In preparing for the Class 2A softball state tournament, Le Sueur-Henderson coach Eric Lewis talks about his team's one-game-at-a-time approach. The Giants were runners-up in 2014.
At the same time, Maddie Damon, all-everything pitcher for defending Class 2A champion Kasson-Mantorville, isn't about to talk about a repeat. Her message is — you guessed it — about taking things a game at a time.
Clearly, neither team is taking chances when it comes to something softball fans hope to see: a rematch in the finals between Damon, a senior who will compete at Purdue next season, and Le Sueur-Henderson's Carlie Brandt, a junior who has committed to Minnesota.
The KoMets have shown a vulnerability this season that wasn't there last year, when they finished 28-0. They've lost twice and have been without all-state catcher Cori Kennedy, who tore an ACL in her knee during the basketball season.
But they're peaking at the right time. Damon has shut out five consecutive opponents and 13 of the last 14.
"We're a different team this year," Damon said. "We're a lot younger, with less experience. All of the girls are working super hard, and I'm trying to be the role model."
Le Sueur-Henderson hopes the gap has narrowed, having lost just two players from last year. The team has no seniors and is led by Brandt and a host of experienced juniors like outfielder Mandy Doerr, a .354 hitter with 19 RBI.
"We have six players who started as freshmen, so the biggest jump for us is what we do mentally," Lewis said. "You see it when we go up to the plate. In pressure situations, they've got smiles on their faces. Mandy is a perfect example of that. When there's someone on base, she wants to be up there. And if she strikes out or pops out, she says, 'Get me up there again.' "
