Centerburg's Abby Herren sets new Ohio high school softball HR mark

Ohio high school softball has a new single-season home run leader.

Centerburg senior shortstop Abby Herren hit her 24th home run of the spring May 15, a two-run blast in the third inning at Loudonville to take sole possession of first place, according to Ohio High School Athletic Association records.

The Miami University signee went 1 for 2 with two walks, one of them intentional, and a sacrifice fly in a 9-5 win that earned Centerburg (22-3, 13-1) a share of the Knox-Morrow Athletic Conference championship with Danville.

“It’s awesome,” Herren said the previous day after hitting her 23rd home run during a Division V district tournament first-round win over Marion Pleasant. “It was very cool to see that from other girls growing up, but realistically it’s very hard to do. So just to be up there and have my name up there with all those other girls is really special to me.”

Herren popped out in the first inning and sent a 1-and-1 pitch to center field in the third, scoring Jaylan Parker and herself to tie the game at 2.

Herren scored on a fielder’s choice in the fourth, and her intentional walk to lead off the sixth started a three-run rally that put the Trojans ahead for good. She scored the go-ahead run on Jazmyn Larimore’s two-run double and drove in an insurance run with a bases-loaded sacrifice fly in the seventh.

Herren has 44 career home runs.

Centerburg shortstop Abby Herren swings in the on-deck circle before the first inning of a Division V district tournament first-round game against Marion Pleasant on May 14. A few minutes later, Herren hit her 23rd home run of the season, tying the state's single-season record.