Meet the Best of Northeast Ohio

CLEVELAND, Ohio — Natalie Susa had to watch her Walsh Jesuit softball teammates play without her last year. She watched from the dugout, recovering from a knee injury suffered early in the 2023 season.

The Minnesota rookie spent a full year rehabbing her ACL, able to throw during the preseason before finally being cleared to hit in May — a year to the day, she said, from when where his injury occurred.

“I was happy I was able to throw,” Susa said after Walsh Jesuit’s season ended against defending OHSAA Division I champion Austintown Fitch. “It was hard not being able to hit, but pitching, I was so happy.”

Susa returned to the circle in dominant fashion, leading the Warriors to an undefeated regular season and the No. 1 ranking in the Ohio High School Fastpitch Softball Coaches Association state poll and now being selected as the Softball Player of the Year by Cleveland.com. She pitched 102 innings with 187 strikeouts to just 24 walks and a 1.09 ERA.

Walsh finished 22-1.

“She’s been kind of our rock this year,” coach Tony Scibelli said. “We all see what she does in the circle, but it’s really what she does as a leader and a student-athlete. Just getting that back was a really big bonus for us.

In turn, Susa thanked her teammates for giving her motivation last year during her return.

“Going to practice was definitely what I was looking forward to because I knew every day they would be checking on me and texting me,” she said. “They were texting, ‘How was that test?’ They would ask me where I am. I wanted to be happy to tell them good news.

She added: “It pushed me. »

When Susa started throwing again last winter, she was throwing 50 pitches and gradually progressing. She finally managed to hit on May 11, starting with a simple base run before finally being able to hit again in time for the postseason.

While Walsh failed to reach the state final four in Akron, only one other team (Buckeye) among the teams in cleveland.com’s coverage area reached the elite eight in any of the four divisions of the OHSAA.

“I think our year together was the best it’s ever been,” Susa said. “It’s sad to leave, but I never want to change anything about how this year has gone.”

Check out the full Cleveland.com softball team, led by Susa, below:

PLAYER OF THE YEAR

Natalie Susa, Walsh Jesuit

Year: Senior

Position: Launcher

About Susa: She also made the state coaches association’s All-Ohio team in her comeback season, which included a 14-1 record in the circle with a 1.09 ERA and 187 strikeouts. batting for 24 walks.

PITCHERS

McKennah Metzger, Aurora

Year: Senior

About Metzger: She finished with a school-record 20 wins, helping Aurora advance to the Division II regional semifinals against Canfield. Metzger was as good with the bat as she was in the circle. She set the school record with 20 career home runs, including 14 this season with 61 RBIs and a .641 batting average. His arm compiled a 20-1 record with a 1.07 ERA and 135 strikeouts.

Anna Wise, Brecksville-Broadview Heights

Year: Senior

About the wise men: Also an All-Ohio pick from the state coaches association, Wise led the Bees back to the Division I regionals. They won the Suburban League National Conference, finishing 21-8 overall. Wise compiled a 1.01 ERA with 152 strikeouts to 20 walks. She also hit .597 with 37 RBIs.

Honorable mention: Naomi Bottomlee, North Ridgeville, Jr.; Katie Gardner, Mogadore, sr. ; Lilly Young, Buckeye, fr.

SENSOR

Caleigh Shaulis, Walsh Jesuit

Year: Junior

About Shaulis: Another All-Ohio pick, Shaulis is a Kent State commit. She hit .569 with two home runs and 27 RBIs. Defensively, Shaulis finished with a .996 defensive percentage.

Honorable mention: Jessica Conner, Catholic from Elyria, Fr.; Lexi Gray, Tallmadge, Sr. ; Emi Jeras, Riverside, Jr.; Sophie Schechterman, Aurora, jr.; Ally Williams, Berea-Midpark, jr.

INFIELDS

McKayla McGee, Walsh Jesuit

Year: Junior

About McGee: A year ago, McGee stepped into the pitching circle to lead the Walsh Jesuit regional final. She played third base this year for the Warriors and earned all-district honors from the coaches. McGee, an Akron commit, also hit .485 with eight home runs and a team-high 38 RBIs. She scored 16 points and posted a defensive percentage of .885 defensively.

Sophie Retton, Aurore

Year: Junior

About Reton: With Metzger graduating, Retton will likely be Aurora’s next big pitcher in 2025. She hit .605 with four homers and 41 RBIs in this year’s regional.

Gianna Roth, Brecksville-Broadview Heights

Year: Junior

About Roth: Playing third base, Roth set the tone for Brecksville’s offense en route to another Suburban League crown and a run to the Sweet 16. She hit .475 with a team-high 30 plus 20 points products. Roth also stole 16 bases to lead the Bees.

Kasey Timko, North Ridgeville

Year: Senior

About Timko: A four-year starter, Timko helped the Rangers win four consecutive Southwest Conference championships. This year’s title run came with a new pitcher in Naomi Bottomlee, who took over in the circle from the outfield, and Timko held steady at shortstop as the team’s only senior the team.

Honorable mention: Ryann Allar, Medina, so.; Makenna Dorobek, Amherst, SO.; Alyssa Hochstetler, Akron Springfield, Sr.; Jordan Owca, Keystone, so.; Maddi Proud, Riverside, Fr.; Lily Tomashski, Midview, Sr. ; Faith Vlcek, Brunswick, Sr.

OUTFIELDS

Kristen Kelley, Amherst

Year: Senior

About Kelley: To finish his senior year with the Comets, Kelley hit a team-high .489 with 38 runs and 35 RBIs en route to a regional semifinal. Amherst (20-8) pushed defending OHSAA Division I champion Austintown Fitch to nine innings before a 2-1 loss. Kelley will play basketball at Merrimack College in Massachusetts.

Milana McCaleb, Riverside

Year: Senior

About McCaleb: The center fielder scored 37 runs and hit .418 for Riverside, which made its first Sweet 16 run since 2017. McCaleb also had 19 steals.

Sienna Tepley, Walsh Jesuit

Year: Senior

About Tepley: An Army recruit, Tepley hit .484 with two home runs and 11 RBIs. She scored 31 times with 21 steals to pace Walsh’s offense from the top spot. Defensively, Tepley posted a .929 defensive percentage while moving from third base to center field.

Honorable mention: Sienna DeMooy, Rocky River, Sr. ; Lauren Fischer, Avon, Jr. ; Taylor Gerring, Archbishop Hoban, Sr. ; Ava Gundling, Gilmour Academy, so.; Hannah Gurich, Keystone, Sr. ; Mak Kobetitsch, mentor, sr. ; Brooke Largent, Olmsted Falls, SO.; Destiny Ruggiero, Akron Springfield, Sr.; Leila Staszak, Tallmadge, jr. ; Rowan Weber, Brecksville-Broadview Heights, so.

COACH OF THE YEAR

Sam Petrash, Aurora

Aurora has won 47 games over the past two seasons, including a 24-2 mark this year that ended in the OHSAA Division II regional semifinals against eventual state champion Canfield. Petrash’s team swept the American Suburban League Conference, including a resounding sweep of defending D-II state champion Tallmadge.

Contact sports journalist Matt Goul on X (@mgoul), the sons (@mgoul) or email ([email protected]).