It came down to a walk-off win in the third place game of the Mid State Conference softball tournament with Wayne over the weekend.
Rob Sweetland has been the only head coach of Blue Devil softball since 2001. On Saturday, he earned his 600th career victory.
Coach Sweetland said it was a tough turn around during the final tournament game.
“After the disappointment of not being in the conference championship,” said Sweetland. “They found a way to win and I think they were proud of that and they were excited to celebrate with me on that milestone.”
Wayne High earned the #3 seed in the Mid State Conference Tournament. WHS won 10-0 over #6 Ponca, suffered a 4-3 loss against #2 Boone Central before finishing third place thanks to a 5-4 walk-off victory over #5 Pierce.
Coach Sweetland added he appreciated all the players from the past 23 years who committed to the program and all the coaches on staff who helped develop players and shape them into strong people.
“Seeing the players when they come back and hearing their success and how they’re doing well in life with their careers and with their family,” Sweetland added. “Still proud of being part of the softball family at Wayne High. That’s probably more meaningful than any number of wins.”
Coach Sweetland highlighted that early on he realized the pitchers needed to work year-round. Kevin Hill dedicated a lot of his time and was never a paid assistant. He developed many Blue Devil pitchers on his own time which was a bonus for the program.
Also, players needed to get stronger and the summer softball program is where more dedication was shown over the years.
Thinking about the first season in 2001, Lakeview was always the game of the year early in his coaching career to advance to state. After some more learning, Wayne beat the Viqueens twice in year number two during the district final in 2002 and marked the first state tournament appearance of 18 in program history.
Along with coaching Blue Devil boys basketball, coach Sweetland mentioned the goal has been to build on successes and then to buckle down when things are not going so good.
“Get us back in the game if we’re down or if it’s a battle just to find a way to get to win at the end,” Sweetland mentioned. “I think that’s one thing that’s consistent with both of the sports I coach. Just that play where your feet are and try to find ways to make winning plays.”
The Blue Devils have won four state titles (2003, 2004, 2018 in Class C and 2019 in Class B) along with a trio of runner-up finishes (2007, 2009 and 2013 in Class C).
