Ellie Greene is a junior pitcher for Ohio who played her first season of post-high school softball for Jackson College, a community college. Greene led Jackson College to a regional championship that year and quickly transferred to Ohio (20-18, 8-6 Mid-American Conference) where she had not found the same kind of usage she did the previous year.
Last year, in Greene’s first season with the Bobcats, she pitched just 6.1 innings.
With returning ace Skipp Miller and breakout freshman Mikie Lieving taking the one and two spots in the rotation, Greene has had limited opportunites again in 2024.
In Ohio’s final game of its series against Northern Illinois, on the verge of a sweep, everything seemed to click. Greene not only pitched her first career complete game in an Ohio uniform but led the team to a 6-3 win.
“We just haven’t worked behind her and today that was our goal … because she’s a great pitcher,” said Yasmine Logan. “We just stuck to our goal and we did it for her.”
Greene’s dominant pitching performance put all of her teammates in the right spot to make plays on the ball. Shelby Westler was all over every ball that dared come toward her, and second-base player Lauren Yuhas has continued to be a pest in her area.
“Anytime you know that you’re going to be able to keep runs off the board on the opposing team, it elevates your offense and gives you a lot of confidence for what you’re doing at the plate,” said Ohio coach Jenna Hall.
In the top of the fifth inning, as the game was threatening to become more contentious, Greene’s first career complete game was in jeopardy, as Miller began to warm up. However, Ohio’s offense took the field in the bottom of the fifth and scored 3 more runs giving an ample cushion.
Ohio finished the game strong, despite some fielding mistakes that allowed the Huskies to cut the lead from 5 runs to 3 in the top of the seventh. However, as the final out was registered, Greene’s teammates surrounded her as she walked toward the dugout, celebrating an incredible milestone as Greene led Ohio to its seventh consecutive victory.
As Ohio prepares to go into its second-to-last nonconference game against Ohio State on Wednesday, Greene not only allowed the team to rest its two best pitchers but kept Ohio’s momentum rolling in a big way and potentially gives Ohio a third option they can lean on more consistently inside the pitching circle.
“I’m just really excited for her (Greene),” Hall said. “She’s been grinding and working really hard for this moment … I know everybody on this team and in this program is so excited for her today.”
