“That was a big question,” Kellis said. “Were we going to get senior leadership? Those two gave it to us. There was no question about it. They took these young kids under their wings, and they were very positive with them when they messed up. They definitely led. That’s the biggest thing.”
The Hornets saw their season end with an 11-8 loss to Mercy McAuley in the second round of the Division III tournament on Friday.
The 2025 version of the Monroe Hornets finished 14-6 and consisted of 10 freshmen, three sophomores, three juniors, and Griffin and Frazier. That combination produced the program’s first winning season since 2019, when Monroe went 19-4 and reached the Division II regional semifinals.
“For what those kids went through for four years to get to this point and to get to have a winning season,” Kellis said. “We had a couple of goals the beginning of the season. One was to have a winning season. We wanted to win more games in the league. We were a few wins away in the league.”
Monroe won 11 of its first 12 games before going 3-5 to close out the season.
Leading the charge offensively was freshman catcher Rose Hensley, who batted .597 with a team-best 40 hits and 24 RBIs. Frazier added 23 RBIs and 20 hits, while junior McKenna Bare collected 26 hits and scored 22 runs.
Freshman Aubri Vandeventer had 23 hits, 23 RBIs and went 4-0 in the pitcher’s circle. But it was junior Hannah Witte who did most of the pitching work, notching 100 strikeouts and a 10-5 record. Witte also had 21 hits and 14 RBIs at the plate.
“This season has meant everything to me — especially coming from the past four years,” said Griffin, who batted .304 with 14 hits and 13 runs. “We haven’t had a winning season at all. This year has totally been a flip-flop — day and night difference. That’s everything that I can be grateful for.
“These girls have just helped me be the best leader I could be. They didn’t talk back when we tried to help them. They took constructive criticism so well. That is why we had such a good season this year.”
Griffin said she expects the Hornets to be even more competitive than they were this season.
“The juniors that we have who will be seniors next year,” Griffin said. “They’ll definitely be great leaders for the incoming freshmen,” Griffin said. “They could definitely take over where me and Madi left off.
“I just hope they keep fighting because I know they can win a title within the next few years,” Griffin said. “I know they can do it. I’m just sad I won’t be here for that.”
“I take out all of the friendships that I have gained from my high school career that will last a lifetime,” Griffin said.
Five of the six teams in the Southwestern Buckeye League Southwestern Division finished with winning records overall. Monroe lost three of its five conference games by two runs or less.
“Our girls will learn, and they’ll grow,” Kellis said. “We’ve got all of our pitching coming back. That’s such a key. With our league, our pitching is insane. I’ve told people that I would put our pitching in our league up against anybody.
“We’re going to bounce back next season and work hard to get right back where we were this season.”
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