Pictured Above: Seniors Zoe Tsikouris, Grace Landini, Haley Heitz, and Mrs. Crews.
The Lady Cadets from the Linsly softball team finished up their season with a record of 10-6. The girls worked hard all year and played in many close games. They started off their season with a tough loss to Brooke. The team was determined to continue to work hard and ended up being the number four seed in the Ohio Valley Athletic Conference for the 3A division. They played a tough game against Martins Ferry, but were unable to pull away with a win. After OVAC’s, the girls continued to work hard and ended the season with a win on senior night against Shadyside’s Lady Tigers.
The team had three seniors this year including Haley Heitz, Grace Landini, and Zoe Tsikouris. These three girls had a major impact on the team throughout the four years they played. On senior night, the three left some advice behind for their teammates. Zoe wanted to remind teammates to always be thankful for every opportunity to play and to put forth their best effort on and off the field. Haley wished to tell the other girls to not take anything for granted because it goes by quicker than you realize. Finally, Grace reminded the underclassmen to stay true to yourself and always put your best effort forward.
This season also marked the first year that Mr. Crews would not be on the side to help coach. The team truly missed him this year. In order to honor him, the team purchased hats as part of their uniform with the letters DC on the side. Mrs. Crews made an appearance on senior night to give the seniors their gifts and to wish them the best of luck in college and beyond.
The team overcame many challenges this year including injuries and bad weather. There were a fair amount of games canceled due to weather and field conditions, but the team persisted. They held indoor practices after school and on weekends and often played through the rough weather, including a double-header in the sleet and snow. The team grew very close throughout the season and although they are saying goodbye to the seniors, who they love dearly, the girls look forward to the years to come and are excited to welcome the new underclassmen next year.
