The Okawville Jr. High softball season has begun and is off to a great start, with a record of 10-3. The team had a new edition this year with head coach Haylee Althoff, a former Lady Rocket. The Lady Rockets won the Centralia Fall Ball Classic on September 1. They beat Centralia 10-4 in the first game. Then, they won their second game 12-5 against Breese to advance to the championship game. The championship game was a matchup between Okawville and Woodlawn. The Lady Rockets pulled away with the win by a score of 9-2.

I asked a couple of the players a few questions. The players I interviewed were 7th grader Alayna Kraus and 8th grader Jordyn Heckert. I asked Alayna if she was excited for regionals, she replied with “Yes, I am super excited for regionals because I think we have a great chance of making it to state and that would be exciting.” Next, I interviewed Jordyn, asking, “What has been your favorite part of the season so far?” She replied, “My favorite part of the season so far was the Centralia tournament. Mostly because we won first and that was a lot of fun.” Both players also said they have had fun this season and are excited for more to come. In regionals, the Lady Rockets are seeded 2nd and will take on Smithton, the reigning state champs, in the first round.