As the softball season comes to an end, state softball was the last hurrah for the 2019 softball team. The team left state in Hastings, NE on Oct. 18. Gretna took home third place. This season, the athletes have been consistent toward their efforts and making valuable sacrifices for their team.

“The team has done very well this season,” softball coach Mr. Bill Heard said. “We have had 24 wins this season. The team has been very consistent with their efforts. The best efforts are the ones when they sacrifice things of themselves to give to the team.”

The players have had a strong season and had put in a great effort. The team had been working consistently and better as a team. 

“We have done everything we can,” Mr. Heard said. “Now it is about trusting and playing. We are competing against really good teams. The farther you go in the tournament the better the teams get. The team cares about each other.”

Having a tight friendship and bond has helped the team grow and strive to become a better team. Junior Mackenzie DeVine believes that the team’s bond helps with their performance.

“There was a certain point in the season where we realized that we needed to work for it,” Devine said. “Coach Heard says that winning and losing are a byproduct of how you do things. We as a team have a really strong bond. We are all really good friends. We always hang out before and after school, outside of softball and you can tell who the softball girls are, and I think that helps with how we play.”

Having a strong bond can influence the team’s efforts in how they play and interact with each other. All of this can affect the way the team feels going into state softball. There can be emotions associated with something as important as state softball. 

“I think we are feeling really excited,” Devine said. “For the past several years we have gone to state, and we have won districts. It is always an exciting time of the year. I think we are just really trying to chase that feeling and want to have that feeling again. It is the best feeling in the world. Every year, I am ready to go out and play the game.”

The softball team hosted the annual softball district tournament this year. Although the team did not win state softball, the team came home with an end to a great season. State softball is an annual tournament that they experience and look forward to again next year.