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When the Edgewood softball team lost to West Geauga 7-3 in a Division IV softball district final at Ursuline College last month, it ended the Warriors season.
It also closed the Edgewood careers of Luci Paolillo, Addy Lamson, Natalie Ianetta and Heaven Rivera.
This group, along with their teammates, helped the Warriors win a third Chagrin Valley Conference Lake Division title in the last four years in the 2026 season.
It also helped Randy Vencill capture his third-straight Ashtabula County Softball Coach of the Year, as voted on by the county coaches.
"It's more of a staff award," he said. "It's a culmination of our seniors and kind of the legacy they left for this school. It was the whole journey."
The Warriors ended the season 18-4 overall, 10-0 in the conference. They claimed a sectional title, before falling to the Wolverines at Ursuline College.
"Our goal was to win all the county games, then conference, sectional and district, where we were runner-up," Vencill said. "We accomplished a lot of those goals."
In the game against WG, the Wolverines rallied from a 3-0 deficit with four runs in the fourth and three in the sixth.
"Softball is a game of inches," Vencill said. "You have to do the fundamental things. That's the difference between good teams and great teams."
After reaching the district final a year, losing to Perry 5-3, Vencill felt good about his team entering the 2026 season.
"We went to state last year and watched, and said to our team that we weren't that far away," Vencill said. "We competed, we were a hit or a play away."
Vencill said a trip to Florida at the end of March helped the team.
"We played state championship teams from West Virginia and Minnesota and saw some good competition," he said. "Those games gave us a catapult into the season."
With one loss in Florida, Edgewood returned to Ohio and didn't sustain another one until a 3-1 defeat to Perry May 9.
The Pirates reached the D-IV regional tournament.
The Warriors also fell to Maplewood 2-1 May 14.
The Rockets advanced to the D-VII state title game, where they dropped a 3-0 decision to Portsmouth Notre Dame to place second.
Edgewood ended up defeating Jefferson three times, 7-5 April 23 and 6-3 May 7 in the regular season, before claiming an 11-1 six-inning victory in the tournament.
Vencill was appreciative of his staff of Chad Paolillo, Jim Lamson, Jason Aponte, Matt Ianetta, Amanda Toth and Bubba Vencill.
"We're a pretty well-oiled machine," Vencill said. "We keep each other accountable. I trust them."
This spring, Vencill's son, Randy, played for the Warriors boys tennis team, so the head coach had to juggle his schedule.
Also the Edgewood girls basketball coach, Vencill said getting the chance to interact with the players through games, practices, bus rides and other events, softball or not softball related, is second to none.
"You see a group go through, then two more show up and you see them through, then two more show up, etc ... " he said. "All the memories, win, lose or draw. We want to do things the right way."
The early prospects for 2027 look promising for the Warriors.
"We have some hitters back, like Carly Tracy, Carly Kray, Haylee Rhodes, Sydney Miller and Faith Vencill," coach Vencill said.
But the coach knows the replacements for pitcher Paolillo, catcher Ianetta and shortstop Lamson, will be an adjustment.
Joslyn Newbold and Whitney Reed are being looked at for pitching, while Tracy, Emma Toth and Lilly Walker appear to be strong candidates for the catching position.
"The girls filling in will be younger," Vencill said. "There's no doubt the girls will work hard and we won't skip a beat."
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It also closed the Edgewood careers of Luci Paolillo, Addy Lamson, Natalie Ianetta and Heaven Rivera.
This group, along with their teammates, helped the Warriors win a third Chagrin Valley Conference Lake Division title in the last four years in the 2026 season.
It also helped Randy Vencill capture his third-straight Ashtabula County Softball Coach of the Year, as voted on by the county coaches.
"It's more of a staff award," he said. "It's a culmination of our seniors and kind of the legacy they left for this school. It was the whole journey."
The Warriors ended the season 18-4 overall, 10-0 in the conference. They claimed a sectional title, before falling to the Wolverines at Ursuline College.
"Our goal was to win all the county games, then conference, sectional and district, where we were runner-up," Vencill said. "We accomplished a lot of those goals."
In the game against WG, the Wolverines rallied from a 3-0 deficit with four runs in the fourth and three in the sixth.
"Softball is a game of inches," Vencill said. "You have to do the fundamental things. That's the difference between good teams and great teams."
After reaching the district final a year, losing to Perry 5-3, Vencill felt good about his team entering the 2026 season.
"We went to state last year and watched, and said to our team that we weren't that far away," Vencill said. "We competed, we were a hit or a play away."
Vencill said a trip to Florida at the end of March helped the team.
"We played state championship teams from West Virginia and Minnesota and saw some good competition," he said. "Those games gave us a catapult into the season."
With one loss in Florida, Edgewood returned to Ohio and didn't sustain another one until a 3-1 defeat to Perry May 9.
The Pirates reached the D-IV regional tournament.
The Warriors also fell to Maplewood 2-1 May 14.
The Rockets advanced to the D-VII state title game, where they dropped a 3-0 decision to Portsmouth Notre Dame to place second.
Edgewood ended up defeating Jefferson three times, 7-5 April 23 and 6-3 May 7 in the regular season, before claiming an 11-1 six-inning victory in the tournament.
Vencill was appreciative of his staff of Chad Paolillo, Jim Lamson, Jason Aponte, Matt Ianetta, Amanda Toth and Bubba Vencill.
"We're a pretty well-oiled machine," Vencill said. "We keep each other accountable. I trust them."
This spring, Vencill's son, Randy, played for the Warriors boys tennis team, so the head coach had to juggle his schedule.
Also the Edgewood girls basketball coach, Vencill said getting the chance to interact with the players through games, practices, bus rides and other events, softball or not softball related, is second to none.
"You see a group go through, then two more show up and you see them through, then two more show up, etc ... " he said. "All the memories, win, lose or draw. We want to do things the right way."
The early prospects for 2027 look promising for the Warriors.
"We have some hitters back, like Carly Tracy, Carly Kray, Haylee Rhodes, Sydney Miller and Faith Vencill," coach Vencill said.
But the coach knows the replacements for pitcher Paolillo, catcher Ianetta and shortstop Lamson, will be an adjustment.
Joslyn Newbold and Whitney Reed are being looked at for pitching, while Tracy, Emma Toth and Lilly Walker appear to be strong candidates for the catching position.
"The girls filling in will be younger," Vencill said. "There's no doubt the girls will work hard and we won't skip a beat."
Continue reading...
