Few high school softball teams can boast the success that the Gretna softball team had this fall. Despite all Gretna High School (GHS) sports being moved down to Class B, Gretna’s softball team still competed at the Class A level, battling it out against schools with much larger student bodies. Being declared the number one team in the nation and having an undefeated season does not happen without effort, grit and determination from the players, coaches and managers.
“Preparation for the final game started clearly back a year ago,” Head Coach Bill Heard said. “We really had to re-evaluate and figure out the things that were important to us.”
In the games leading up to the state tournament, GHS softball pummeled each and every one of their 38 opponents. This success, combined with many other factors, landed them in the number one ranking among all softball teams nationwide.
“It feels amazing to be on this team,” senior Alexis Jensen said. “Especially since we all knew we were the best team in the nation.”
Once they arrived at Hastings for State, the Dragons blew through their first three opponents. GHS softball scored a total of 31 runs while only allowing their opponents to score four. The Dragons stomped along to the Class A championship game led by their nine seniors and determined to prove that they earned the number one ranking.
“We really pushed it hard at practice,” senior Carlie Muhlbach said. “We just mentally prepared ourselves for that championship game and all of the people that were going to be there.”
On Oct. 21, the Dragons went head-to-head against their final opponent, the Millard North Mustangs. Despite the slight difference in seeding (Gretna being ranked number one and Millard North being ranked number three), the Dragons dominated the Mustangs with a victorious score of 8-0. The final nail in the coffin was a walk-off home run hit by
Jensen, bringing home three base-runners to end the game with a bang in the sixth inning.
“It felt amazing,” Jensen said about her game-ending hit. “I just felt like screaming, so that’s what I did as I ran the bases.”
As the Dragons lifted the trophy, they solidified their status as the best high school softball team in Nebraska. Alongside that, they proved to themselves and their opponents that the prestigious title of number one in the nation truly belonged to them.
