SYCAMORE — It was a day to celebrate a half-century of softball excellence with a proud Mohawk High School community.

Vicki Parker, coach of the 1974 Lady Warriors, was among those honored during a ceremony Saturday morning at American Legion Post 250 ballpark.

The former art teacher told the story of how she got the first team started.

“Three girls came to my door, and they asked me if we got a softball team together would you coach it. I said, ‘Sure, why not?’ I had played at Bluffton, and I was a shortstop. I’ve always played ball,” Parker said.

“They got enough girls, and I went to the building principal and said we are getting a team together to play ball. He talked it over with the board and they said OK; so, we scheduled a game to play.”

After several games had been played, Parker recalled she was summoned to the office.

“I was waiting for the other shoe to drop and thought maybe he was going to tell us to quit. Instead, he said, ‘Well, if you insist on playing ball, you can have the field in Sycamore, and you’ll have to clean it up.’ It was a really old field that they didn’t use anymore, and it was full of rocks and the backstop had about had it,” Parker said.

“We cleaned it up to make it presentable. Then they gave us all the boys old stuff.”

Parker said the girls wanted to compete and would play slow-pitch or fast pitch.

“They would play any kind of ball so they could get to play. They didn’t care,” she said.

There was no organized league at that point, just two years removed from Title IX and federal law that granted females equal opportunity to their male counterparts in all scholastic activities.

‘Seed that was planted’

“The area has always been rich in softball. When we started up the team at the high school, it was like a seed that was planted and grew,” she said.

“There was a league in Seneca County that played, but it wasn’t a school league. But we managed to weasel our way into that league so we could play (slow-pitch).”

A few other schools began to play.

“The first serious game we played was Bucyrus and they creamed us, absolutely killed us, the first time. Not so much the second time,” Parker said.

Ironically, the 6-1 win Saturday afternoon over Bucyrus marked win Number 821 for the program that is ninth in all-time wins in Ohio.

Balloons were set sail in memory of 10 former teammates and coaches who have passed away.

Recognition given

Individual teams, including the 2003 and 2005 state championship squads, were honored between innings. In all, Mohawk has 21 league crowns, 16 district titles and four regional championships.

A handful of members from the 1974 Bucyrus High School team were in attendance and recognized.

Athletic Director Amy Kozel gave opening remarks and Jeffrey Garber, who compiled an official record book for the school, served as master of ceremonies.

Throwing out the ceremonial first pitches were Parker and former pitcher Jody Weininger Karg.

“I was a slow-pitcher player. We started out in Skutch (McCutchenville) with a girls league. It was a lot of fun back then. With slow-pitch they hit the ball more back then. Everybody got to play,” she said.

“I was a pretty good hitter. We played each other in the girls league and combined everybody into one league to work as a team,” Karg said.

Nine former teammates also attended including Connie Flack Schar, Pat Bell Eyestone, Judy Houdeshell Domrose, Janet Scheid, Susan Burnside Tyrpak, Connie Ekleberry Gibson, Diane Hannum Stine, Anita Ludwig, and Leigh Moore Beidelschies.

“I can’t believe it’s been 50 years.”

Sport’s growth

Mohawk head coach Mindy Walton appreciated the ceremonies.

“You really don’t realize what you have until you go to some other places … and you realize the records they have, how many years ago they started playing softball. You don’t realize that when you’re a part of this,” she said.

“Today was pretty humbling. It was good to be back as a coach. If I would have known what I know now coaching, as a player I’m sure I would have been 100 percent better.”

Parker coached for 11 years and has watched the game grow while remaining in Wyandot County.

“The goal that I had personally was to make it an NCC (North Central Conference) sport, which is the league that we were involved with at that time. As everything developed and by the early ’80s they came up with sectionals and districts,” she said.

“Title IX meant we had to have everything the boys did. Girls sports are important. These girls will come back and say do you remember this or that happened. And that makes me feel good because we had a lot of work trying to get it started. It didn’t just fall in our laps, let me tell ya.”