Wendy’s Spring Classic bringing the talent
ASHLAND – The Wendy’s Spring Classic is synonymous with outstanding softball talent. And 2015’s version is no exception.
The nationally renowned high school invitational will again take over Ashland’s Brookside Park and Brookside West complex Friday and Saturday. Of the 24 teams in the field, it will feature five reigning state champions, two state finalists and two more that made Final Four berths.
Three earned state crowns in Ohio: North Canton Hoover in Division I, Lima Bath in Division II and Westfall in Division III. Mount St. Dominic of New Jersey won its non-public Class A state title, while Leo took the Indiana Class 3A championship. Ohio runners-up Jonathan Alder in Division II and Bloom-Carroll in Division III will be in the field with Elyria and Lebanon which were Division I state tourney participants in 2014.
The combined record of the teams from a year ago is 546-130 for a .808 winning percentage.
Local connections
The Wendy’s will bring three teams from outside of Ohio with Ambridge Area of Pennsylvania joining Mount St. Dominic and Leo, but there will be plenty of local flavor for the 22nd annual event.
Lexington returns for the second straight year. Mapleton is making its first Wendy’s trip since 1994. Ashland County standbys Ashland, Hillsdale and Loudonville are back as well.
Storied rivals Hillsdale and Loudonville will be presented as the Friday night showcase game at Brookside Park’s main diamond at 6:30 p.m. This will be the fourth time the two have met since the showcase game was created in 2004. Loudonville won games in 2006 (4-1) and 2012 (9-0), while the Falcons won 6-1 in 2009.
Ashland beat Loudonville 8-7 in last year’s showcase.
Prior to Friday’s main event, the Wendy’s Spring Classic will honor former board president and longtime high school softball aficionado Gail Mowry. The Young Marines of Mansfield will present the flag, while a group of Hillsdale students will sing the “Star Spangled Banner.”
Bracket Challenge
The Wendy’s will again feature three pools of tourney play where three champions will be crowned and teams are guaranteed three games, weather permitting of course.
In the red pool will be Ashland and Lexington with Jonathan Alder, Mount St. Dominic, New London, Northwestern, Perry and Westfall.
In the black pool will be Hillsdale and Loudonville with Bloom-Carroll, Elyria, Hoover, Leo, Portsmouth Notre Dame and Walsh Jesuit.
In the yellow pool will be Mapleton with Ambridge Area, Lima Bath, Kenton Ridge, LaBrae, Lebanon, Strasburg-Franklin and South Range.
Of the area teams, Ashland will play Jonathan Alder at 4:30 p.m. Friday in the first game to be played at the main diamond, while Lexington faces Mount St. Dominic at 4:30 p.m. Friday at Brookside West No. 2, and Mapleton gets Lima Bath at 8:15 p.m. Friday at Brookside West No. 1.
Most second- and third-round games will follow Saturday starting at 9 a.m. The championship games will be played on the main field starting at 12:30 p.m. with the red pool followed at 2:15 p.m. for the black pool and 4 p.m. for the yellow pool.
Rule Changes
In the interest of keeping to the tight schedule, the mercy rule will be shortened to eight runs instead of 10, while extra-inning games will use the international tie-breaker by putting an offensive player on second base at the start of each half-inning.
Wendy’s Spring Classic official John Davis provided the material. Rob McCurdy covers softball at the News Journal and can be reached at rmccurdy@gannett.com or 419-521-7241. On Twitter follow @McMotorsport.