This is part II in a two-part series featuring PCM-area JC United’s two state championship softball teams. The 11U and 12U teams both collected championship rings June 11 and 18, respectively.
JC United center fielder Joslin Briles had a long throw to get the final out of the USSSA softball 11U Iowa state championship. But the rocket she launched from center to third base was right on target.
"We always worked together as a team and communicated," Briles said.
Her teammate Kenadie Malone agrees. She logged the hit which scored the winning run in the June 11 championship game. Malone said this season earned her confidence both at the plate and in the field.
“It felt awesome,” she said. “I’ve never gotten this good of a hit.”
Winning the 11U state title set the tone for a winning week inside JC United USSSA tournament softball club. The 12U team also clinched a state championship victory June 18.
The PCM-area JC United teams were founded several years ago by now 12U coach Danel Drake and several parents who wanted their girls to play at a more competitive level. Fast forward to 2017, JC United now has four teams ranging in age from 8 to 12 years old.
They’re traveling tournament teams. The 11U group has girls from Prairie City, Monroe and Colfax.
JC United 11U is coached by Drake with team manager Sara Drake. The coach said this was a particularly tough season due to tight numbers in the team roster. With only nine girls, it became a grueling pitching rotation for the 11U hurlers Briles and Lark Drake. According to coach Drake, every girl stepped up to the plate.
(Briles and Lark Drake) had a lot of weight put on their shoulders this season,” Danel said. “I don’t want any girls getting seriously injured. It’s important to me to have enough girls. I like to have 10 so they can get a rest in there and take family vacations.”
The JC United girls play hard throughout the year. Practice begins in January and the summer season ends in mid-June. Most of the girls also play spring and fall seasons, which allows the coaches to see their players progress in real-time.
“The beginning of the year started awfully rough,” coach Drake said. “The girls seem to start a little slow and about half way through the season, we started to see things change around. Coach Chad Buzwell started to say ‘now the girls are getting it, hopefully they can peak at the right time.’”
But it’s the girls’ growth in the game that Drake and the other coaches truly love to see.
“To be there and see what these girls accomplished and be together that weekend, it was absolutely fantastic,” coach Drake said. “I’m getting chills right now talking about it.”
For JC United player Eleigh Davis, those good feels are a bit of a swan song.
“It was my last year playing tournament ball so it was really important to me,” Davis said. “I got a lot faster and gained a lot of friendships.”
Contact Mike Mendenhall at
mmendenhall@myprairiecitynews.com