BUCKHANNON, W.Va. — The West Virginia Wesleyan Softball team has seen tremendous success during the 2017 season but they will now enter uncharted territory this week.
After winning 49 games, capturing the Mountain East Conference Championship, and winning the Atlantic and Super Regional’s, the Lady Bobcats will be making their first ever appearance in the Division II World Series tournament. Round One of the championship series starts Thursday and Wesleyan will face Molloy College from Long Island, New York.
Head coach Steve Warner was been with the program for 25 years and he is excited about the opportunity for his kids.
“The kids have played really well. They’ve been nice and relaxed and very confident. I told them don’t change a thing,” said Warner Wednesday on MetroNews “Talkline.” “This is a huge spotlight and it’s great for our program and for these young ladies. But they’re really focused and they’ll really enjoy this ride.”
Coach Warner has been around softball for a long time but he says that this team is different.
Warner said, “I’ve actually had better teams in the past but this team has found a way obviously to get it done. And this is probably in 25 years the most resilient team and probably the team that just doesn’t get rattled.”
Warner credits his players who come from a wide recruiting base all over the country. Senior centerfielder Tori Pogue from Glendale, Arizona earned Conference Player of the Year honors this season. Junior Hannah Vet from Naples, Florida was named conference pitcher of the year for the second time in her career.
They’ve also received in-state contributions from Brooklyn Waddell, a graduate from Buckhannon-Upshur High School.
“We recruit all over the place. We’re represented from Texas to California to Iowa, Oklahoma, Florida, to Arizona. We get them from all over the place,” Warner said.
In terms of building his team and the Wesleyan program, Warner says that it is much more than just having the right talent.
“I think the main that we look at is just who has the passion for this game,” Warner said. “And if they have the passion for this sport, that’s the type of kid that we’re looking for because we can do a lot with that.”
Wesleyan, the fourth seed in the national tournament, will begin their march towards a national championship Thursday afternoon in Salem, Virginia.