Random Thoughts: district baseball & more

SCOTT TRUXELL/independent sports editor

This week’s Random Thoughts center around Division II district baseball, best wishes, Antwerp and the WBL All Sports Trophy.

Division II district baseball

First of all, hats off to Heidelberg University for agreeing to host the Division II districts and the same to Tiffin University offering their site when Heidelberg was unable to host, because of the NCAA Division III Super Regional.

However, the question begs to be asked – why is that district being held in Tiffin? Here is the list of schools in that district: Celina, Clear Fork, Tiffin Columbian, Elida, Galion, Kenton, Lexington, Shawnee, St. Marys, Van
Wert and Wapakoneta.

It really doesn’t make much sense that three Mansfield area schools and and seven Western Buckeye League schools are shipped to Tiffin.

Again, this isn’t a knock against the city of Tiffin, Heidelberg or Tiffin University. It says a lot about both universities that they were willing to host a tournament on a holiday weekend. It’s not an easy undertaking. It just seems like an odd location, given the fact that most of the teams aren’t all that close.

More Division II district baseball

The whole district seemed off this year.

Shawnee and Clear Fork’s district semifinal game on Thursday wound up in Kenton.

Saturday’s Van Wert-Shawnee game was scheduled for noon, then 4 p.m., then 2:30 p.m. It was rained out, then moved to Monday afternoon, then finally was moved to 6 p.m. on Sunday at Defiance, hours after Van Wert’s graduation.

Mother Nature is really to blame for that mess. But everyone involved made it work.

Good luck

Best of luck to the Van Wert Cougars and to each and every one of the Van Wert, Lincolnview and Crestview track and field athletes who qualified for this week’s state tournament in Columbus.

Good luck Antwerp

It’s been a fun athletic year at Antwerp High School, with the softball team qualifying for the state tournament in Akron and the baseball team making it to regionals. Good luck to both of those teams.

When you take into account that the football team went 6-4 and the basketball team enjoyed a 16-6 regular season, it was a successful year for the Archers.

WBL All Sports Trophy

Shawnee won the 2018-2019 WBL All Sports Trophy.

The Indians won two WBL championships (girls tennis, swimming), but achieved six runner up positions – boys and girls soccer, girls cross country, boys golf, boys basketball and girls track.

St. Marys Memorial finished second, despite winning four league titles – boys cross country, boys golf, and boys and girls bowling – plus a co-championship in football.

Van Wert finished sixth and had one outright champion (track) and a co-championship in baseball.

If you have thoughts on any of the above subjects, feel free to email at sports@thevwindependent.com.