Oak Harbor sweeps All-Press softball awards

Press Sports Editor
sports@presspublications.com

It’s been said that a rising tide lifts all boats, and the Oak Harbor Rockets’ season epitomized the adage.
Oak Harbor had arguably its best season in program history, going 27-3 while winning regional and league titles and advancing to the Division III Final Four.
For their efforts, the Rockets won three awards for The Alan Miller Jewelers’ All-Press Awards — the Pitcher of the Year Award (Alyse Sorg), the Offensive Player of the Year Award (Porter Gregory) and the Coach of the Year Award (Cami Haas).
Sorg, who went 25-3 with a 2.27 ERA, got nine out of 10 votes, with Woodmore’s Cameran Quisno earning the other one. Sorg pitched 169 innings and struck out 152 batters while walking 52.
Gregory earned six out of 10 votes with her teammate Reese Adkins getting one, as did Gibsonburg’s Cheyenee Reese, Clay’s Olivia Haas and Eastwood’s Lily Escobedo and Ady Bowe.
In her second season, Cami Haas got eight out of 10 votes for Coach of the Year with Clay’s Brenda Radabaugh and Gibsonburg’s Sarah Gruner earning one vote apiece.
The unanimous selections for first-team honors were Reese (catcher), Gregory (first base), Escobedo (outfield), Oak Harbor’s Karder Haas (second base), Eastwood’s Karly Wasserman (second base) and Clay’s Brynn Reiter (outfield).
Cami Haas had high praise for Sorg, who had to replace Reagan Schultz, a four-year starter, before her junior season. She answered the call and can leave the program knowing she helped the Rockets win their second regional title in program history.
“Alyse works very hard outside of our team practices. She never missed a pitching lesson throughout the winter season,” Haas said. “A lot of the behind-the-scenes effort went into Alyse’s success. She has trusted my pitch calling and has led with the mindset that there is always something she could be doing to get better.”
Sorg, who is going to swim at Bowling Green State University next year, was a force at the plate, hitting leadoff. She hit .370 to go with five triples, eight doubles, 29 RBIs and 47 runs. She leaves the program with records for walks in a season (19), walks in a career (19) and career triples (11).
Sorg was very good as a junior, too, going 22-5 with a 2.15 ERA to go with 153 strikeouts and 41 walks in 163 innings of work. Before she became the pitcher as a junior, Sorg was the center fielder as a sophomore and the right fielder as a freshman.
Gregory, like Sorg, was a four-year starter who saved her best for last. The senior earned first-team honors in Division III for her efforts, hitting .518 to go with two home runs, three triples, 13 doubles, 33 RBIs and 38 runs scored.
Remi Gregory, Porter’s older sister, worked as an assistant coach this season. She was instrumental in leading Oak Harbor to its first regional championship two years ago.
“It was definitely fun to watch both her and the team be successful,” said Remi Gregory. “As an individual, Porter made progress and growth during her senior year, which helped her achieve personal goals that helped the team reach the goal of getting to state.”
Haas talked about Porter Gregory’s growth as a hitter.
“Porter has followed the same mindset (that) there’s always something to be working on,” said Haas. “She has very much grown mentally throughout her four years. This season, she looked at a mistake in a constructive manner over negativity, and that helped her stay consistently strong at the plate throughout the season.”
Haas, who was in her second season coaching the team, talked about the Rockets’ focus, which was integral in rebounding after being upset and losing, 9-8, in eight innings to Defiance Tinora in a district semifinal last season. “Talent aside, this group bought in from day one. They make our jobs as coaches very easy in that regard. They all respect one another; they support each other’s success on and off the field,” said Haas. “The all-around team mentality is definitely what has made them so successful this season.”
The team set program records with 255 RBIs and 311 runs this season.
“I’m a firm believer in focusing on the process, not the outcome. If we finish everything we do — every warm up, at bat, out, inning, game with maximum effort, we are going to be successful,” Haas said. “Little things eventually turn into big things this way. That, and always keeping things constructive and fostering a learning environment — we never look at things in a negative light unless attitude and effort take it in that direction.”
In addition to Remi Gregory, who helped coach the JV team with Tashia Trimble, Jeff Sorg and Andrea Sorg, Alyse’s parents, were assistant coaches.
The future is bright for Oak Harbor, which will lose Sorg, Adkins and Porter Gregory, the latter two who will play college softball at Lorain Community College and Walsh University, respectively.
“They care as much as I do about the continued success of the program,” said Haas. “Each season is always a little different, but high standards and work ethic are a constant around here. Thanks to so many who care, the state of the program will remain strong.
“While we lose three incredible seniors, our (incoming) juniors and seniors move into leadership roles. It’s their turn, and they are more than ready to lead this team to another successful season,” Haas said.
Adkins, who was a four-year starter at shortstop but did not see many at bats as a freshman, hit .455 to go with 11 doubles, two triples, two home runs 39 RBIs, which is a school record, and 45 runs.

Chris Rawski, who coached the Rockets for 11 seasons before stepping away two years ago, was pleased when the school chose to replace him with Haas.
“I was very happy to see Mr. Hoover was able to follow through (and hire her),” Rawski said about the athletic director. “I was very excited because of how well I knew how disciplined she was, how great she is with kids — I knew it was going to be a great fit.
“She knows the game; she is very knowledgeable, that’s why she does so well with Alyse. She calls the pitches, (and) that’s just an added bonus for a softball coach. She coached travel ball for several years with the same organization I was working with. She had a lot of the qualities I wanted in a JV coach, and then it was just an easy transition to go to varsity.”
Rawski, whose daughter, Morgan, played for Lake, attended her games but saw some of the Rockets’ games during the tournament.
“As a fan of the kids on the team, and of Cami’s, to watch Alyse, Reese and Porter really do well and some of the other girls like Ava Geyer and Karder, all those kids really excelled,” said Rawski. “I feel like I left the program in good hands — when you leave something, make sure you leave it in better shape than you found it, and I feel like we did that. I feel like Cami has improved more upon the things that we did.
“She’s really good at what she does, and she deserves all the accolades. She had the perfect demeanor for this group of kids. They really took off, so there’s a lot to be said for that,” Rawski said.