GREENVILLE – Lady Wave Softball completed three consecutive days of intersquad scrimmages Wednesday before traveling to Carlisle for a Thursday night scrimmage, the team’s first of the 2025 season.
“It will be fun. I am so excited for it,” said veteran Greenville Lady Wave softball coach Jerrod Newland. “It should be a fun spring. Hopefully win 35 games.”
It’s no surprise that Greenville has another great girls’ high school softball season on the horizon. When growing up in Greenville, that’s what many girls do.
LWSB returns three seniors: second baseman No. 5 Kylar Arnett a 2024 MVL First Team player), No. 13 pitcher Morgan Thompson and No. 21 pitcher Zoey Burns, a two-time All-Ohio First Team player. The seniors enter the 2025 season with an 81-16 career record.
Greenville veteran coach Jerrod Newland returns as the MVL’s Coach of the Year for the umpteenth time and sports a Who’s Who staff with two High School All-Americans, Justine Shilt and Ally “Russell” Bowers, each of whom went on to play Division I college softball. Denny Ruble, Tom Cromwell, Carol Paul, Ryan Brubaker, and Greg Newland (owner of 400 high school head varsity softball coaching wins) round out the Lady Wave Softball staff.
“It’s as good as it gets,” Newland said of his coaching staff. “Everybody, all eight of us, we all competitively push kids and get better. We get a lot done each day at practice. We competitively push each other, and as coaches, we require each other to get better.”
“You look out here today, you have the eighth grade over there going at it for two hours, you have the seventh grade going out there, you have the little 12U team going at it, it’s just a great day for Greenville Softball. We’re proud of where we’re at, where we’ve been. “It’s been a fun ride, and just can’t wait to have spring. It’s going to be an awesome ride and fun for a lot of people.”
“Most Lady Wave Softball players all have the fundamental skill set that makes them fundamentally sound in a lot of things,” Newland added. “Everybody has a lot of tools, and it’s our job as coaches to find the kids and the right pieces to put in the hole. We have a lot of square pieces we try to put in some round holes and get it fine-tuned, but it’s March, and I’m sure we will be good by May.”
The Lady Wave plays in the competitive Miami Valley League (MVL), where LWSB has won most of the League Titles (MVL & GWOC) over the past 20 seasons, including the past four with records of 18-0 (2021) and 17-1 the past three years.
“A lot of good teams,” Newland said of the MVL. “We compete, we’re everybody’s bullseye. The schedule comes out, and there are 27 games on it. I circle none, and everybody else circles us, so we just go out and play, and it will be fun. A lot of good teams. The conference is top-heavy again with Butler, Troy, Tipp, Piqua, and Fairborn, solid top half that can beat you any given day for the MVL trophy.”
“Everybody is here to play,” he continued. “Everybody in the league (MVL) can beat anybody any day. Last year, we stubbed our toe against Butler once. It will be some great teams. There are five or six teams in this league that can beat anybody any given day, and this year with us being DIII, we’ll see many of those teams for the third time this year, which will be interesting.”
The 2025 Lady Wave pitching staff lines up as one of the state’s deepest and best lineups.
“Former All-American back helping this year,” Newland noted. “Ally, she and I have been in contact for years. I’m excited for her, and I’m excited for the pitching staff. We have 5-to-7 kids who can throw, and I like where we’re at on the mound. Bringing Ally back, just seeing her and Justine Shilt, two former All-Americans out here helping, is just great, and the future is so bright, and just love where we’re at, and it’s going to be awesome the next few years around here.”
The three days of inter-squad scrimmages brought good crowds to Lady Wave Softball Stadium each day to get a look at what the 2025 Greenville Senior High School program has in store.
“Sun’s out, it’s a great week,” Newland said. “We have been out here three straight days going at it, and tomorrow (Thursday), we get to go to Carlisle, and then Friday Kenton Ridge here. Hopefully, we will go again on Saturday—just a fun week. I’m sure we will pay for this weather later in April, it’s 36 degrees, nasty and blustery, but just awesome to get out and play. We put in nine hours this week, and the cream rises to the top. It’s competitive competition; we love where we’re at. We’re 19 strong this year, and the main thing is that we have 17-18 kids competing to play.”
“It’s been good crowds; we should be running 50-50’s at some of these,” Coach Newland said with a chuckle. “It’s just a breath of fresh air for Greenville City Schools and competitive. Multiple people stop out and have questions and things, and I just say, hey, we have great kids, 15-17 years old, that come out here and compete daily. My job as the coach is to put the best product on the field to represent Greenville City Schools and win – that’s the goal, Akron or bust.”
“Friday we will be here against a good Kenton Ridge team and next Tuesday we’ll go against a good Minster group, and opening day next Saturday,” Coach Newland concluded.
2024 Lady Wave High School Softball Roster
FRESHMEN:
No. 1 Reese Stewart (C/1B); No. 3 Caleigh Stebbins (OF/C); No. 6 Brianna Klosterman (INF/P); No. 7 Leah Force (SS/3B); No. 15 Ella Oswalt (P/1B); No. 18 Riley Thomas (C/3B); No. 22 Karstyn Davidson (C)
SOPHOMORES:
No. 2 Lizzy Shaffer (P/1B); No. 9 Cara Blumenstock (2B/OF); No. 12 Carlee Yundt (OF); No. 17 Rylie Pfledderer (3B/1B); No. 20 Cloe Shuttleworth (1B/OF); No. 23 Rielynn Davidson (1B/OF)
JUNIORS:
No. 4 Lily Brubaker (SS/3B); No. 8 Jaelyn Christman (OF/3B); No. 11 Kendall Cromwell (C)).
SENIORS:
No. 5 Kylar Arnett (2B); No. 19 Morgan Thompson (P/C); No. 21 Zoey Burns (P/1B).
