GREENVILLE – The Greenville Lady Wave fast pitch softball program will receive yet another honor this Friday when State Representative Jim Buchy will present coach Jerrod Newland and members of the program with a certificate of accomplishment.
The presentation will take place between the junior varsity and varsity Lady Wave basketball contests with West Carrollton around 6:45.
The certificate comes as a result form the team’s Final Four appearance last spring at Akron Firestone Park. It was Greenville’s third appearance at the state level in the last four season and capped off a 29-5 season. In the last ten years, the Lady Wave has never failed to win at least 20 games.
This season the Lady Wave softball team has been invited to the prestigious Champion’s Challenge in Loudonville on April 26 and 27. This eight-team event is by invitation only and is limited to recent Final Four participants. This will be Greenville’s fourth appearance at the tournament.
Greenville has been paired initially with the Akron Springfield Spartans, a program featuring 12 Final Four appearances and seven championships. The game is set for Rhodes Field in the Loudonville park on April 26. at 5:30 p.m.
If Greenville wins their first game, they’ll take on the winner of the Massillon Perry Panthers and the Tallmadge Blue Devils match-up and will play the following afternoon at 2 p.m.
The other four teams invited are the Miami County Newton Indians, the Loudonville Redbirds, the Convoy Crestview Knights and the Colonel Crawford Eagles. The championship contest is set for that Saturday at 6 p.m.
Meanwhile, the Lady Wave’s home turf at Stebbins field is undergoing a sizable renovation which is slated for the regular season opener. The new facilities will include new dugouts, improved seating and a press box for video and radio play-by-play.
Head coach Jerrod Newland will be entering his 11th season at the helm of one of the leading softball programs in the state. Greenville is the defending GWOC North Division Champion and last season won the sectional, districts and the regional competitions.
Under Newland’s coaching, the Lady Wave has played 132 different opponents from six states and has won 265 times for an 84 percent win record.