“I don’t have to do anything. I probably have the easiest coaching job because they do it. I tell them all the time, ‘It’s up to you guys. You guys get to decide when you’re done playing.’”
The Rams aren’t done playing.
Ross beat Piqua 10-1 to set up a regional semifinal bout against Western Brown on Wednesday at 5 p.m. at Miami University.
Western Brown (23-3) has won the Southern Buckeye Athletic and Academic Conference American Division three consecutive seasons. The Broncos have won four in a row and nine of their last 10.
The last time Ross (20-6) reached regionals was in 2016, when the Rams lost to LaGrange Keystone 18-0 in the Division II state semifinals.
Ross fell to Western Brown 5-1 and Little Miami 7-4 on April 12 before knocking off Lakota East 4-2 the next day in the Reds High School Futures Showcase.
Since then, Ross has gone 13-2 and has outscored opponents 54-7 during its current six-game winning streak.
“If you would have asked me at the beginning of the year how far, honestly, we thought we were going to go, I’m not sure I would have said this far,” said Luckett, who is in her fourth year at the Ram helm. “We started off the season on the light side roster-wise.
“We had to go into this season asking ourselves, ‘What’s the best for this team?’” Luckett added. “Some of them may not be playing their best positions, but they are playing them the best they can to help the team.
“That in itself is just awesome. I truly appreciate all of them for that.”
Sophomore Paige Baker tossed a three-hitter with eight strikeouts against Piqua. She went 3-for-4, including a two-run homer that extended the Rams’ lead to 5-1 in the fourth inning.
“She’s just freaking ridiculous,” Luckett said of Baker, who bats a team-leading .522 at the plate. “She’s just been so solid the entire season. Now with us being in the tournament, she’s so locked in.”
Junior Kam Commins leads the Rams with six home runs, and sophomore Meadow Webb is tops with 36 RBIs.
Baker is also the starting pitcher. She owns a Southwestern Buckeye League-best 1.96 earned run average and 12 wins, with 150 strikeouts.
“The funny thing about this group is normally they’re not going to come out and jump on you right away,” Luckett said. “They kind of linger around for a little bit. They make me nervous when they do that. In my mind, I’m thinking, ‘Can we kick it into high gear here?’ Then they finally do.
“It’s just kind of nice watching it all come together,” Luckett added. “They’re all picking up the pieces. If one is struggling, the next one’s like, ‘I got you.’
“Every team has one or two or three — if they’re lucky — really solid players that you can always count on. But for us, it’s the supporting cast that ends up being the most important.”
Luckett said her squad is producing offensively from top to bottom, and it’s shown during the postseason.
“I think they all take that seriously,” the coach said. “I can count on every single girl to drop in a hit or play smallball. It was going to take all of them for us to get to where we wanted to get this season, and it’s really nice that it feels like it’s coming together at the right time.”
Sophomore pitcher Charlee Helton leads a Western Brown defense that only gives up two runs a game. She has a 1.03 ERA and has accumulated 19 wins and 189 strikeouts.
The Broncos hit the ball hard. Juniors Jayci Barnes and Sophie Jamison each have 12 home runs and a combined 84 RBIs.
The Ross-Western Brown winner plays the winner of New Richmond and Greenville in a regional final on Friday at 5 p.m. at Miami University.
“I have no doubts in these girls,” Luckett said. “I’m on board with this 100%, and I think they can get it done. They’ve just got to continue to do what they’ve been doing.”
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