One More Week Until A Richland County Softball Power Poll Champion Is Crowned

MANSFIELD — One more week.

That is all it will be until a 2025 Richland County Softball Power Poll champion is crowned. As we enter the final week of the regular season, we also enter tournament play, so there is still a lot on the line. Two teams have already clinched league championships, with two more having a chance to grab theirs this week. And, sectional championships are on the line for a majority of teams.

Let's check out this week's standings before one of the biggest weeks of the entire season.

POSTSEASON SCHEDULE: It's Tourney Time: Here is the 2025 MNJ Spring Sports Postseason Schedule

10. Mansfield Senior (0-12)

The Tygers took a 16-0 loss to Lexington in their only game since the last power poll. It was the eighth time they were shut out in the 2025 season. They have a two-game series with Wooster, a makeup game with Lexington, a road game with Bucyrus and a Division III sectional championship game at Ashland all on the schedule this week. A win sure would close out the season on a high note.

9. Plymouth (5-17)

The Big Red dropped their last four games by a combined 50-2 with two losses to Crestview (14-0 and 17-0), one to Seneca East (12-0) and one to Western Reserve (7-2). That makes 11 losses in a row for the Big Red, which still has a game with Western Reserve left to play before traveling to Seneca East for a Division VII sectional final game in Thursday.

8. Mansfield Christian (5-13)

The Flames went 1-2 since the last power poll. They lost to St. Paul 17-5 before falling to Genoa Christian 4-2 in Game 1 of a doubleheader and salvaging a split with a 17-7 win in Game 2. Bailee Nelson did have 18 strikeouts in the first game against Genoa in the loss. In the win, Emma Docherty and Kaci Pollard both had two hits and one RBI apiece. Addie Keller had a hit and three RBIs while Ayla Wilson added a hit and two RBIs. Nelson had five more strikeouts in two innings of relief. The Flames have a final regular-season game at home against Hiland on Friday, but first, they travel to Wynford for a Division VI sectional final on Wednesday.

7. Lucas (6-10)

The Cubs lost their two nonconference games since the last power poll, falling to South Central 19-4 and Loudonville 15-6. They finish the regular season 6-10, but the six wins were all in Mid-Buckeye Conference play, leading them to a league championship. They host South Central on Thursday in a Division VII sectional championship game where they will try to get a piece of revenge.

6. Shelby (14-10)

The Whippets took a couple of heartbreaking losses to Ontario since the last power poll, falling 9-5 and 2-1 in the Mid-Ohio Athletic Conference series. The Whippets have a week to regroup. They earned a bye right into the district semifinals on May 20, but they picked up a Friday game at home against Mapleton to stay in game mode before the postseason starts.

5. Clear Fork (13-9)

The Colts went 2-1 since the last power poll, splitting with Highland with a 7-2 win before an 8-7 loss. Then, they beat Northmor 5-3 to round out the week. Katrina Rogers is starting to really heat up after a slow start to the early part of the season when she was coming off of knee surgery. She had two hits and two RBIs in the win over Highland and three hits and two RBIs in the win over Northmor. The Colts have a crucial stretch this week. They host Upper Sandusky in a Division IV sectional championship game before a massive two-game series against River Valley. The Colts sit a game back of RV in the loss column of the MOAC standings. If the Colts can sweep RV this week, they will share the league title with Ontario. If they drop just one, they fall just short—nothing like playing for a sectional and league championship in a three-day stretch.

4. Madison (16-6)

The Rams may have gone 0-4 since the last power poll, but it is so hard to punish them severely for it. They lost to Dover, the No. 1 team in the final Ohio High School Softball Coaches Division III Poll, twice by scores of 5-1 and 16-3. Then, they fell to Mount Vernon, the No. 8 team in Division II, in a close one, 4-2. Then, they dropped a 5-2 decision to Marysville, a Division I team that won the Ohio Capital Conference Cardinal Division. The Rams aren’t shying away from competition, and last week will be looked at as a major reason why they have a long tournament run and lock up a league title this week. They have Ashland twice, where one win will grab at least a share of the Ohio Cardinal Conference title, and two will win it outright. Then, they square off against Ontario on Friday for a final test before entering postseason play next week.

3. Ontario (16-7)

The Warriors went 2-1 since the last power poll, sweeping Shelby 9-5 and 2-1 before seeing their nine-game winning streak snapped with a 5-3 loss to Ashland. In the Game 1 win over Shelby, Ellie Dawson, Kennedy Weiler and Morgan Pearson all crushed home runs, leading to a powerful win. In the 2-1 victory, Dawson slugged two solo shots for all the offense the Warriors would need. Dawson now leads all of Richland County with 10 home runs on the season. Not bad for a freshman. The Warriors now have 29 home runs on the season as they hope the long ball leads them to a Division IV sectional championship win over Vermilion before they play Madison on Friday for Richland County bragging rights.

2. Lexington (19-2)

Lady Lex won both of its games since the last power poll, beating Mansfield Senior 16-0 and Fredericktown, the same team that handed Crestview one of its two losses in a doubleheader split, 7-2. In the win over the Freddies, Addy Williams hit a home run and collected two RBIs while freshman Marina Molton had a three-hit game. Lex travels to Norwalk on Wednesday for a tourney tune-up game before traveling to Mansfield Senior on Friday in a makeup game. We were supposed to see Lexington square off against Crestview that day, but an OCC game takes precedence. Maybe we will see it in the middle of the postseason as both teams try to stay fresh during a long tournament run.

1. Crestview (18-2)

The Cougars wrapped up at least a share of the Firelands Conference championship with three league wins since the last power poll. They cruised past Plymouth twice, 14-0 and 17-0, before clinching against New London with an 11-1 win. They have outscored Firelands Conference opponents 136-19 so far this season and have nine FC wins where they allowed one or fewer runs in a game. They still have two more to play against St. Paul, where just one win will clinch an outright FC crown, ending Monroeville’s three-year run at the top. First, they play Willard in a Division V sectional championship game as they try to exercise some postseason demons that have haunted them of late. The Cougars are playing well right now, and it should be a fun tournament run ahead.

Last Week’s Rankings

10. Mansfield Senior

9. Plymouth

8. Mansfield Christian

7. Lucas

6. Clear Fork

5. Shelby

4. Ontario

3. Lexington

2. Madison

1. Crestview

This article originally appeared on Mansfield News Journal: Huge week ahead will have major Richland County Softball Power Poll implications