Freedom Christian softball completes perfect season with fourth NCISAA state title

ROCKY MOUNT - The Freedom Christian softball team is the NCISAA Division III champion for the fourth time and has made history after going 25-0 for the program’s first undefeated season.

How it happened

The Patriots secured the second win in a best-of-three series versus the No. 2 seed Wayne Christian 5-3 on Monday in a long, gritty, 14-inning game that went three hours until Georgia Tech commit Victoria Bryant hit a leadoff home run in the top of the 14th inning to break the 3-3 tie.

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Freedom Christian started the game rocky, the same way it began the first matchup on Friday against the No. 2 seed before pulling out the 4-1 win, but the pitching from the circle was more than Wayne Christian could bear. Rylan Miller, a Marshall commit, couldn't miss the strike zone despite giving up a three-run first inning.

Miller racked up a season-high 26 strikeouts in the championship game, and only allowed three hits across the 14 innings.

The junior tossed a total of 216 pitches, with 144 strikes, demanding the game's pace for 13 shutout innings.

Resilience, leadership, and composure

"Stay locked in!" Freedom coach Heath Miller continuously yelled to his team from the huddle in the middle of each inning.

Having the ability to remain focused and locked in was a major contribution to the Patriots championship win. And thanks to juniors Miller and Bryant who were true leaders vocally, they put each word into action on the field and encouraged their teammates constantly, especially in the top of the last inning.

"I told my teammates, there's no other players I rather have as teammates in a long battle like this than you guys," Miller said after the win. “And that kind of fueled us."

Bryant talked about how she stayed level-headed despite striking out twice and being intentionally walked just as many times.

"I struck out twice in the game, but for another other player that would've broke them, but I just kept telling myself to stay focused, because it's more than just about me -- it's about my team," Bryant said about her thoughts before hitting the tie-breaking homer.

"We've been a we-over-me team all season, and we were starting to lose that,” Miller said. “After a number of innings with no action, things start to get into their heads, but that's the key -- we needed to make the adjustments, and stay in the game.”

Wayne Christian, a nearly 20-win club was the best team that the Patriots have faced this season. But for Freedom Christian, competing against a team that exudes almost the same dominance as them wasn't the hardest part of the game -- it was staying the course and remaining focused. "I was just telling myself to have fun, and stay locked in," Rylan Miller said, "In my eyes, it was just me and my catcher on the field.”

And keeping their focus is what brought the Patriots through.

"We stayed the course," Heath Miller said. "We put our trust in our leaders, and they held up the composure.

"They (Rylan and Victoria) were letting them know in the dugout all game. Victoria kept her composure. All year, we've been pumping her up to be a leader, and today she did it for us.”

What's next for the 4-time champs?

"Winning this game means a lot to me," Miller said. "It was a huge opportunity for this team to grow from last year -- because last season, we weren't ready," he said.

Freedom Christian put together a statement win to capture another title for the program. A win that they were unable to gain a year ago. But the biggest difference was maturity, despite having no seniors on the Patriots roster.

Going into the season, the end goal was to win a state title, not go undefeated -- but the Patriots took advantage anyway, and plan to do the same next season. "We never thought about being perfect this year," Bryant said emotionally.

"Our goal is to win a state title next year, again. We don't care about being perfect, we just want another title before college -- that's all that matters," Rylan Miller said.

"I think the main goal, is to come out next year and compete everyday," Heath Miller said. "We can't duplicate this season, and we have to realize that. That's how we'll get better.”

Likely returning all of their players next season, with five of those players to be seniors, the Patriots look to compete for their fifth NCISAA state championship in school history, and go back-to-back for a second time.

This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: Freedom Christian softball completes perfect season with fourth NCISAA state title