VILLAGE OF NEW MIAMI — New Miami’s long wait for a softball conference championship ended in fitting fashion Monday night.
The Vikings clinched the Miami Valley Conference Gray Division title outright with an 11-3 victory over Lockland, doing so on Senior Night while celebrating their first league crown since 2017.
“It’s kind of a meant-to-be moment,” New Miami coach Donnie Howard said. “We haven’t won a conference since 2017, and I’ve had these seniors since they were freshmen. They bought in, and now you see the younger kids buying in, too. We’re kind of dangerous when we come to play.”
New Miami (14-5, 6-0 MVC Gray) has surged down the stretch, winning four straight and nine of its last 11. The Vikings’ offense has been overwhelming all season, piling up 294 runs — an average of 15.4 per game — as they turned consistency into a championship run.
The title-clinching win came on a night dedicated to seniors Kadie Davidson and Brooke Sandlin, along with junior Breanna York, who is set to graduate early.
And for Davidson, the significance was clear.
“This is huge,” Davidson said. “We haven’t won since 2017, so to be able to put that on our resume, it means a lot. We’ve been confident in each other all year — hitting, fielding, everything — and we’ve worked every day for this.”
That confidence has translated into results. After a steady start, the Vikings found their rhythm offensively and capitalized on opportunities against Lockland, pulling away to secure the outright title. New Miami scored the game’s last seven runs.
In the circle, sophomore standout Mikaela Lema has anchored the team’s success, earning her 14th win Monday while striking out eight. Howard credited her dominance as a key piece of the Vikings’ run.
“If it wasn’t for her pitching, I mean, she’s been dominant,” Howard said. “You’ve got to have a pitcher in softball, and she’s been that for us.”
Lema, who leans on sophomore catcher Lilly Ivy and even her father Dustin calling pitches, said the team’s approach has remained simple.
“We’ve just been having fun and putting in the work,” Lema said. “When we stay up and keep having fun, everything else follows.”
Junior leadoff hitter Jalin Williams went 3-for-4 with four runs on Monday to pace New Miami at the plate.
The Vikings’ resurgence has also drawn attention back to the program. Davidson noted that early-season crowds were sparse, but as wins and run-rule victories piled up, so did the support.
“People started seeing what we could do,” Davidson said. “Now they’re coming out to watch us.”
Howard said the accomplishment is a reflection of years of commitment.
“I’m proud of each and every one of these kids,” said Howard, who has help from assistant coaches Phil Davidson and his wife Susan Howard. “It’s been a long time coming.”
Despite the celebration, New Miami’s focus has already shifted forward. With postseason play looming, the Vikings believe their combination of offense and pitching can carry them deeper.
“The next thing is getting to the district,” said Howard, whose Vikings again host Lockland on Monday to start Division VII tournament action. “I think we can make a run.”
