WIAA softball: Assumption returns to state tourney after three-year absence
WISCONSIN RAPIDS - Erin Sullivan was one part of a group of youth softball players in the Wisconsin Rapids area who dreamt big when they were 8 and 9 years old.
A talented collection of players, the future Assumption teammates set their sights extremely high.
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At the top of the to-do list was to compete at the WIAA state softball tournament in Madison some day. That day has come.
"It's extremely special to all of us," Royals senior third baseman/pitcher Erin Sullivan said. "We've spent the last eight summers with the goal to play for a state championship. Now we have the opportunity to achieve that.
"Since we were really little, we knew we had something special."
Earlier in their softball careers, the team barely missed out on a state championship at the U10 level.
Now Sullivan and the rest of the Royals will get a chance to play for a Division 5 state championship.
Assumption (16-4) takes on defending state champion Chippewa Falls McDonell (18-1) in a state semifinal at approximately 5 p.m. Thursday at Goodman Diamond.
The winner advances to the championship game at 8 a.m. Saturday.
No one has to tell the Royals about the magnitude of the challenge in front of them. They get the first crack at knocking off the defending champs.
"You've got to beat everybody to be a state champion," Assumption co-coach Charlie Nelson said. "They're really good. They've proven they can play at a high level.
"It's just softball. The mound is the same distance. It's just another game. They've been out there when it's win or go home. We just need to play our game not let the situation be bigger than we think it is. If we do that, I think we'll be all right."
McDonell returns senior Megan Baier who was the winning pitcher in last year's state championship game. She has 100 strikeouts in 81 innings and a 2.42 ERA.
Perhaps even more attention grabbing is the .419 team batting average the Macks boast. Baier is hitting a robust .552 while five other players sport averages over .400.
That sounds a lot like the Royals, who have outscored their four playoff foes 42-3.
Pitcher Kendall Schill has been dominant in the circle in the postseason. The sophomore has allowed just three runs combined in four playoff games.
Assumption comes into the matchup with a gaudy .402 bartting average. Sullivan (.540), Ellie Schill (.538) and Elle Leberg (.508) have pounded the ball all season.
"We've got to beat the best to win it all. We have the utmost respect for them. We need to play error-free ball and do our thing," Royals co-coach Rob Schill said. "Just getting there is not our end goal.
"A lot of us have been together for 10 years in the youth program and talking about this for a long time. They have each other's backs."
Schill and Nelson had no intention of becoming varsity high school varsity softball coaches.
But when former Royals coach Mandy Turba stepped down several years ago, the opportunity to coach this group of players was too hard to resist.
"My overall feelings are crazy emotional to a certain extent because Charlie and I were lucky enough to start coaching this group of seniors when they were 8 and 9 years old," Coach Schill said.
"For this to come together, it's a proud dad/coach/everything moment. It's really neat. We've been talking to these girls since they were 9 years old about what goals are and how do you achieve goals."
There is one last goal left for the Royals' senior class.
Assumption won state softball championships in 2001 and 2005.
Now this collection of players has a chance to leave their mark on the program by hanging another championship banner to the wall at the school.
"We have really good team chemistry. We're all friends and like to laugh and have fun in practice," Sullivan said. "That makes it easier to be successful."