LEXINGTON — The new generation of fans may not know it, but Ohio softball royalty awaits Lexington in the regional semifinals.
Lady Lex (27-2) will meet Akron Springfield (18-7) in the late game of a Division II regional semifinal doubleheader at 5 p.m. Wednesday at Shelby High School.
Only a handful of programs in the state can rival Springfield’s pedigree.
The Spartans have reached the Final Four 11 times in program history and, during a remarkable streak from 1988 to 1995, won seven big-school titles in eight seasons — and took runner-up honors in the other year.
Those teams were coached by Ray Fowler and featured pitching luminary Alanna Barker, who was the winning pitcher in four straight championship games (1992-1995).
Fowler coached Springfield to its first state title in 1978. The Spartans returned to state in 2005 and won their ninth and most recent state crown.
Springfield is back in the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2005 after a 10-2 win over Firelands in last week’s Division II Cuyahoga Community College district final in Parma. The Spartans scored five unearned runs off four Firelands errors.
Meanwhile, Lexington is in the regional tournament for the second time in three years.
Lady Lex won a district title in 2022 and reached the regional final before falling to Oak Harbor.
Lexington played in the regional tournament five times in six years from 2001 to 2006 and made its only state tournament appearance in 2002. Lady Lex returned to the regional in 2011.
Lexington punched its ticket to the Shelby regional with district wins over Richland County rivals Ontario and Clear Fork by identical 7-1 scores.
Makaree Chapman, the recently-crowned Ohio Cardinal Conference Pitcher of the Year, was the pitcher of record in both district wins. The left-hander improved to 18-2 when Lady Lex locked up the Ohio Cardinal Conference crown with a 6-1 win at Madison on Monday.
“This is what we’ve been working for all season,” Chapman said after the district final win over Clear Fork. “I can’t wait to keep it rolling and keeping pushing ourselves.”
Speedy leadoff hitter Jillian Morr is Lexington’s offensive catalyst. The senior was a combined 5-for-7 with six runs scored in two district playoff games and took an extra-base whenever the opportunity presented itself.
“We like to put pressure on people,” Morr said. “Taking extra bases is how we score.”
Coach Todd Galownia agreed.
“It’s always our emphasis. Play fast and make (the opponent) make mistakes,” Galownia said after the district semifinal victory over Ontario.
“We’ve got some phenomenal base-runners. We like to get the ball in play and take the extra base.”