LIMA — The Lima City Board of Education honored the Little Lady Spartans softball team for its undefeated season Wednesday night during a regular board meeting.
Superintendent Jill Ackerman handed out certificates of recognition to each player, and thanked coaches Rob and Nicole Nelson for their dedication.
“These coaches, who are not compensated, give a lot of time, put in a lot of energy and spend their time trying to develop skills in these young kids,” Ackerman said. “We are very grateful for your commitment to the kids and our whole community.”
The team, comprised of 14 girls under the age of 10, defeated Elida in the championship game to secure its undefeated record.
Maintaining a perfect record wasn’t easy, however. In the game against Elida, the Lady Spartans were down three runs to one with two outs in the final inning. A fly ball to the outfield drove in the final two runs to secure a victory for Lima.
“It was truly a memorable experience, and an honor for myself and Nicole just to be involved in the ride,” Rob Nelson said.
Also at Wednesday’s board meeting, Ackerman provided an update on the amount of donations the district received.
Nearly $10,000 was donated to the district from a variety of organizations. Most of the funds will go toward Lima Senior High School’s DECA program, which prepares students for careers in marketing, finance, hospitality management and entrepreneurship. Other donations went to the Spartan Inn and Heritage Elementary School. An anonymous donation of two oboes valued at $1,000 was donated to the district’s music department.
“These are thousands of dollars that our kids will do great things with,” board President Dennis Williams said.
