Serving Lucas, Ottawa, Sandusky and Wood Counties
Coach: Jennifer Noonan, 13th year
Last year: 10-10 (6-0 TAAC)
Key returning players: Lea Wauford (Sr., P/3B); Shealyn Nestor (Sr., SS/C); Kadience Karmol (Jr., C/SS)
In its final season in the Toledo Area Athletic Conference, Northwood is hoping to win its fifth-straight league title before leaving for the Sandusky Bay Conference.
The Rangers are led by Jennifer Noonan, now in her 13th season at the helm.
Lea Wauford, who is one of five seniors and six returning starters, hit .606 to go with five home runs and 41 RBIs while earning TAAC Player of the Year honors last year. In the circle, she was 10-8 with a 4.33 ERA, and she occasionally plays third. She will continue her career next year at Terra State Community College, where she'll play soccer and softball.
The other seniors are: first baseman Lizzie Caspar (.354, 24 RBIs), shortstop/catcher Shealyn Nestor (.357, 14 RBIs), third baseman/centerfielder Eden Schoch and centerfielder/pitcher Shelby Mercer.
Junior Kadience Karmol (.351, 1 HR, 26 RBIs) will play catcher or shortstop, sophomore Madison Huenefeld will see time as a utility player and pitcher, and the three freshmen are second baseman/pitcher Camryn Haas (2B/P), catcher/third baseman Averey Perlaky and second baseman/left fielder Emma Kirkpatrick.
Celina Gomez and Alex Sauseda are currently battling injuries.
"We have had a few scrimmages working on a few lineup variations," Noonan said. "We expect our underclassmen to complement our upperclassmen in the lineup."
Noonan has confidence in her best hitters.
"I expect Lea to play well," Noonan said. "Shealyn, Edon and Lizzie have had great preseason appearances at the plate with Edon hitting two inside-the-park home runs."
Noonan carries with her a career record of 129-120.
"Our team goals are to compete to win the TAAC and do well in the state tournament," she said. "I think the league will be competitive, and we need to play hard to win each game."
Next season, the Rangers will move to the SBC's River Division, which will provide more stability than the TAAC does. It's unclear what the future holds for the conference, which will also be losing Ottawa Hills to the SBC in 2026.
