SYCAMORE — When Mohawk hosts Bucyrus on the softball diamond Saturday morning, it carries more significance than just another Northern 10 Athletic Conference contest.
It will mark a milestone for both programs. The Lady Red and Lady Warriors both began interscholastic play in 1974, with this season marking a half-century of competition.
The game is at 11 a.m. at the Sycamore American Legion Ball Field with ceremonies planned. All former Mohawk and Bucyrus players and coaches are invited back for a reunion event.
Firmly established
Head coach Mindy (Davidson) Walton has deep roots within the program.
“Mohawk softball is near and dear to my heart. I can remember growing up and having my heart set on two goals: to play varsity as a freshman, and to get my picture on the all-Ohio wall at school. I was able to accomplish both of those,” she said.
She batted .425 in 1999 for a team that lost to Colonel Crawford in the district finals. She was honorable mention all-Ohio and first team all-league her senior year.
Walton was a catcher and she played one season at the University of Findlay.
“I can remember watching the state game in 1994 (as an eighth grader) and dreaming of being on that field. We unfortunately did not make it there in my high school years.
“But I was on the coaching staff of our 2005 state team, and my dad was on the coaching staff of our 2003 team,” she said.
Walton lost her father to cancer in March.
“This season will be my first ever without him on the sidelines or in the dugout. My dad is one reason I was able to achieve my goals as a player. He also gave me coaching advice once in a while,” she said.
Birth of a program
The genesis for the Mohawk program came when several girls approached first-year art teacher Vicki Parker and expressed an interest in forming a softball team.
At that point, a fledgling track program was also beginning at the Wyandot County school, according to Jeffrey Garber, who compiled an official record book for the school that’s loaded with statistics and milestones.
Bucyrus won the first contest (no score provided), and Mohawk took the second one, 11-7. There was no formal schedule that spring and although a few other games were played, scores were not recorded.
In 1975 Mohawk went 7-2 and topped Bucyrus twice by scores of 19-13 and 10-9. Jody Weininger is credited with the pitching wins.
Parker coached the team through 1983 and compiled an 83-36 record.
Title town
In all, Mohawk has 21 league crowns combined in the Midland Athletic League and the Northern 10 Athletic Conference, 16 district titles and four regional championships.
The school has made four state tournament appearances. It had a runner-up finish in 1994 and captured state titles in 2003 and 2005.
The 2003 squad, under head coach Jenny Weinandy, went 30-1 and 10-0 in the now defunct MAL.
A 6-1 victory over Convoy Crestview gave Mohawk its first title. The winning pitcher was Aubrey Walton, who won 24 games in the circle that year.
Walton went 43-0 during one stretch of her pitching career and earned a spot in Sports Illustrated’s Faces in the Crowd.
Its sole loss was a 6-0 loss to Loudonville early in the season. Walton and Christa Coppus earned first-team all-league honors and Coppus was second team all-Ohio. She batted .536 with 60 hits and 47 RBI.
After a 22-4 season (10-0 in the MAL) in 2004 and a 3-2 regional loss to Woodsfield Monroe Central, Weinandy’s team returned to the state tourney the next spring.
This time the Lady Warriors amassed a 31-2 mark, another 10-0 league record and won the state crown, 1-0, over Chillicothe Zane Trace. Calli Coppus picked up the win, her 28th of the season.
The next two seasons Convoy Crestview defeated Mohawk in the regionals, 4-1 and 9-0. The team was 48-7 during the 2006-2007 seasons.
Record setters
· Christa Coppus batted .551 with 5 home runs and 55 RBI. She was chosen first team all-Ohio.
· Calli Coppus holds the record for career hits with 222 from 2003-2006. Christa Coppus’ 153 RBI is a school record achieved between 2002-2005.
· On the mound Shanna Strang recorded 74 pitching wins. She piled up 887 strikeouts from 1991-1994, with 288 coming in her senior year.
Amy Hosterman was the first all-Ohioan from Mohawk in 1986, earning a spot on the second team. The next season she was a first-team selection.
More recently, pitcher Bailey Sheets was a first-team choice in 2022 and a second team pick in 2023. She won 21 games in the circle in 2021 and 2022. Sheets recorded 500-plus strikeouts for her career.
The Lady Warriors were a combined 42-12 in those two seasons. Those teams lost in the regionals; 7-5 to West Unity Hilltop and 5-4 to Lincolnview, respectively.
800-win milestone, pride
Weinandy was 306-84 in her 15 seasons spanning 2000-2014.
Carl Long was 189-63 from 1988-98, Dennis Shoemaker went 37-5 in 1986-87 and Bo Trusty 55-24 in 2015-17.
Both Weinandy and Long are members of the Ohio High School Softball Coaches Hall of Fame.
Walton entered this season with an 89-40 mark. She took over the program in 2018 and lost the 2020 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I take tremendous pride in our softball program at Mohawk. We have a tradition of excellence, and it’s part of my job as the head coach to keep that tradition alive,” Walton said.
Overall, Mohawk brought a record of 804 wins and 276 losses into the 2024 campaign. Win number 800 came at home on April 19, 2023, topping Wynford, 13-3.
Those 800-plus wins are the most in Northwest Ohio, making the program the ninth winningest in the state.
She credits many others for being heavily invested in the program over the past half-century.
“We have amazing support from the community and from the parents of girls who come through our program. One of the reasons Mohawk softball has done so well is because of the parents and coaches who support and prepare the girls for high school softball,” Walton said.
“Mohawk softball is infectious. One of the things I talk to my players about on a regular basis is the pride we take in wearing this uniform. I am honored to be involved in the 50th year celebration of Mohawk softball.”