The 23-24 girls Varsity softball team took home the state title at the 2023 CHSAA State Softball Tournament. The Lady Lions defeated Riverdale Ridge 6-1 on Saturday October 21 to win the championship. The team feels extremely honored and very blessed to have played in the last game and won the championship. “I feel so excited and pumped that our fans got to watch us compete in a tight game and just to experience that moment with my best friends is unreal,” said junior Meredith Barnhart.
The Lady Lions had an overall amazing season with a winning record of 23-5. Over the course of the season the girls were able to bond and really come together in the end with lots of passion for not only the sport but also their teammates. “ I think the best part of the season was the state tournament. Those last two days I could feel the passion and drive of every girl. It felt like we were a family all working hard to achieve one thing. I felt like we were one unstoppable unit,” said Barnhart.
The team put in a lot of hard work and effort into every game but they girls brought something else that helps them achieve their goals which is support. The Lady Lions were able to help advance their game by cheering on their teammates and giving each other positive feedback and encouragement while in game and at practices. “I think every girl brings something to the table and makes us better. For me I think I bring leadership and a natural fire to compete and win. I bring an emotional stability in our dugout that allows us to stay consistent throughout the game. I think this helped us in the championship game because we were down 1-0 for the first three innings. Instead of backing down and getting sad we stayed focused and fired up.” said Barnhart.
While passion and support were a focus to the season, what most helped the team was loving each other. “Along with hard work and talent our team put in the time to love each other well. It is so important to care about your teammates enough to run through a wall for them. I believe in the last 6 games everyone felt that way about everyone. This is hard to transfer to other teams but it is the most crucial part. Every person in the dugout contributes to loving one another well,” said Barnhart.
