It’s been well documented now, but the ADM softball team saw its season come to a close just a game shy of the state tournament with its regional final loss to Clarke on Monday night.

With the Tigers coming oh-so-close to reaching the promised land that is Fort Dodge, we asked head coach Rick Dillinger: what’s next… what needs to happen for his girls to take that next step forward in the years ahead?  He answers…

“I think one thing is we’ve got to get a little stronger physically and that will come when we get in the weight room and do some activities to become stronger.  Some of it is just experience–we have kids coming back from the regional final loss that now have the experience of playing in such a game… that will help you (too).”

Having gained some of that needed experience in 2014, Coach Dillinger says the next step in the process really comes down to a simple mantra: getting back to work.

“You know, working on our pitching and catching as much as we’re allowed to in the offseason.  The kids are going to do some of their own work hitting on their own to get better.  It is a process that starts over every year and you just try to take steps to become better.”