Hancock Special Olympics softball headed to state

FINDLAY — The Hancock County Special Olympics softball teams, both the traditional and coach pitch teams, are heading to the state championships this weekend in Marysville. "Last year, we made it to the last game of regionals and got beat by Lucas County," said coach-pitch Head Coach Adam Montiel. "Lucas County sent us home." While it was a shaky start to the last qualifying game, Montiel said, "We hit the ball well and didn't get flustered … securing our spot to Marysville." This year, Montiel said they were able to get their retribution and beat Lucas County all three times they played, sending Hancock County on to the state championships as one of the final four teams vying for the title. The 2025 Fall Games, hosted by Special Olympics Ohio, will be held Saturday in Marysville with opening ceremonies starting at 8:30 a.m. and the first softball game beginning at 9 a.m. on field number one. According to this year's championship program, Special Olympics Ohio has been "fostering inclusion, pride and opportunity for individuals with intellectual disabilities" for 50 years. This year, the Hancock County teams have players between the ages of 9-50 years old, and include Aleiah Warnement, Alex LeVeck, Brian Wilkinson, Brooklyn Scharp, Darion Greer, Heidi Paniagua, Hope Babb, Johanna Paniagua, Kelly Rosebrook, Michael Brooks, Sara Bower, Stefanie Rowe, Trevor Mahler, Tyler Barber on the coach-pitch team, coached by Adam, Aiden and Amia Montiel and Aric Nault-Butler, Brandon Heldman, Cody Nault-Butler, Dakota Bower, David McWilliams, Ethan Cooper, Jared Davis, Jayden Woodruff, John McCarley, Ray Miller, Tyler Cooper, Wally Kintner, Zachariah Daniels on the Division One team, coached by Destiny Kirkland, Jayden Foltz and Austin Cornette. The coach-pitch team will face Miami County in the semifinal, facing either Columbus Schools or Tuscarawas in the final while Division One will face Darke County for a best of three tournament. The state tournament will be the end of the season for the Hancock County teams if they win or lose, but the team "will be thrilled by the experience" of playing in the championship, said Montiel. Montiel has been coaching baseball teams for the last 20 years but said he "just wanted something different." When the opportunity to coach the Hancock County Special Olympics softball team opened up, he jumped on it. Now with his children acting as his assistant coaches, he said he's really enjoying the coaching opportunity. While the tournament is also about having fun, the team intends to win. "We don't know if we'll be back, but we're going with every intention of coming back with gold," he said. The Hancock County Special Olympics softball teams will be departing from the Blanchard Valley Center at 6:15 a.m. Saturday for those wanting to show their support.