Jenna Lilley and her North Canton (Ohio) Hoover Vikings senior teammates accomplished last Saturday what seems like an impossible dream to most—they won a softball state championship every year in high school!

Yep, Jenna won her fourth straight state title and this may have been the most rewarding after the Vikings were beaten by Lebanon High, which would be ranked No. 1 much of the season, in April but would come back to defeat them in the semi-finals and then go on to beat Grove City for the Div. I crown.

“It was a different feeling being the underdog and winning,” Jenna says. “It was almost more fun in that respect that a lot of people thought we couldn’t do it.

The Buckeye State star has done it all team-wise and individually.  She was named as the No. 1 prospect in the Class of 2014 after she hit .697 as a junior and was named the Ohio State Player of the Year and an All-American last season.

Jenna has committed to the Univ. of Oregon and is also excellent in the classroom with a 3.9 GPA.

Click here to read Jenna’s earlier blogs and those from our other standout players!

Learn more about Jenna and her athletic family in this piece by her mother, Debbie, called A parent’s perspective: softball sacrifices

See our video interview of mother and daughter shot this summer at PGF

 

 

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The win last Thursday against Lebanon, which was ranked as a Top 5 national team, was crazy.

Amazing!!

It was a different feeling being the underdog and winning, it was almost more fun in that respect that a lot of people thought we couldn’t do it.

But we came out on top when it mattered.

I never really got nervous. I knew we would be fine. I just played my hardest and whatever happened would be “meant to be” and I knew winning was meant to be!

… and yes, I did have an error. Probably my best season at SS, but that was a stupid error,  I got my feet caught up on a pop up behind me!

And then we did 4PEAT it on Saturday. Truly amazing!

I can tell you I wasn’t happy with how I hit this season. I tried new things that just didn’t work for me. But that is the way the game goes sometimes. Now what I can do is learn from the things that didn’t work for me, move on with a positive mindset, and get back to doing what I do best and being myself at the plate.

But I’m beyond happy that we won! Truly a team effort, I will never forget my four years as a Viking.

A 4peat was one-in-a-million but we did it!

I took Sunday off but I’m ready to get back at it now… got a national championship to win in about 50 days … We’ll see.

I’m excited for summer ball to begin!

As always,

Jenna