The opening round of the Class 3A State Softball Tournament begins today in Fort Dodge, and while the Pella softball team fell just one win short of making the field this year, the successes this season will go down as part of a much bigger movement. The Lady Dutch had six graduating seniors on this team, many of whom had been Varsity starters since they were underclassmen, and Pella Head Coach Krista DeMeulenaere says that group laid the foundation for the team to find success in years to come.

“The program is on the upswing, even now. We lose six seniors, [and] we’re gonna lose a whole lot, but they have paved the way for the younger players to say that Pella softball is somewhere – it is a team that others need to watch out for – and it will be next year and the following year because of what those six seniors have done,” said DeMeulenaere. “They need to walk away from this season with the attitude that they played a part in the future of Pella softball forever.”

The Lady Dutch finished the season with an overall record of 20-8 and made it to the Class 3A Regional Finals. Of the eight qualifiers for the Class 3A State Softball Tournament, Pella played four this season – including wins over West Delaware and Keokuk.