“I knew about winter time because we had been doing really well all fall, and we were kind of carrying that through,” said Wheatland Spikes catcher Emma Franks. “So I knew we had the potential for greatness.”
“When I came to my first practice after being with my old team, just how they bonded with each other and how we all acted together. I knew we had the potential to win,” said Wheatland Spikes infielder and catcher McKenna Woodcock.
The Wheatland Spikes ’09 14U softball team, led by longtime head coach Anna Kooi through the Wheatland Athletics Association, has been developing a special group of players over the past several seasons. This summer at the USSSA National Championships Tournament in Alabama, the Spikes showcased their talent, chemistry and heart, taking home the 2024 National Championship trophy behind back-to-back walk off victories in the semifinals and championship game.
Despite being shutout through the first four innings of the semifinals, the Spikes chipped away to tie the game, before Eva Karmik lined a the game winning home run over the fence in right-center, a perfect time for the first home run of her career.
Spikes pick up victories in dramatic fashion
“I think I was just like, run as fast as I can after I hit that ball and I was looking at the ball, I just kept running. I heard everybody cheering was like, okay, that’s over the fence. So I’m going. That was a very difficult game for us because we were struggling at the first start and then after everybody’s just cheering on and that made it all better,” said Wheatland Spikes first baseman Eva Karmik.
“I liked in the semifinals that we were really down like it was like three to nothing and we were not like hitting at all. But it was like the last inning. And we really banded together and started hitting. And my favorite was when Eva hit a walk off home run. It was her first home run and it was just so fun to like, see everyone go crazy. And I just felt like I just love Eva, you know, and I just felt so happy for her,” said Wheatland Spikes shortstop Caitlin Russell.
“I know we are all very competitive,” said Spikes pitcher Sophia Lawson. “So I think that just kind of helps. Like we just all wanted it. So we just played as hard as we could. We all cash like never gave up and stuck as a team and great things end up happening because of it.”
With USSSA All-Star pitchers like Sophia Lawson and Avery Arnold keeping their team in the game, the stage was set for another dramatic finish in the championship game as McKenna Woodcock drove in Bella Delarosa and Anna Stenson with a game winning double as the Spikes topped TX Unity Cruz 3-2 to win the National Championship in a game that did not end until close to 1:15 in the morning.
“I had a really good feeling that we are going to go far and go well. It still feels weird that we won a national championship, but, it was like a really good opportunity and I was super happy to win it with this team,” said Spikes pitcher Avery Arnold.
A shared bond on and off the diamond
Despite being a team made up of players from a wide variety of schools, like Neuqua Valley, Waubonsie Valley, Plainfield North and as far away as Pontiac to name a few, the players and coaches credit their incredible team chemistry to helping them stick together through the highs and lows.
“I think the fit, my favorite part of that whole run was, how we really came together. We were never quiet. We were always loud. and when we’re loud, we tend to just have high energy and nobody ever gets down. I think that we were just loud the whole week and, really contributed and helped make it so memorable,” said Wheatland Spikes All-Star catcher Savannah Charlton.
“It’s interesting because as a strength conditioning coach and a gym owner, I work with a lot of kids, with a lot of different organizations and a lot of different sports. these girls were just special and how they bonded. I’ve seen them fail. I’ve seen them, grow. And there was just something about the chemistry on this team, said Spikes strength and conditioning coach and Pure Motion Fitness minority owner Michael Fite. “And these girls would run through a wall for Coach Anna. So there was just something special about this. I knew they had a tremendous amount of talent. some of them were very, very raw. And Coach Anna just trusted me to get them in shape, get them strong, get them fast. And we put together one hell of a club.”
“I think it’s really important we do team bonding, all the time outside of school, outside of, the regular team stuff. And I think it just helps our chemistry and communication on and off the field. and the struggles that it’s just like not being able to see each other all the time,” said Wheatland Spikes outfielder Paige Foster-Sinbulan. “But we make the time. And once a month, we try to have some team bonding.”
“I think all the memories that I’ve made with Coach Anna and the three girls that I’ve been playing with for a while, it is just amazing the bond that we’ve created,” said Wheatland Spikes second baseman Bella Delarosa. “Even the girls that just joined, like this year or a couple years ago, we just created such a great bond.”
Putting in the work
It takes more than good chemistry to create a champion, in addition to the practice on the diamond with Coach Kooi, the team does conditioning training twice a week at Pure Motion Fitness in Oswego under the watchful eye of strength coach Michael Fite. After a 7-0 performance at the National Championships, the girls recognize the importance of putting in the work, and staying well conditioned for the intense summer heat.
“I was always happy going to practice. Coach Michael, he especially doesn’t make it easier for us now that we have won the national championship. So he’s just going to keep pushing as hard, you know, it’ll just keep making us better,” said Woodcock.
“Like conditioning specifically like, you know, obviously it’s like strength and speed and everything, but also it’s a lot of like endurance here,” said Spikes pitcher and corner infielder Molly Loughrige. “So like being out on that field in like Alabama heat having to play like five games in a row. Like it really shows. Like all the work we put in outside to like whether it’s on our own or just like practices with the team and conditioning and stuff like it all kind of like builds together when we’re on the field, I think, and it makes us a lot stronger.”
“I kind of like getting along with teammates and helping build them up if they’re having a bad practice. And then also confidence at practice or on the field, to help in games, you can take it to games. And then just working through if there’s something you need to work on, working through it in practice and that translating over to the games,” said Wheatland Spikes infielder Jillian Bultmann.
“You can tell that the work pays off, like where we’re at right now compared to last year, said Wheatland Spikes outfielder Alyssa Ridge. “Just watching the games from a different perspective, you can definitely tell it has worked out and we know that it works. So that’s why a lot of people show up now.”
The Spikes look to build on the championship run
Now that the Wheatland Spikes ’09 squad brought home the massive National Championship trophy, the team will set its sights on upcoming showcases in the fall, and getting prepared for next season. The group is eager to stay on top of the mountain, knowing that every player on the roster can trust their fellow teammates to give it their all.
“So now that we’ve achieved that, it’s definitely like a standard to stay there and like it’s a big thing to stay there,” said Wheatland Spikes All-Star outfielder Esha Agrawal. “So same thing like repeat like I’m keeping a great energy, great mindset. I think it’s all mental. So like staying focused on practices and like tournaments and it’ll be a good season to get back there.”
“Yeah, that definitely helps because then you know each other and you’ve already become friends. Being teammates is one thing, but at the end of the day, being friends on and off the field helps a lot because you’re like, hey, I trust you to do this and I expect you to do this. So that helps because you have that mutual trust and you know what girls can do and you know what? They can’t. So that is basically the foundation of a good team,” said Franks.
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