ELYRIA — The Murray Ridge Center softball team is heading to Oregon, Ohio, this weekend to compete in the Special Olympics State Softball Tournament.
The team qualified for the state tournament after defeating Ashtabula County 22-2 in the North Sectional Tournament late last month. It will play Saturday at the William P. Coontz Complex, with the first game scheduled for 9 a.m., followed by a second game at 1 p.m.
Hector Lozano, a player for Murray Ridge School, belts a line drive in practice Thursday. The catcher is Steve Cruz while Mike Narvaez oversees the practice. (Photo by Chuck Humel, The Chronicle-Telegram.)
“Each player has trained hard all season, and they have been great sportsmen,” said Mike Narvaez, the team’s coach. “They are really looking forward to the state tournament.”
The team finished the regular season at 5-3 in Division I, playing area counties such as Geauga, Stark and Erie. Two of the losses, however, came at the hands of the team’s first opponent on Saturday, Erie County.
Murray Ridge Recreation Manager Judy Hartung said the team, which features 13 players from Elyria, Lorain and Grafton, has been working hard all summer, practicing two times a week since July.
She also said that winning the state championship will take some effort.
“Once we get to state, it is going to be hard to win the whole thing,” Hartung said. “There are some good teams in the south that we’ll have to get through — in addition to the team we have already lost twice to.”
Narvaez, who is assisted by Vanessa McKissick, is looking forward to the challenge, this time with a full roster.
“The first time we played them we were short a few players, the second time, we were missing our shortstop and first baseman,” he said.
He also thinks getting off to a good start is important.
“We have to stop them in the first inning, both times we handicapped them with seven runs,” he said.
Narvaez said that teamwork and sportsmanship have been a focus this year.
“It’s really been a team effort; we’ve worked together, pumped each other up, and taken the wins with the losses,” Narvaez said.
Hartung agreed.
“It has been a fun season, we have played together with everybody on board,” she said.
Team member Charles Johnson Jr., said the team has put in the work and is looking forward to the state tournament.
“Our team has worked very hard this year,” he said. “Everybody is so excited to g oto the state tournament.”
Johnson should know what it takes to succeed; he was a member of the basketball team that won the state championship last season.
Hartung said that there is not a national tournament for the state champions, but that a couple of players from the championship team may be selected to play on a national team.
Special Olympics Ohio holds eight state-level championships, serving more than 18,000 citizens with mental retardation and developmental disabilities. Athletes strive to embrace the Special Olympics oath, “Let me win, but if I cannot win, let me be brave in the attempt.”
Contact Rob Swindell at 329-7155 or ctnews@chroniclet.com.
