Serving Lucas, Ottawa, Sandusky and Wood Counties
Coach: Joe Wyant, 18th year
Last year: 17-11 (8-6 NBC)
Key returning players: Ady Bowe (Sr., SS); Kenzie Hady (Jr., P); Karly Wasserman (Jr., 2B)
Legendary Eastwood coach Joe Wyant’s team is picked to finish fifth in the Northern Buckeye Conference.
It's rare that the Eagles are not one of the top picks in the NBC, a league in which they've won seven times since it was founded in the 2011-12 school year.
Gone from last year are Cassi Kieper, who pitched for four years and won 87 games, and Lilly Escobedo, who hit .536 and earned All-Ohio honors in Division II. Kieper is now pitching at Siena Heights University in Michigan.
"Those two were big losses," Wyant said.
The team has one senior in shortstop Ady Bowe and starts three sophomores and two freshmen.
"We're hoping to get as many games in as possible before league play," Wyant said. "Hopefully, the younger players will start to get some experience and start feeling comfortable."
Bowe had a tremendous junior season, hitting .495 to go with 34 RBIs, 46 runs and 32 stolen bases. Junior Kenzie Hady, who is the new pitcher, was injured last year but went 5-0 as a freshman and hit .362 with 38 RBIs. Second baseman Karly Wasserman hit .355 and drove in 20 runs last season.
Bowe is the leadoff hitter, followed by rightfielder Kayla Hady, Kenzie Hady, Wasserman, third baseman Sophia Rankin, centerfielder Stella Chlebowski, catcher Maddie Hartman, first baseman Jenna Lubash and leftfielder Grace Meter.
Wyant, who has a career record of 359-97, has built one of the finest programs in Northwest Ohio. The Eagles consistently compete for league and district titles, and they have won a regional championship during Wyant's tenure.
Maumee was picked to win the NBC, followed by Lake, Otsego, last year’s winner Oak Harbor, Eastwood, Genoa, Rossford and Fostoria.
"We just want to be competitive and finish in the top half of our league," he said. "The league has six or seven really good teams."
Last season, the Eagles won 17 games and advanced to the Div. II district semifinals, where they lost to Otsego, 3-0.
With the divisions expanding from four to seven, Eastwood is in Division V.
