PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — For the second time in program history, the Linfield Wildcats softball team will host a DIII Super Regional this weekend, which means they are two wins away from the DIII College World Series.
“Winning it all, it would just be a dream come true,” said Linfield’s senior outfielder Baily Paul.
The #4 ranked team in the country certainly made that dream look like it could be a reality this past weekend.
After winning their first game of their best-of-five regional in walk-off fashion, they won games two and three by a combined score of 21-0.
“It just kind of showed the rest of the nation that we’re here to compete,” said senior outfielder Katie Phillips. “We’ve been so close every year. It just kind of showed them that this could be our year.”
Linfield hosts Bethel in the super regional, with games on Friday at 2 p.m., Saturday at 1 p.m., and an if necessary game on Saturday at 3:30 p.m.
The obvious advantage of hosting is having a home crowd, but it goes beyond that.
“Being from the west coast, everything is so much harder going to the east, because you not only lose time, but a lot of years we’ve gotten sent to Texas where you’re also undergoing a climate change that’s pretty significant from Oregon, typically,” said head coach Jackson Vaughan. “Just being able to play at home, being instilled in your routine, being able to sleep in your own bed. For the girls, it’s finals week, so not having to stress out about taking finals on the road and figure all that stuff out certainly makes things a ton easier.”
Another thing that makes things easier is how close this team is. The word family came up in every interview.
So, when asked why she thinks this team can win the program’s third national championship, it makes sense that Paul’s answer was as passionate as they come.
“Because we believe we can win it all. At the end of the day, if everybody’s fighting for the same thing and believes the same thing, how can you not?” said Paul. “We’re unstoppable if we play our game, if we are having fun in the dugout. We’re one of the loudest dugouts I’ve ever been a part of. It’s not only just a game, it’s a party where we are. If we’re having fun, and we’re all bought in, who’s going to stop us?”