Winning is a habit for Robbinsdale team

Robbinsdale's adapted softball team definitely knows success.

The Robins, competing in the PI division for physically impaired athletes, won last year's state tournament and lost in the championship game the year before. That loss is Robbinsdale's lone defeat over the past three seasons.

"We've been fortunate enough to have a group of kids that have come out and been dedicated to the team," coach Marcus Onsum said. "It's made practices a lot easier. A few kids have really stepped up and emerged as leaders."

The team's 10-0 record is no fluke; just twice were the Robins held under 10 runs.

And get this: Low turnout numbers forced the team to use just one substitute, and the team has no seniors.

Pitcher Jesse Klein along with James Sneltjes and Erin Nickell are among the leaders, on the floor and off.

"Jesse hasn't lost yet, and James has been great at first base for us," Onsum said. "And Erin is the loudest, most vocal one in the group, who has gotten hot at the plate."

The Robins, who compete with a roster of players from Armstrong and Cooper high schools as well as from Hopkins and Mound-Westonka, received an automatic bid to the state tournament with their unblemished record this season. Their first game will be at 4 p.m. Friday against Osseo at Coon Rapids High School.

Despite the high level of success, Onsum said his team did not even discuss going undefeated until the final regular-season game.

"They're a modest group," he said. "Even after we won, in the huddle afterward we wanted to let the kids celebrate a little bit. But they knew they still had two weeks of preparing left."

The nice weather of late has been distracting to a group that is forced to play indoors. It's about the only rough thing the team has had to go through in quite some time.

"They're ready," Onsum said.