Nearly every year the Oakville Senior High School softball team enters the playoffs with high expectations and this season is no different as the Tigers look to improve on last year’s 8-4 quarterfinal loss to Parkway South in eight innings.

Oakville (18-5, 7-1 Suburban West Conference) has won nine of its last 10 games, with the Tigers’ lone loss during that stretch being a 6-0 setback to Seckman Oct. 1 at home.

But Oakville bounced back from its loss to Seckman the next day with a 13-0 win over Fox at home and captured the conference title.

“We’re playing about as well as we have all year long,” Oakville head coach Rich Sturm said. “The Fox game was a big game for us because it was for a chance to win the conference championship. I thought we swung the bat really well and put ourselves into a lot of good situations.”

Oakville starting pitcher Remy Edwards was virtually unhittable against the Warriors, giving up just one hit in five innings. Edwards struck out 10 batters and walked one for her 15th win of the season. She is 15-3 with a 0.84 ERA.

“Remy has taken the ball for us in all of our big wins and those 15 wins that she has were definitely earned,” Sturm said. “Every time she takes the ball into the circle, she gives our team the chance to win.”

Tigers starting catcher Maggie Ruckenbrod had a three-hit showing against Fox, driving in three runs and scoring two runs. She also recorded two stolen bases, which added to her six stolen bases this season. Ruckenbrod is batting .500 with 17 RBIs.

“Maggie’s closing in on the all-time state hits record, which is 181, and she’s currently at 175 hits at Oakville,” Sturm said. “I would have a hard time saying that there’s a better catcher out there than Maggie.”

The Tigers return to action at 4 p.m. today — Oct. 8 — when they face the winner of the Mehlville-vs.-Fox play-in game of the Class 4, District 2 Tournament.

“This is about as balanced of a district as you could get,” Sturm said. “Seckman’s got a good lineup and they’re a very formidable foe.

“Northwest is loaded from top to bottom, so it’s really going to be anybody’s district.”