College notes: Locals giving Findlay softball something to look forward to

The future looks bright for Findlay softball. The Oilers went 33-16 overall this season and 15-8 in the Great Midwest Athletic Conference, finishing one game shy of securing the league's automatic berth to the NCAA Division II tournament. Freshmen Annika Bredel (Elyria Catholic) and Kayla Dykin (Avon) along with sophomore Rachel Mease (North Ridgeville) were cornerstones of the team's successful season. Bredel and Mease each earned third-team All-G-MAC honors while Dykin was one of the team's top pitchers. "It's super fun to play with them," Bredel said. "I played with Rachel for a long time with travel ball, and Kayla and I were roommates. It's a lot of fun, we can laugh and joke about stuff." Mease ranked among the best in the G-MAC with a .358 average, while adding one home run and nine RBIs. Bredel hit .342 with seven home runs and 30 RBIs, and had a .949 fielding percentage at second base. She shook off a slow start with a two-home-run game against Ferris State in February. "It was an adjustment," Bredel said. "I had some ups and downs, that's for sure. I struggled a bit in Florida. I think overall I just trusted the process and knowing the extra work was eventually going to pay off. My coaches continuing to have trust in me and keeping me in the lineup was big for me. It showed they had confidence in me. I knew they trusted me and I settled in and did my thing." Bredel and Dykin had some big moments in Findlay's run through the back draw of the G-MAC tournament. Dykin, who threw a no-hitter against Malone on April 3, helped the Oilers win back-to-back elimination games. She allowed three hits and one run in seven innings with nine strikeouts in a 5-1 win over Tiffin in the consolation bracket, then allowed five hits and two runs with seven strikeouts in a 3-2 win over Hillsdale in Game 1 of the championship. Bredel, who homered in both games, had a game-tying two-run shot in the fourth inning of the championship. But Hillsdale shook off the loss to clinch the tournament 9-1 in Game 2. "That was really exciting," Bredel said. "There's nothing like seeing the ball go over the fence and the excitement in that moment of seeing your teammates at home. It's a great feeling." Extra innings Freshman Cassidy Kettleman (Amherst) had some key moments for Indiana, which fell one game short of advancing to the super regionals of the NCAA Tournament. Kettleman hit .271 with a home run and an RBI for the 44-18 Hoosiers and went 3-for-10 with one walk during her four starts in the NCAA Tournament. UMBC lost both of its NCAA Tournament games, falling 9-0 to No. 6 Oklahoma State then 3-2 to Nebraska. Madison O'Berg (Amherst) pitched one inning of relief against Oklahoma State, allowing one hit, two earned runs and a walk. She finished her senior season with a 2.55 ERA and 14 strikeouts in 33 innings. No. 2 UCLA, which finished with a 52-7 record, also went winless in the NCAA Tournament, losing 3-2 to Grand Canyon and 2-1 to Liberty. Lauren Shaw (Keystone) pitched 1 2/3 innings of shutout relief against Grand Canyon, allowing one hit with one strikeout. The graduate student finished with a 2.49 ERA and 21 strikeouts in 25 1/3 innings. While Belmont didn't qualify for the NCAA Tournament, Maya Johnson (St. Joseph/Columbia Station) did all she could to help the cause. The redshirt freshman pitched four of 15 innings during a 2-1 win against Missouri State, allowing no runs, four hits and one walk while striking out seven. She received a no-decision against Southern Illinois in the Missouri Valley Conference semifinals, allowing three runs, one earned, three hits and a walk with one strikeout in 4 2/3 innings. She's one of 25 finalists for national freshman of the year, with the winner being revealed during the Women's College World Series. Walk-offs Alex Brill (Firelands), a junior, and Devan Nail (Elyria), a senior, helped lead Ohio Dominican to the Great Midwest Baseball Championship, but lost both games to No. 1 seed Northwood. Brill hit .311 with nine home runs, 10 doubles, three triples, 43 RBIs and 41 runs. Nail, a Kent State transfer in his second season with the Panthers, hit .328 with seven home runs, eight doubles, 31 RBIs and 29 runs. Sophomore Nathan Archer (Keystone) completed a strong sophomore season for Bowling Green, hitting .282 with nine home runs, eight doubles, two triples, 39 RBIs and 32 runs scored. Zach Maxey (St. Edward/Avon) had 60 strikeouts in 51 2/3 innings during his junior season with Miami (Ohio). Match point After winning the Big East for the third straight season, Xavier fell 4-0 to Ohio State in the first round of the NCAA Women's Tennis Tournament. Anna Roggenburk (Magnificat/Avon Lake) did not finish her doubles match — tied 3-3 with the doubles point decided — or her match at fourth singles, dropping the first set 6-0 and tied 5-5 in the second when the team match was decided. The redshirt junior finished 8-5 in singles, going 5-3 in the fourth spot (of six), and 9-6 at doubles, all with Imani Graham. The pair went 8-5 in the second spot (of three). For additions to the college notebook, contact Chris Sweeney at (440) 329-7135 or ctsports@chroniclet.com. Follow him @CSweeney1686 on Twitter.