Walking toward the softball fields Wednesday at LaGrange Community Park, there was Keystone softball coach Jim Piazza.
He was obviously tired, carrying a pack of soda after a tough day of
maintaining the fields. The OGSO games were just beginning, but later I heard Piazza wasn’t feeling great. Still, he took time to make sure the fields were ready to play for the 11- and 12-year-old softball players participating in district tournament play that day.
That says something about the commitment many softball coaches have to their sport, and it’s a big reason why Lorain County teams consistently contend for state championships every year.
Rain or shine, Piazza made sure the fields were ready for his team during the high school season, and that didn¹t change for the teams he didn’t coach -- and also in this case, regardless if he was feeling good or bad.
Piazza wasn’t the only coach present. Midview’s Mike Ives and Oberlin’s Rick Twining are constant presences with their community¹s teams prevalent at the district tournaments. The same goes for Wellington and North Ridgeville, which both had multiple teams playing for a shot at the state tournament to be held next weekend.
Any teams that advance won¹t have to travel far. Wellington is the host for the OGSO state tournament, which means you¹ll see many of these area coaches working behind the scenes.
Rain or shine, sick or well.

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If high school softball draws any interest for you, be sure and check out this weekend’s district games and next week’s state games.
A big reason for Lorain County’s success in high school softball starts with these teams, which play girls as young as 9 all the way to 18 years old.
Much of the area’s softball talent got its start with OGSO, especially around Grafton, LaGrange and Wellington. All three of those community’s high school teams at least advanced to district championship games this spring.
District games at LaGrange Community Park conclude today at 6 p.m. and tomorrow at 1 p.m. State play begins July 19 in Wellington.

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Congratulations go out to Amherst’s Brandon Kish, who will attend Ball State on a football scholarship next year. Kish will join former Amherst teammate Alex Knipp at the school, and the reunion should definitely be one to watch.
When Kish was a freshman and Knipp was a senior, heralded for his speed, Kish was said to have beaten Knipp in 40-yard dashes on the track at Amherst.
Kish took over at running back as a sophomore after Knipp graduated. Last season, as a junior, Kish was bothered by injuries.
Here’s to a healthy senior season and, next year, a rematch on the track when Kish and Knipp are reunited.
mgoul@MorningJournal.com