The lone newcomer in the DIII Final Four, Indian Lake ready to show they belong
Indian Lake may be the only first-time participant of the Division III softball Final Four this week in Akron, but the Lakers have already showed they belong among the state’s elite.
After winning its division in an extremely competitive Central Buckeye Conference, the Lakers (26-3) have steamrolled through the postseason, outscoring the opposition 50-2 to reach a state semifinal game against Johnston (26-2) at 10 a.m. Thursday at Akron’s Firestone Stadium.
Indian Lake’s run to the state tournament has not come as a shock to those around the program.
The Lakers returned eight letterwinners from a team that went 15-9, finished in second place in the CBC Mad River division and advanced to the district semifinal last year.
In addition, new head coach John Stahl, who had previously enjoyed a great deal of success at Benjamin Logan, brought an experienced coaching staff with him that has mixed perfectly with the talent inside the IL program.
Indian Lake has been dominant since the start of the season.
The Lakers showed off their potential with three run-rule victories over New Bremen, Kenton and Versailles to begin the season.
They started the year 5-0 before falling to North Union, the defending Mad River champion, 10-6 after beating the Wildcats 9-2 in the first game of their series.
Indian Lake then went on a 14-game winning streak.
During that stretch came a very significant win over Jonathan Alder. The Lakers beat the Pioneers, last year’s Division II state runner-up, 9-6.
“That was the game that I think showed all of us what we were capable of,” said Stahl.
“Indian Lake had never beaten Jonathan Alder before. They were ranked second in the state at that time, and we pretty much throttled them. I knew at that point this could be a special season.”
The Lakers rose to as high as number two in the Division III state coaches poll as they built their record to 19-1.
They suffered their first league loss of the season to eventual Kenton Trail division champion Kenton Ridge 5-2 on May 4.
After a 21-1 win over Urbana and then a 17-0 victory over Preble Shawnee in the sectional tournament opener, the Lakers were defeated by Coldwater 3-1 in a regular-season game on May 11.
Stahl said the Coldwater loss has been a turning point in the season.
“This a hungry softball team,” said Stahl after Saturday’s regional championship win over Miami East. “We really challenged them after that loss to Coldwater. Coldwater had a good pitcher, but we told the girls that they would be seeing even better pitchers and things needed to change. I am not normally a screamer, and (assistant coach Clint Zedeker) is a not a screamer either, but we really got after them. And they have responded.”
The Lakers have been on a tear since the Coldwater loss, reeling off five straight wins.
Before playing West Jefferson in the regional semifinal last week, the Lakers picked up a game against Marysville, who advanced to the Division I regional finals this season.
The Lakers beat the Monarchs 3-2, and that win added to their confidence.
Two days later against West Jeff and its star pitcher Brooke Mannon, who is headed to Arizona next year, the Lakers dominated Mannon and the Roughriders for a 5-0 victory.
Then on Saturday, the Lakers cleared their final hurdle to their first state tournament by shutting out Miami East, a state semifinalist last year, 6-0 in a regional final.
New territory
Indian Lake now is out to prove it can take down perennial powers at the Final Four level.
In Johnstown, the Lakers will clash with a Johnnies team that played in the state semifinals in 2021, losing 5-1 to a Canfield South Range program that is also in this year’s Final Four.
In the other semifinal game Thursday, South Range (26-3) takes on the defending Division III state champion Wheelersburg, which arrives in Akron with a perfect 30-0 record.
All four Division III semifinalists were ranked in the top 10 of the final state coaches poll.
Wheelersburg earned the top ranking, South Range was fifth, the Lakers seventh and Johnstown 10th.
Scouting the Johnnies
Like Indian Lake, Johnstown is battled tested after competing in a tough conference.
The Johnnies play in the Licking County League with traditionally strong programs like Lakewood, Watkins Memorial, Heath and Newark Catholic.
Last season, the LCL produced two state semifinalists, Heath in Division II and Watkins Memorial in Division I.
This spring, Johnstown won its first LCL Cardinal Division title since 2016.
Four seniors on this year’s Johnstown team were part of the 2021 squad that made the Final Four.
The Johnnies are powered by senior Macy Walters, who was the LCL player of the year and a first-team all-Ohio selection.
Walters, who has signed with the University of Akron, has a 16-2 record in the pitching circle. She has an ERA of 1.03 with 221 strikeouts in 122 innings of work.
At the plate, Walters is hitting .402 with eight doubles, seven home runs and 30 RBI.
Senior third baseman Dakota Staffan headlines a powerful Johnstown offense. Staffan, who hit two home runs in last Saturday’s 6-3 regional final win over Tinora, is batting .500 with seven doubles, 14 home runs and 43 RBI.
Senior Addie Triplett is another big threat in the Johnnies lineup. She is hitting .511 with 12 doubles, three triples, 10 homers and 36 RBI.
As a team, the Johnnies are batting .361 with 44 doubles and 34 home runs.
Sticking with the formula
Stahl believes his Lakers can play with any team in the state if they can continue to stick to the formula of strong pitching, sparkling defense and balanced hitting.
Brentlinger has fashioned a 25-3 record in the circle for the Lakers. She has a 1.595 ERA.
Behind Brentlinger is a defense that has allowed only 20 errors all season.
Offensively, the potent Laker lineup is hitting .437 with 67 doubles, 28 triples and 12 home runs.
Leadoff hitter Haylee Edwards, a junior second baseman, leads the Lakers with a .574 batting average, while Brentlinger is hitting .558 with a team-best 47 RBI.
Sophomore shortstop Halle Roby has a .460 batting average with 45 RBI , sophomore catcher Mackenzie Dixon his hitting .477 with 42 RBI and senior first baseman Hannah Marlow leads the team with four home runs.
State tourney schedule
Indian Lake and Johnstown will play the first game of the state tournament at 10 a.m. Thursday. After that game, Wheelersburg and South Range will play in the other Division III state semifinal at 12:30 p.m.
The Division III state championship game will be played at 10 a.m. Saturday.