Admiral King’s Jillian Van Wagnen just finished her freshman softball season last Friday when her Ohio University squad lost 2-1 to Akron in extra innings in the Mid-American Conference Tournament.

Van Wagnen appeared in 37 games this season, including 27 starts at left and right field. She finished with a batting average of .290, which includes nine runs scored and six RBIs. The ‘Cats finished the year with a 22-25 overall record, including a 12-10 MAC record, for Ohio’s most conference wins since 2004.

Van Wagnen went 2-for-3 and hit her first home run of her career, a three-run shot, last month in a 9-0 win over Eastern Michigan. In a 7-4 win over Central Michigan, she went 2-for-3 with two stolen bases and two runs scored during a Bobcats’ five-game winning streak.

Last season, Van Wagnen was Lorain County’s Miss Softball. Not only did she letter four years in softball, but she also lettered in tennis (four years), cross country (two years), basketball (four years) and golf (two years).

What I remember most about Jillian is the 10 years of Lorain Youth Baseball she played, where she excelled and was one of the best players in the league, despite being the only girl on her team for years. She even played two years at the Class F level (13-14 years old), which helped prepare her for an outstanding high school and now college softball career.

swalker@MorningJournal.com