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Waukee Softball Ties for 2024 State Tournament

VaselineJuly 17, 2024

0 3 minutes read

Waukee Softball Ties for 2024 State Tournament

Waukee softball coach Andy Pals describes his team this way:

“They’re so loose and so fun because they just believe that…”

Before he could finish that sentence, sophomores Lillie Struck and Gianna Lavorato ran over to where Pals was standing at third base and dumped a cold ice bath over his head. For more than five minutes, the Warriors celebrated passionately after a 3-0 regional final victory over reigning state champion Ankeny Centennial to reach the state tournament.

From the first pitch, Waukee was up for the task of beating one of the state’s best teams—and had fun doing it. From dancing in the dugout to sprints up and down the third base line between innings to harassing senior Mara Yokiel and sophomore Jaden Van Pelt after their clutch home runs, the Warriors weren’t shy about showing their enthusiasm.

“We’re all electric,” senior Talia Lavorato said. “One minute we’re serious, the next we’re laughing off the court. We’re each other’s best friends.”

“That’s how we work,” Yokiel said.

For anyone who saw this version of the Waukee Warriors, the love this team has for each other is clear. But anyone who saw this team earlier this summer might have a very different image.

More: Iowa high school softball state tournament 2024: See IGHSAU schedules for all five classes

“A month ago we were a completely different team.”

The 20-17 record won’t stand out to anyone in the state tournament field. And neither will many of the individual stats, with eight triples from senior Ella McGee being the only significant stat in Class 5A where a Waukee player is ranked in the top five or higher.

Flashback to a month ago, when a state tournament berth seemed a long way off. After losing their fourth straight game, 7-5, to Winterset on June 21, the Warriors were 12-15.

When describing how Waukee turned it around, Pals said his team started by making it simple. Not overcomplicating and micromanaging, but focusing on getting marginally better on a day-to-day, game-by-game basis.

It was around the time of that losing streak that the team had a meeting to discuss what they could do better. As Pals and the staff had taught them, the solution the players came up with wasn’t something as complicated as a bat swing adjustment or a total change, but simply being better teammates.

The Warriors found small ways to keep each other going. A clever chant of a player’s name from the dugout would sometimes make all the difference, as the team found a way to laugh in a way it never had before.

“When I see my teammates happy and having success, it makes me happy to be on their team,” Talia Lavorato said. “I love building my teammates up.”

The result? Eight wins in their last 10 games leading up to state, including a pair of victories over fellow state qualifier Cedar Rapids Prairie. Struck was even smiling when she entered the pitching circle in the bottom of the seventh inning against Ankeny Centennial (29-10) before completing a shutout of the Jaguars.

In 2023, the Warriors failed to reach the state tournament after reaching Fort Dodge the previous four years. Talia Lavorato said the team never found its regular-season moxie and couldn’t get it together in time for the postseason.

This time the team fought to stay alive and found the solution.

“We didn’t give up this year,” said Talia Lavorato.

It’s a bond that has grown far beyond the softball field, as trips and get-togethers at each other’s homes have become a summer routine. The smiles continue to grow and the chants grow louder. Every time the Waukee defense made a big play Tuesday, catcher Talia Lavorato would slam her hand or glove on home plate in celebration. As a senior making that final run with her teammates, it’s a sign of gratitude for how far they’ve come.

“A month ago we were a completely different team,” Talia Lavorato said. “I’m just so happy we made it.”

The Warriors admit they may be overlooked in the state tournament, even in their hometown. Their 3-13 record in the CIML and 0-2 record against crosstown rival Waukee Northwest have put the Warriors firmly on the back. Jerseys even feature the “OG Waukee” logo, a nod to the hometown school and a slight dig at their rivals.

“We are the underdogs,” Yokiel said.

Still, this is a team that is on a roll at the right time and is ready to make a name for itself in Fort Dodge. The Warriors are the seventh seed in Class 5A and open Monday against No. 2 Pleasant Valley.

“Don’t count us out,” Talia Lavorato said. “A lot of teams think we’re going to lose, but no. Don’t count us out, because we’re coming and we’re going to win.”

Eli McKown covers high school sports and wrestling for the Des Moines Register. Contact him at[email protected]Follow him on Twitter at @EMcKown23.

VaselineJuly 17, 2024

0 3 minutes read

“A month ago we were a completely different team.”

Vaseline

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