Consistency has been a key for this year’s softball team. The varsity team is 13-7 this year, improving their record from last year’s 14-10. They currently sit third in the Federal League. The JV team finished their season with a record of 11-8.
While each member of both teams has shown perseverance this season in the Federal League, senior Olivia Renicker has been a steady presence on the varsity team, hitting well this season and capturing 100 career hits for high school.
Olivia Renicker
Renicker is a four-year member of the GlenOak Varsity Softball team. Renicker has been playing softball since she was 7-years-old and plays offseason for her travel team, USSSA Pride Blue.
When Renicker was younger, her brother played baseball. Her dad thought she might as well be put into softball, and then she just fell in love with it.
Renicker’s biggest role model is her parents.
“They’ve always been there for me, and I could probably count on one hand the amount of games that they have missed,” Renicker said.
Renicker has had a great season so far. She is a starting third baseman typically batting third in the lineup, with a batting average of .538 and 28 hits on the season, four of which being over the fence homeruns. She has an on-base percentage of .586 with 29 RBI’s. This season, she also accomplished over 100 career hits.
As a good luck charm before games, Renicker always drinks an Alani, and when throwing with her throwing partner, Hannah Eksmith, she always grabs the ball. Also, to prepare for games, she works hard at practice.
“I try to practice the same way that I play, and if I make any errors in practice, I keep going until I’m happy with how I played,” Renicker said.
Her top goal for this season is for the team to win districts and continue on into regionals. She says that this year they have a very good team dynamic, the best of her high school career. She says the thing she will miss most about this season is her teammates.
Renicker’s favorite position to play is third base.
“I like third base because I feel like I get a lot of things hit at me and then I can always talk to the pitchers whenever they need something to calm them down,” Renciker said.
During the offseason, Renicker has a hitting coach whom she goes to once a week. She also tries to get reps of hitting and fielding on her own by going to indoor facilities. Renicker is going to continue her softball career after high school at Northwood University.
Riley Tolin
This season, for the past two years, sophomore Riley Tolin has shown a lot of growth.
Riley Tolin, has been playing GlenOak softball for two years. She is primarily a pitcher but is a utility player, able to play any position on the field. Though her favorite position is pitching.
“I just got put there randomly one day, and I liked it,” Tolin said.
So far this season, Tolin has thrown 50 strikeouts and only seven walks.
Tolin is a leadoff hitter, batting .510 with 26 hits, 11 RBI’s and an on-base percentage of .609.
She feels that her best game this season was a win against Revere. In that game, Tolin had 10 strikeouts, only giving up three hits and two runs over five innings. She also had two hits, scoring once.
Her favorite memory from this season is coming back against Green in the seventh inning and winning 15-10.
Tolin has been playing softball since she was 4-years-old. She grew up watching her sister play softball and was inspired to do the same. In the offseason, Tolin plays for her travel team, Ohio Lightning.
Tolin’s biggest role model is her coach, Brittany Shankel.
“She always pushes me to be my best and makes me give all the effort I can,” Tolin said.
Tonight, the varsity team will take on Medina in the first tournament game of the playoffs. The game is at Medina High School and starts at 5 p.m.
