Morrison softball coach J.T. Freeman shamelessly made a guess along with his gamers previous to the Wildcats’ matchup with top-seeded Pocola in the Class 2A championship.
If they gained, Freeman advised them, he’d take his common head filled with darkish hair and dye it bleach blond.
Less than per week after Morrison defeated Pocola 2-0 to win all of it, senior catcher Audrey Warriner took delight in her coach’s new ’do.
“Oh, it’s funny because I did it,” Warriner mentioned.
“She was my stylist,” Freeman mentioned by way of a chuckle.
Freeman by no means thought he’d be in that place throughout the early goings of the season, although. He knew his group had expertise, however sorting some issues out left the Wildcats staring down a 5-4 document.
This 12 months’s senior class finally completed with a document of 127-20. Those four losses wouldn’t be a giant deal to most packages, however they accounted for 20% of the 5 seniors’ defeats over the course of four seasons.
“I tried not to panic,” Freeman mentioned. “When you’re not used to losing, to be 5-4 is pretty dicey. To the kids’ credit, everybody just stayed the course. I don’t wanna say I knew, but I knew we had too much talent for us to keep scuffling.”
“It was a little nerve-wracking,” Warriner added. “I still had faith in us. I thought we could still do it.”
Then Morrison rattled off 12 wins in a row, using a gaggle of pitchers led by senior Hally Vaughn to notch shutouts in eight of the victories. But the Wildcats had their streak come to a halt with back-to-back losses in their first two video games of the Dale/Tecumseh Tournament.
Morrison completed that weekend 3-2, shedding to a Class 3A faculty and the No. 1 group in Class A on the time, with wins over two Class 4A packages.
“Even though we didn’t win ’em all, I just saw a state tournament-style effort,” Freeman mentioned of that weekend. “We rose to the challenge.”
The Wildcats blew by way of their regional event, outscoring opponents 26-3 in three-straight wins. It punched their ticket to the state event once more, a spot they didn’t determine they’d attain four seasons in a row.
“For the seniors, we were just happy to be there,” Warriner mentioned. “Like, it’s our last year. I mean, even making it to the first game was crazy. You’ve never seen anyone go to four state tournaments. That’s crazy for a class of seniors to experience that.”
And as soon as Morrison arrived in Oklahoma City, it didn’t take lengthy till Freeman realized his group was inching nearer and nearer to a different title.
In the quarterfinal recreation in opposition to Amber-Pocasset, the Wildcats retired the facet in order throughout the high of the primary inning. Then Morrison’s bats went to work.
Vaughn acquired issues going with a leadoff single. Kallie Rupp adopted that with a single of her personal, and September Flanagan, who’s dedicated to Kansas, confronted a 3-1 rely when she cleared the bases with a three-run residence run. Warriner hit a solo residence run in the at-bat after Flanagan.
“Literally in eight or nine pitches, we’re up 4-0,” Freeman mentioned. “As a coach, that was like, ‘OK, these seniors are ready. They’re focused. They’re where we need to be.’ I just think that set the tone for the whole state tournament.”
The Wildcats went on to precise revenge on Silo, the group that beat them in 2021’s title recreation, earlier than the seniors capped off their careers with the win over Amber-Pocasset in the championship.
Warriner by no means thought she’d be part of a program that was capable of accomplish what it did throughout her time with Morrison, however now she’ll grasp onto that ceaselessly. It was a storybook ending for her, with the start being equally nearly as good because the conclusion.
“Finish the way you start, I guess,” Warriner mentioned. “That’s my favorite thing to say now.”
Freeman was bowled over by his group’s efficiency this time round. After his gamers confirmed him they had been locked in throughout the quarterfinals, he had religion in his squad to finally go away Oklahoma City with what Morrison went there to get.
That was a special expertise than the years prior, when he’d be too caught up in teaching to reside in the second.
“I really got to enjoy it this time,” Freeman mentioned. “Just as you get old and more mature as a coach, you quit trying to be so uptight. I really just enjoyed watching them compete and play. I just take it all in. I was a fan.”
These 5 seniors will at all times imply one thing particular to Freeman, he mentioned. In his fourth 12 months 12 months on the helm of this system, this senior class was the primary group of freshmen he had.
“I just love them like my own,” Freeman mentioned. “They’re better humans than they are softball players. I know that sounds cliche, but all five of them are just awesome.
“As a coach, sometimes you just get to the right place and get with the right caliber kids. I just consider myself lucky.”
Freeman understands how essential this 12 months’s seniors had been – and can at all times be – to this system. He isn’t anticipating the Wildcats to waver due to that, although.
He believes the previous four years have been the start of one thing particular at Morrison, and Freeman and Co. will get to showcase that beginning subsequent fall.
“You don’t replace seniors like this. You don’t ask anybody else to be somebody else,” Freeman mentioned. “I think the foundation is strong. I think we’re gonna have a very competitive ball club next year. … I hope we just keep right on through.”
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