The Fort Sill Varsity Softball team is representing the post in the Oklahoma State "B" Class Championships July 31 in Norman, Okla.
The players are gearing up for the competition after a huge come-from-behind-win in the Oklahoma American Softball Association Southwestern Tournament July 10-11.
The Soldiers played against the Golden Sombreros of Lawton first and swiftly won to move on the next morning.
"We came back Saturday morning, played the first game and dropped the first game. We knew from that point on we were going to have to walk the whole tournament," said coach Sgt. 1st Class Andre Amantine.
He said their loss came from Team SWOK who beat them handily in three innings.
"We weren't working together. We weren't doing the things that we know work," said Amantine.
Amantine is a master gunner instructor, as is Sgt. 1st Class Lamont James, who also coaches the team.
"We didn't let it get us down. We just collected ourselves and went out there one inning, second inning, third inning -- kept putting ourselves together and we got back into the rhythm we're used to and were able to overcome."
As the temperatures began to rise, the team had to pull together to keep morale high.
"The sun was wearing down on the other players, but it doesn't wear down on Soldiers like it does on anybody else."
Amantine said they kept their cool and forged ahead, game after game.
"We practice for the worst-case scenario and I think that aided in us recovering after the loss early Saturday morning," he said.
That included when they ran out of the allotted home runs and were forced to keep the ball inside the fence.
"That was a big thing for us as far as the coaching staff to get these guys to know that you can score runs doing one base at a time versus splitting it up. We put guys in situations where they have no choice but to find a hole."
They had to play seven games in the two days time.
"We had to keep our motivation up. So we got to the semifinal game and ended up winning that game by a run," said Amantine.
When asked if there were any players who really stood up during the tournament, both coaches shook their heads.
"We can't just name one person because it was a total team victory. The way we came back when we lost our first game Saturday; we knew had to walk the tournament, we knew it was going to get hot, and it took every one of them to come get that trophy at the end."
The team will hold tryouts next March to see who fits best together. Amantine said they try to keep a 15-16 person roster at all times, taking into account field time, training time and schooling.
"We welcome anyone who thinks they want to be a part of this family that we put together for softball."
The team qualified for state last year as well, but competed in the Military Worlds in Panama City, Fla. instead.
In regards to the upcoming tournament in Norman, Amantine said they are confident in their skills against the other Class B teams.
"We've been collectively getting better every time we hit the field. We feel we've got a shot doing something great like we did last year."
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