WILLIAMSVILLE, Ill. (WAND) - The road ends in Peoria this weekend for Williamsville, as the Lady Bullets make their first trip to the state softball final four in nearly a decade.
"I still don't think it's sunk in yet," said Head Coach Steven Dennis.
"We knew that it was coming at some point," said Elle Smithers, a junior third baseman.
"I've been thinking about this for a while," freshman pitcher Hannah Louis added.
"[I have] full confidence. I know that we know we can do it," said Lucy Nell, a junior second baseman.
The Lady Bullets are trying to bring a state softball title back to Williamsville for the first time since 1995.
"It would mean a lot. It hasn't happened in a really long time and, for me, being a freshman too, it would be really crazy," Louis said.
"[I'm] trying to keep them in the normalcy of what happens every week," Dennis said. "Yes, it's a very hyped up week. Yes, there's going to be charter buses and hotel stays. But when it's all said and done, we have to show up in between the lines and play."
Williamsville faces a tough challenge Thursday against Carterville, which enters the state tournament with a 37-1 record and has not allowed more than three runs in a game all season. Despite the challenge, the Lady Bullets are focused on their own game.
"Just knowing I have the best team behind me, it just really relieves all those nerves, and I have a lot of faith in our team," Smithers said.
"We talk about the little things that are going to make a big difference, especially when you get to postseason. So, when you look at some of the games we won in the postseason, it was the little things like bunts and squeezes," Dennis added.
No matter what happens in Peoria, Williamsville appears poised for sustained success. The Lady Bullets do not have a single senior on the roster, so the entire team is expected to return next season.
"All six juniors were announced as my captains when we lost last year to Auburn in Sectionals," Dennis shared. "I pulled them aside in the outfield; they were great leaders as sophomores, and I said, 'You know what, you guys are my leaders.'"
"Just the fact that we have another season is so relieving. And I'm so glad," Smithers beamed.
"This year we've already made it so far, and next year we're only going to get better, and we'll get another shot with this team. We're not losing anyone. It's so special to experience that," Nell said.
The focus is on Peoria, and a chance to bring Williamsville's first state softball championship home in over 30 years.
First pitch for Thursday's 2A State-Semifinal game against Carterville is scheduled for around 4:45 p.m.
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