Honey Badgers softball team heads to NSA World Series
Top Row: Mikensi Ehlinger, Coach Chris Werntz, Mikala Ehlinger, Emma Anderson, Peyton Werntz, Claire Warschauer, Jessica Hartsock, Coach Nikole Werntz, Shelby Byland, Coach Lisa Green; Bottom Row: Kelsie Williamson, Kelsey Hartsock, Melanie Giffin, Bailey Bowman.
WARSAW – The Honey Badgers, a local 14U fast-pitch travel softball team, is made up of 11 young athletes who are in their fourth season. The team is coached by Chris and Nikole Werntz, along with Lisa Green. All of the girls attend the River View school district. This season is off to a great start. In May, they were number one seed in the Celine Wyatt tournament in Zanesville and placed second at the Firefighter Memorial Tournament in Columbus out of 20 teams. In June, they most recently won the Jason Reed Autism Tournament in Athens, Ohio scoring 45 runs in five games and only allowing two runs. They plan to play in Hamilton, Ohio for a state qualifier July 3 – 5, which would confirm their participation in the NSA World Series in Hamilton County, Indiana on July 19 – 25.
Why are they called the Honey Badgers? Coach Chris says they got the idea from a video on YouTube of this fierce animal that wasn’t afraid of anything. Chris and Nikole are also the parents of their own Honey Badger, Peyton, who pitches for the team. Coach Nikole played softball at the University of Toledo for four years. Coach Lisa was a star athlete herself at River View and at the University of Dayton. She now teaches physical education at Warsaw and Union schools. Chris is a firefighter/paramedic for the Newark Fire Department who played sports in high school.
“We wanted to give the girls a better experience and more opportunity to take the game further,” Chris said.
“The girls are doing fabulous this season,” said Nikole. “My hope is that they are learning more than softball like accountability and how to play as part of a team.”
They both emphasized that they absolutely could not do this without the generous support of their sponsors. Claire Warschauer agreed with her coaches, “We are gaining experience in softball, but also in life and learning responsibility.”
The team parents have gotten to know each other through the many fundraising activities, practices, and tournaments over the years. It’s an extended family of sorts making common sacrifices of time and resources for the kids some of whom hope to play beyond high school.
“We entered Shelby for the love of the game!” said Keith Byland.
The girls are having a blast even though the weather has cut short some of their tournaments.
“I like to spend the summers with my friends,” said Mikala Ehlinger.
“It’s fun and early (morning) games are good,” said Kelsie Williamson.
“The team is about more than stats and scores,” said Michael Warschauer. “It’s an opportunity for the girls to develop their skills and to learn the values of hard work, fair play, and respect. It’s great when all that work pays off with a sensational double play or home run over the fence!”
The community can cheer them on closer to home at Riverside Park in Zanesville the weekend of July 17.
Category: Clubs & Organizations
Note: The July 17th tournament has been cancelled.