On the Road Again

Anna Moore
July 19, 2021

Path To State Includes Many Away Games

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Gallery • 13 Photos
Anna Moore
Players celebrate on the mound between plays July 6. The Mustangs won the Regional Quarterfinal game 8-0 against Center Point Urbana on the new home field.

The 2021 softball season was off to an exciting start when the Mustangs found out that they were to be gifted with a brand new softball complex. Funded by Dave Van Metre, the girls would have a new place to call home the incoming season. However, with the field under construction, the team was unable to host games on the new home field until July 1.

“I believe the construction of the field brought our team closer,” junior Maia Bentley said. “Although traveling on the road made us miss playing at home with our fans, this helped us realize how lucky we are to have such a nice community.”

Luckily, the construction wrapped up just in time for the end of the season, and the team got to play on their new home field in the race to state. The girls qualified by winning against Hampton Dumont-CAL in four innings with a score of 12-0. “I think we were really successful this season because we work together so well,” junior Ashlyn Steen said. “We complement each other’s strengths so that when someone is struggling, we are able to pick each other up pretty seamlessly.”

 

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Home isn’t a specific place, but the people you’re with.

— Lauren Swartzendruber, '22

The effort the girls put in every season has paid off, for this will be the sixth time they have made it to state in the past seven years. Preparing for state this season has been vigorous, but the team has given it their all. “We’ve gone through scouting reports on the other teams and have gotten a lot of live at-bats against different pitchers too,” junior Lauren Swartzendruber said. “We’ve also practiced at Davis Park a couple of times to get us back on a dirt field.

At the beginning of the season, it was hard because it was difficult to find a ‘home’ for us,” Swartzendruber said. “But, we quickly realized that home isn’t a specific place, but the people you’re with.”

The Mustangs will be playing against Estherville Lincoln Central in the quarterfinals Tuesday at 11 a.m. in Fort Dodge.

Athletic Director Matt Thede posted some arial shots of the new field on June 6 as it neared completion.
The team poses with their state qualifying banner after the 12-0 win over Hampton-Dumont-CAL. Front Row: Sammy Moss, Avery Plathe, Nadia Telecky, Lauren Ryan, Sydney Shultz, Elsa Appleton, Kameron Brand, Lilly See, Libby Ryan. Back Row: Lori Moss, Joelynn Winkler, Madeleine Miller, Kenna Rollinger, Jenna Sprague, Maia Bentley, Lauren Swartzendruber, Addison Gookin, Ashlyn Steen, Head Coach Robin Brand, Lillian Wischmeyer, Kaylie Kelchen.