PEORIA — The final results weren’t great. But the season sure was.
The St. Laurence softball team savored its first-ever trip to the IHSA state finals. Sure, the Vikings placed fourth in Class 3A. But the journey there and the memories they made, as the first girls’ team to win a trophy in school history, are unforgettable.
“It was actually amazing,” St. Laurence senior second baseman Aoibhe Landers said. “It doesn’t feel real that we’re here. But getting here after eight years as a co-ed school, I think that coach (Teagan) Walsh should be proud of herself.”
Walsh, who has been coaching since the school went co-ed in the 2017-18 season, appreciated the moment.
“I’m so proud to get here and be the first girls’ team to get a trophy,” Walsh said. “No one is going to remember the score. They will remember that we were the first team that got here and we made an impact.”
The Vikings (23-9) were limited to three hits and dropped the third-place game 12-0 to Prairie Ridge (29-2-1) in five innings on June 14.
Sophomore left fielder Kayla Howard, who had two singles in the game, said this is the start of more success for St. Laurence.
“I feel like, although we leave some seniors behind, we can make it back,” Howard said. “We just didn’t string things together (at state). We weren’t playing like the team we are. But we made it here, and we’re strong enough to be back here next year.”
Jordan Ogean, who plays third base and had a single in the third-place game, is one of the five Viking seniors. Sophia Crespo, Angelina Elias and Brea Headly were also seniors.
“I think we knew we had it in us to do better,” Ogean said. “Things just weren’t going our way, but we had fun.”
Ogean had the winning sacrifice fly when the Vikings rallied for three runs in the bottom of the seventh to defeat Nazareth 3-2 to win a sectional title.
“After we won the Nazareth game, we knew we could get to state,” Ogean added. “I’ll remember growing out of my shell. Plus, us getting closer as a team, and growing as a program.”
In the semifinal game on June 13 St. Laurence fell to Providence 5-2. Junior designated player Alyssa Cervantes (2-for-3, run) and freshman shortstop Demi Lotus (1-for-3, run) had the only hits. Sophomore center fielder Hannah Marusarz had the only RBI on a groundout in the bottom of the fifth that made it 4-2.
“I’ll remember the focus, the trust in each other, and the fun things we did,” Walsh said. “I’m still proud that we reached our goals. The season was incredible, and so was the fire we had in the passing of the torch.”
Landers agreed.
“We lost 1-0 in the previous two years in the sectional title game,” she said. “So the mindset was that we just had to work harder to get here. It feels good to be the first team here at state and shows the other girls that they have to commit to it.”