Clay eclipses 900-win mark in program history in softball

There are programs out there who are well-respected for their success.

Then, there are programs like the Clay Panthers’ softball program.

One that, from the very get-go, has enjoyed a wide range of success.

On Wednesday evening, Clay’s long-term success — which is closing in on five decades now — hit another milestone. The Lady Panthers secured program win No. 900 after defeating East Wednesday evening, securing a 17-1 victory in five innings.

Clay, which improved its record to 10-6 after a 16-5 triumph over Zane Trace in six innings, now sits at 901 wins. The program has lost 252 games for an elite winning percentage of 78.1.

Getting to be a part of that milestone in his first season as the head coach at Clay, Lady Panther softball coach JD Shaw considers himself fortunate.

“It’s an honor to be a part of that,” Shaw said. “So many coaches came before me — great players and softball, in general, has been a premier sport here at Clay. Getting to 900 wins is a big milestone. It’s something that we’ve been looking forward to achieving and honoring everybody that came before us, but also, seeing the girls on the team who are contributing to that success as well.”

Clay’s success in general, but especially for a school with routinely less than 80 girls in its entire high school, has been significant, to say the least.

In its first 11 seasons as a program under 2010 Ohio High School Fastpitch Softball Coaches Association Hall of Fame inductee Carol Vice, the Lady Panthers not only won a district championship in each of those seasons, but went to the OHSAA Regional Finals in each of those 11 campaigns.

Clay ultimately won eight regional championships in Vice’s 11 seasons as head coach, and went to the state finals five times (1979, 1980, 1981, 1983, 1988), winning the holy grail in 1980, 1981 and 1983.

Under Vice, the Lady Panthers went an incredible 261-20 as Clay and Vice, along with her assistant coach and husband Clay Vice, guided the program to a 92.9 percent winning percentage over those first 11 campaigns.

In 10 out of those 11 seasons, Clay lost more than three games in a season just once, when it went 28-4.

Legendary head coaches Steve Hempill and Teresa Ruby followed by combining to guide the Lady Panthers to 330 wins compared to just 92 losses. Ruby, who has gone on to create her own dynasty at Wheelersburg after starting the first Scioto County softball dynasty beginning with her senior season at Clay, guided the Lady Panthers back to the OHSAA Final Four for the first time in 19 seasons in 2007, when Clay went 22-5 and won the OHSAA Division IV, Region 15 Championship to reach the state semis.

In all, five coaches — Vice, Hempill, Ruby, Dick McCleese and Jason Gearheart — all won 70 percent or more of their contests at Clay as head coaches with the program.

From the program’s inception in 1978 through the 1996 season, Clay won 19 consecutive district championships between Vice, Hempill and Ruby, and won six more between Ruby’s second stint as Clay’s head coach as well as McCleese and Gearheart for a total of 25 district titles.

That’s ultimately resulted in a program that has had winning seasons in 44 out of its first 47 seasons as a program — and, with a 10-6 start in its back pocket already in 2026, the Lady Panthers are well on their way to making it 45 winning campaigns in 48 seasons overall.

The talent is certainly there inside the Clay system to grow on that in the future.

With no seniors and just three juniors, the Lady Panthers have an opportunity to increase on all of those totals.

In all, Clay starts seven sophomores. Three of them are hitting above .400, including leadoff hitter Heidi Smith (.538, two home runs, two triples, seven doubles, 16 RBI, 30 runs scored), Elin Shaw (.426, four home runs, six doubles, 19 RBI, 27 runs scored) and Maddie Penix (.409, 12 RBI).

Defensively, Shaw hasn’t committed an error in 49 defensive chances while Alayna Shepherd has just one miscues in 54 chances and Zoey Moore only three in 142 chances from her catching position.

Each of the above five players mentioned are sophomores.

Juniors Madison Carver and Izzy Bryant, sophomores Mia Lunsford, Bella Dotson and Alaina Blackburn and freshman Khloe Adams are among those who are also getting significant at-bats for Clay.

“It’s a special moment,” Shaw said of the team winning 900 games. “It’s one that they’ll all remember. This group of girls — I’ve had them for a number of years coming through Little League and junior high. They all work, so for them to be able to have a piece of the pie, so to speak, with that 900-win plateau is gratifying and special.”