Waukee softball coach Andy Pals describes his team like this:
"They are so loose and so much fun because they just believe that …”
Before he could finish that sentence, sophomores Lillie Struck and Gianna Lavorato rushed over to where Pals stood near third base and dumped a cold ice bath on his head. For well over five minutes, the Warriors passionately celebrated Tuesday's 3-0 win in the regional final over reigning state champion Ankeny Centennial to reach the state tournament.
From the first pitch, Waukee was up to the task of defeating one of the state's best teams and had fun doing it. From dances in the dugout to sprints up and down the third-base line between innings and mobbing senior Mara Yokiel and sophomore Jaden Van Pelt following their clutch home runs, the Warriors were not shy about showing their excitement.
"We're all electric," senior Talia Lavorato said. "One second we're serious, the other second we're just laughing off the field. We are each other's best friends."
"That's how we roll," Yokiel said.
For anyone who saw this version of the Waukee Warriors, the love this team has for one another is evident. However, anyone who saw this team earlier this summer may have an entirely different picture.
"We were a whole different team a month ago."
The 20-17 record won't be jumping out to anyone in the state tournament field. Neither will many of the individual stats, with eight triples from senior Ella McGee being the only major stat in Class 5A that a Waukee player ranks inside the top five or higher.
Flash back to a month ago, when a state-tournament berth seemed very distant. After losing their fourth game in a row on June 21 in a 7-5 loss to Winterset, the Warriors were 12-15.
When Pals describes how Waukee turned it around, he said his team started by making it simple. Not over-complicating and micro-managing things, but focusing on getting marginally better on a day-to-day, game-by-game basis.
It was around the time of that losing streak that the team had a meeting to discuss what they could do better. As Pals and the staff had instilled in them, the solution the players drew wasn't anything complicated like a bat swing adjustment or a wholesale change, but rather simply being better teammates.
The Warriors found little ways to prop one another up. A clever chant from the dugout of a player’s name sometimes made all the difference as the team found a way to smile in a way it hadn't before.
"Seeing my teammates happy and seeing them have success makes me happy to be on their team," Talia Lavorato said. "I love to build up my teammates."
The result? Eight wins in their last 10 games leading into state, including two wins over fellow state qualifier Cedar Rapids Prairie. Struck was smiling even as she stepped into the pitching circle in the bottom of the seventh against Ankeny Centennial (29-10) before completing a shutout of the Jaguars.
In 2023, the Warriors fell short of the state tournament after reaching Fort Dodge the previous four years. Talia Lavorato said the team never found its moxie in the regular season and failed to put it together in time for the postseason.
This time around, the team fought to stay alive and found the solution.
"We didn't give up this year," Talia Lavorato said.
It's a bond that has grown far beyond the softball field, as trips and hangouts to one another's houses have become a summer routine. Smiles continue to grow and the chants grow louder. Each time the defense for Waukee made a big play Tuesday, catcher Talia Lavorato would smack home plate with her hand or glove in celebration. As a senior making that final run with her teammates, it’s a show of gratitude for how far they've come.
"We were a whole different team a month ago," Talia Lavorato said. "I'm just so glad we pulled through."
The Warriors admit they might be overlooked in the state tournament, even in their own town. Their 3-13 record in the CIML and 0-2 record against crosstown rival Waukee Northwest have firmly placed a chip on the Warriors' shoulder. Shirts are even printed up with the "OG Waukee," a nod to being the original school in town and a slight dig at their rivals.
"We are the underdogs," Yokiel said.
Yet, this is a team that's finding its stride at the right time and is ready to make a name for itself in Fort Dodge. The Warriors are the seventh seed in Class 5A and open Monday against No. 2 Pleasant Valley.
"Don't count us out," Talia Lavorato said. "A lot of teams think we're going to lose, but no. Don't count us out because we're coming and we're winning."
Other regional final winners
The Des Moines area will be well represented in Fort Dodge next week. In addition to Waukee, these teams have punched their tickets to the state tournament: Valley, Waukee Northwest, Ankeny, Urbandale, Dallas Center-Grimes, Carlisle, Norwalk, North Polk, ADM, Van Meter and Martensdale-St. Marys.
Eli McKown covers high school sports and wrestling for the Des Moines Register. Contact him atEmckown@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @EMcKown23.
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