The Westminster Softball program is one known by many. For all the successes and failures, the many wins and (few) losses. However, I find myself wondering, how well do people truly know the softball team? This year’s team was truly special, not just for the quality of play, but for the incredible team dynamic. For the first time ever, here is my behind the scenes diary cataloging the Westminster softball team’s journey to the final four.
Meeting at Petkes (12:40pm)- Towards the end of lunch on Wednesday the 30th, the whole team met in Coach Petke’s room in preparation for the state walk out down the grand entry stairs. We had purchased an abundance of goodies, blue light up cowboy hats, beads, face makeup, etc. After dressing ourselves in our new gear, we headed for the grand entry.
Grand Entry walkout (12:45pm)- We gathered at the top of the stairs and looked out onto the sea of people. Huddled together, full of excitement, you could feel the energy in the air. The seniors led the walkout, it was electric. After the walk out, we were met with our adoring fans (parents), Kitty nation. The loyal softball parents (who coined the name Kitty Nation) came to every game in full support, they even bought shirts that said Kitty Nation. After saying our goodbyes to the parents, we headed outside the building for our “Sype circle”. A sype (super-hype) circle was a beloved pregame routine. Our 2nd basemen Paige Branstetter would start breakdancing in the middle while everyone else circled around chanting “SYPE! SYPE! SYPE! SYPE! SYPE!” We then headed to the vans, decorated them with blue and white window paint, and set off for the game.
Drive to Springfield (1:00pm-4:00pm)- Every ride to an away game was filled with entertainment, and this ride was no different. We blared music, braided our managers hair, cracked jokes, and did some “content farming”. One of the most favorited parts of the season was the creation of our almost game day instagram account which accumulated almost 200 followers. The account was senior-ran, and “content farming” was sniping pictures of each other for an almost game day post. We made one stop on our trip there, and that was to the glorious haven that is Bucces gas station. After making a quick pit stop to change into our practice clothes, we headed into Springfield.
Practice (4:30pm-6:30pm)- We drove to Springfield High School (who let us use their fields) for a quick practice. A normal practice looks a little like this: warmups (jog, stretch, throw) then into “every days” which is infield/outfield work then “in & outs” which are throws to each base from your position. This was followed by some hitting in the batting cages and some base running, then clean up and a team meeting.
Dinner at Lamberts (7-8:30)- Following practice, we headed back to the hotel to change for dinner. We had dinner at the infamous, bread-throwing restaurant Lamberts. We feasted on chicken tenders and plenty of rolls and following, made our way to the gift shop. As we were browsing the shop, we ran into the team we would be playing the next day, Father Tolton. After some heated heckling, we headed back to the hotel.
Team bonding and lights out (10:00pm-11:00pm)- After showering and changing, we headed down to the hotel lobby for some team bonding. Kitty Nation had so kindly made all of us gift bags filled with treats and customized final 4 bows. We then proceeded to watch a 15 minute video of all our parents, teachers, and old teammates wishing us luck at the game and saying a few words about us. It was definitely a tear jerker. Following that emotional rollercoaster, we hung out a little bit more before retiring back to our rooms to get some rest for our big day ahead.
Breakfast (8:30am-9:30am)- We woke up around 7:15 the next morning for a complementary team breakfast consisting of pancakes, cereal, and (very suspicious looking) fruit. We then changed into our uniforms, did our elaborate hairstyles, then headed to the bus.
Arrive to MO state (9:45am-10:00am)- We arrived with the 3 other teams at the complex, and it was very professional to say the least. We had a set itinerary that all teams had to follow, and we had to follow it to the very second. We first started by unloading the vans of our equipment then heading to a facility to get our team picture taken.
Warm ups (10:10am-12:00pm)- Following team pictures, we began warm ups (strictly following schedule). We began with stretching and throwing for 15 minutes, then moved to the batting cages, then into full field warm ups. We then went into player introductions and the national anthem, and were ready to play ball
Gametime (12:00pm-2:00pm)- The game was well fought, but we unfortunately fell to Father Tolton 7-1. This meant that we had to play another game soon after for 3rd place. We won that game handily 10-1, taking home a 3rd place victory.
Although the season didn’t end the way we hoped, I hope this running diary gave you a glimpse into our historic run to state. Shoutout to Kitty nation and all of WCA for the loyal support during our successful season.
