Keating. “As someone that has grown up here my entire life and played for the program, it has always been my goal to return and coach for the program that helped shape me.”
As new head coach, Keating said she has multiple plans she wants to implement for the new season, one of them being an Athlete of the Week award.
“The coaches [would] nominate athletes that have gone above and beyond during the week,” Keating said. “Athletes are chosen not only based on athleticism but also based on attitude, effort, energy, willingness to try something new, and much more. The athletes will then pick anonymously from the five chosen by the coaches and the overall winner is chosen.”
Keating also wants the Varsity team to become more involved with the youth softball athletes, as she wants to help sustain the program for years to come.
“One step we have taken to help complete this goal is that we have been able to help with our youth programs in many different ways, including going to their open fields and helping with different drills and activities,” Keating said. “We also plan on doing a youth clinic over the summer and a community day at one of our games this season.”
Keating said that while she hopes the team will be able to win many games this season, she also wants to help the athletes progress in their softball journeys.
“One of my big goals for the season is to help grow the young ladies into better softball athletes and better young women,” Keating said. “Of course, we want to win as many games as possible, but we also want to focus on personal growth. The skills that they learn through softball including responsibility, efficiency, time management, cooperation, and teamwork are not only vital within our program but are also valuable life skills.”
Keating’s overall hope for the team is that the girls can enjoy the game and find great love in the sport.
“Many of these girls have been playing softball for a long time and they all fell in love with the game at some point,” Keating said. “With this, I am wanting the girls to be able to enjoy the game and still play like they did when they first fell in love with the game.”
This year, there are a total of 18 players on the Varsity girls team, with two graduating seniors.
“By the end of the season I’m hoping to have built friendships that I can continue to have even after I graduate,” said Emily Gerber, senior at Wadsworth High School and Varsity girls’ softball captain. “I hope I can have a last season that I am proud to look back on and be a good role model for the 2027 seniors.”
The softball team’s first game was on Saturday, March 21, 2026 at Massillon, where the girls suffered a loss with a score of 22-2.
“I truly enjoy my sport,” said Camila Hernandez, a junior at Wadsworth High School and Varsity girls’ softball player. “It has brought me so many memories over the years.”
The softball team will play their second game of the season at North Royalton on Monday, March 23, 2026.
“I want to improve as both a player and a team,” Hernandez said. “At our last scrimmage, we talked about winning each innings, rather than just the game itself.”
