Ardmore players celebrate after recording the final out in the Class 5A North Regional softball tournament championship game last Friday afternoon in Huntsville. The Tigers defeated Alexandria 2-0 to win the tournament and advance to the state tournament in Montgomery.

It was a much quieter bus ride back to campus for the Ardmore Tigers softball team following the 2018 Class 5A North Regional tournament compared to the previous year. Yes, they had won the tournament to advance to the state tournament for the second consecutive year, but the mood was subdued.

There was no need for a great celebration, because the Tigers hadn’t done anything the players didn’t expect. They are hopefully saving the big celebration for this week’s state tournament.

“Last year, when we qualified for (the state tournament), on the bus ride back from Huntsville, they were dancing, hooping and hollering,” Ardmore coach Stephen Baugh said. “The bus driver had to tell them to calm down a little bit. This year, it was much more stoic. It was calm and reserved, because they understand that the expectation was to make it back to Montgomery.”

The Tigers did just that, rolling through the North Regional in three games, including a 2-0 victory over Alexandria to win the tournament last Friday afternoon. Ardmore will open the Class 5A state tournament at 10:45 a.m. today against Mortimer Jordan. The tournament is double elimination and takes place at Montgomery’s Lagoon Park.

Ardmore finished in fourth place at last year’s state tournament, and Tigers senior catcher Addison Hurst said the team has been laser focused this season in the hopes they will improve that finish.

“It has been our expectation to be where we are now,” Hurst said. “It’s not like this should be some surprise. This is where we’re supposed to be. That’s our understanding now.”

Baugh said last year’s experience in the state tournament should only help the team this year in its second go-around.

“Last year, we had five freshmen starters, and some of the girls had never experienced what it was like in Montgomery with the atmosphere,” Baugh said. “This year, that won’t be a factor. We all know the weather conditions, know the fans. The experience last year should have a huge affect on this year.”

Another thing that will have a big affect on Ardmore’s title chances is the pitching of sophomore Sydney Hall. Hall allowed just one run total in three games during the regional tournament, and Baugh said she can beat any team in the state tournament if she is on her game.

“If she continues to pitch like she has been, she can limit all the team to very few runs,” Baugh said. “That makes it a lot less stressful for me. I don’t think we’ll give up many runs, I just hope we can score more than the other team.”

Baugh has preached focusing on the little things this season and not getting caught looking at the big picture. Hurst said that mindset has helped the team keep its head in the right place for making another run at a state title.

“It has really helped us to not get ahead of ourselves,” Hurst said. “I think we still have the mindset that this is just another game for us. We’ve played the whole season knowing it was just one game at a time. That’s how we went into regionals. We looked at it like it was just another tournament. I think that will carry over into the state tournament, rather than us getting big heads just because we made it to state.”

That might have been the attitude the Tigers might have carried into last year’s state tournament, but Hurst said this year is different.

“I think last year we were just satisfied with getting there,” she said. “Getting to state is a high honor, but most teams become satisfied with just getting there. But we know we’re capable of doing more. We’re not just satisfied with being there, we know we are capable of winning it.”