Postseason threats emerging on MVL diamonds | Blackburn
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For much of my childhood, my dear aunt and fellow Taurus Polly Pletcher and I celebrated birthdays together.
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Born just four days apart, some might offer we both live up to the stubborn — or convicted — nature of the bullish representation of the sign itself.
This time of the month also means the high school baseball and softball seasons are revealing some truths. The contenders and pretenders have shown their true colors.
Here is what we've learned.
Sheridan baseball reigns supreme in MVL
Josh Coleman has seen a lot.
He played three sports at Sheridan in in the early 2000s, enduring some of the highest of highs — he played on three regional final playoff teams in football — and crushing lows. A 2005 district final loss to Athens, with ace Josh Barrera pitching, is still an open wound.
Twenty years later, he stood in the outfield on a cold, rainy May night in 2025 at Bob Wren Stadium in Athens and vowed that his program would do everything it could to break through the district barrier. For all of the Generals' success under former coaches Doug Fisher and John Coleman, Josh's dad, they hadn't won a district title since Ronald Reagan was president.
The Generals entered play on April 30 at 15-5 and the odds-on favorite to win an extremely mediocre Muskingum Valley League-Big School Division. They’re the one team whose pitching, defense and timely hitting sync most days.
Beyond that, a schedule geared toward being prepared for the Southeast District tournament, against teams mostly from their own division, is a change of pace that should pay off in May.
Pitching is now a precious metal in softball
Good offense or subpar pitching? That topic had locals buzzing for weeks.
There have been more softball games with scores relative to slow-pitch games at Riverside Park than high-tempo fastpitch this season. The result has been highly inflated batter statistics and a bunch of errors, no doubt due to higher contact rate leading to more difficult defensive plays.
The days of 1-0 duels between New Lexington's Rebecca Bryant and Sheridan's Carrie Swinderman, and Philo's Hayley Flynn mowing down 20 in a game, are as far in the rearview mirror as 5-disc CD changers, acid-washed jeans and Oldsmobile Cutlass Supremes.
There are exceptions, however, few as they may be. One look at the standings tell the story.
John Glenn and sophomore ace Kendall Snider entered the weekend at 19-3 and with a one-game lead over Sheridan in the Big School, with senior Megan Ranck's pitching — she and Snider split their head-to-head meetings — leading the way for the battle-hardened Generals.
Meadowbrook's Addy Sichina, who held Sheridan to six hits in a 13-3 road win on April 29, has allowed just four runs in her last five appearances combined. McKendall Boyer has been a rock-solid No. 2. In no small coincidence, the Colts are 15-5 and in control of the MVL-Small.
Ridgewood's Addison Lahmers has been a force against everyone outside of IVC powers Garaway and Tuscarawas Valley, and freshman Jayden Jaras is playing a promising supporting role as the Generals entered the weekend at 17-5.
Otherwise, it's a giant box of chocolates. It's that volatility that will likely lead to early tournament exits for teams relying heavily on offense to win.
A sleeper is emerging in Lafayette
Area baseball teams are as middling as most of our softball teams, but there are some intriguing candidates who could emerge for a tournament run.
Hall of Fame coach Chad Lahna, who has already taken one Ridgewood team to a state tournament, has a team playing his brand of baseball. Specifically, his Generals have thrown strikes, made routine plays and scratched out just enough runs to win.
With pitcher Connor Croy, senior shortstop Jace McQueen and classmates Jackson Cabot and Logan Ridenbaugh leading the charge, they have won 10 of 14 since 2-3 start. One of those losses was a one-run heartbreaker in extra innings to defending state champion Hiland.
In an era of dead-bat baseball where pitching and fundamentals are paramount, this is the team as scary as anyone with two teams earning regional bids in Division V in the East District.
Lahna said prior to the season he felt comfortable with the team overall, one that returned most of its roster from a regional team that earned a No. 6 seed with a .500 record in 2025.
This one is better.
This article originally appeared on Zanesville Times Recorder: Mediocrity reigns on MVL diamonds but threats emerging | Sam Blackburn