Cavs sweep Dream Team honors

In just two seasons, Madison Wendel has rewritten much of the Coldwater softball record book.

And she still has two years to go.

The Cavalier sophomore pitcher is the overwhelming choice for the 2022 Daily Standard Dream Team Softball Player of the Year in pitching and hitting the Cavaliers to the most wins in school history and their first Midwest Athletic Conference title since 2008.

Wendel, who was also named the MAC's Softball Player of the year, began getting noticed during the truncated summer session after COVID-19 wiped out the 2020 campaign.

As a freshman, Wendel was 16-8 with a 2.40 earned run average and a school-record 227 strikeouts as Coldwater went 19-9. At the plate, Wendel batted .455 and set a school season record with 10 home runs, which also tied her with former teammate Molly Steinke for most career home runs.

As a sophomore, she only got better. In the circle, Wendel dominated, going 23-2 with an ERA of 1.29. In 26 appearances, Wendel struck out 278 batters, becoming just the fourth MAC pitcher to reach 500 career strikeouts. With 505 strikeouts, Wendel is could easily reach second place next season and make a run at former Marion Local ace Dana Hartings' 766 punchouts on the all-time list.

Then there's her work at the plate. Wendel batted .452, became the Cavaliers' all-time home run leader and broke her own season record with 11 home runs to go with 29 RBI out of the lead-off spot in the batting order.

As Wendel went, so went the Cavaliers, finishing 23-3 overall - the most wins in a season in school history - and 7-0 in the conference. The title was the first since 2008 and first outright title since 2000. The Cavaliers reached the district semifinals for the first time since 2017.

Among the other milestones set by Wendel this season was fanning 19 batters in a game twice, breaking the 20-year old record of 18 set by Cavalier great and former coach Katie (Harlamert) Berno in 2002. Wendel struck out 19 against South Adams and then, in a marquee matchup with another strikeout ace in St. Marys' Karsyn McGlothen, fanned 19 in a 3-2 win over the Roughriders at the appropriately-named Strikeout for Cancer Classic (McGlothen, who joins Wendel on the Dream Team, fanned nine).

COACH OF THE YEAR

In his first year as head coach in 2021, Kyle Ahrens guided the Cavaliers to a 10-win improvement after missing the 2020 season due to the pandemic.

With an experienced team, Ahrens came up with a gem of a sophomore season.

Ahrens' work in guiding Coldwater to the most wins in a season in school history earns him the Dream Team Coach of the Year award.

Coming into the season after going 19-9 and 5-2 in the MAC, Ahrens had experience at key positions in the lineup with just 12 players in the program.

While Madison Wendel and catcher Claire Steinke (.414 batting average, 26 RBI) provided the bulk of the offense, with veterans like senior twins Macy and Maddie Sheffer playing shortstop and third base and classmate Grace Stammen at second, the Cavaliers suffered just two losses in the regular season - early in the season to defending Division IV state champion Bradford and a loss to Wapakoneta in the second game of a doubleheader later in the season - while picking up big non-conference wins over Bath and St. Marys. In the MAC, Coldwater allowed just 18 runs in seven conference matchups. Wendel pitched seven shutouts during the season before falling to Liberty-Benton in the district semifinals.

The season was an emotional one for Ahrens. His father Don, who served as a bus driver in the Coldwater school system for years, passed away in January. The younger Ahrens set up the Strikeout for Cancer Classic, originally to be a four-team event featuring St. Marys, Celina and Fort Recovery but canceled due to weather. The benefit took place the next week with St. Marys coming in for a single game, and Wendel gave the Cavaliers and coach Ahrens an emphatic win.

The Daily Standard's 2022 Softball Dream Team:
CATCHER
Claire Steinke, Coldwater
.414 avg., 10 doubles, 26 RBI

FIRST BASE
Paige Stephenson, Parkway
.462 avg., 11 doubles, 33 RBI

SECOND BASE
Rya Buschur, St. Henry
.244 avg., 14 runs, 15 stolen bases

THIRD BASE
Lauren Mestemaker, St. Henry
.379 avg., 2 doubles, 12 runs

SHORTSTOP
Chloey Grisez, Fort Recovery
.472 avg., 7 doubles, 27 runs

OUTFIELD
Madison Louth, Parkway
.540 avg., 36 runs, 25 stolen bases

Payton Bertke, Celina
.431 avg., 13 doubles, 35 RBI

Addi Inskeep, Minster
.467 avg., 5 home runs, 32 runs

DESIGNATED PLAYER
Lyndi Hemmelgarn, Minster
.394 avg., 11 doubles, 30 runs

UTILITY
Mikaela Hoskins, Minster
.409 avg., 7 doubles, 29 runs

PITCHERS
Madison Wendel, Coldwater
23-2, 1.29 ERA, 278 strikeouts

Karsyn McGlothen, St. Marys
12-7, 1.11 ERA, 213 strikeouts

HONORABLE MENTION
Celina: Carli Hathaway, Sydnee Davis
Coldwater: Macy Sheffer, Maddie Sheffer
Fort Recovery: Ella Schoen
Marion Local: Ashlyn Bohman
Minster: Savanah Bergman
New Bremen: Allison Hays, Alayna Ross
Parkway: Danielle Huff
St. Henry: Carlee Rethman
St. Marys: Renee Sweigart