Photo belongs to ADM Softball

From left to right: Olivia Wyant, Aubrey Winter, Aleah Johnson, Kaylee Smith, Cameran Smith

The Adel-DeSoto-Minburn Softball team had a remarkable year, making it all the way the Class 4A Championship, and Head Coach Lindsay Stanford is thankful to her seniors.

Stanford stepped into the head coach position during the 2021 season and has led the Tigers to the state tournament each year she’s been under the helm. The seniors on the 2024 team were only freshmen when Stanford took over and although ADM made the state tournament four consecutive years, this was the first time they advanced to the championship. Stanford tells Raccoon Valley Radio that Olivia Wyant, Aubrey Winter, and Aleah Johnson did not see much playing time until their senior year, but displayed amazing work ethic to earn their positions.

“Those three girls really showed up, put in the work, put in the drive, and then continue to raise those high expectations. They knew what it took to get to the state tournament, they wanted to be apart of that, and holding those expectations to those younger kids as well.”

Stanford shares the resiliency she’s seen from her other two seniors of Kaylee Smith and Cameran Smith.

“When Kaylee was a freshmen at the state tournament, I don’t know why I just visibly remember her making just a very routine error and just the composure to like fall apart and knowing that softball, we talk a lot about that, it’s a failure sport, and we’re going to fail more than we’re going to succeed in it. I think back to Cameran, she wasn’t even in the hitting lineup 75% of the time last year, and what she put into the offseason to be able to make our lineup and be our leadoff, and be very very successful this year.”

Stanford says it was special to ride with these seniors as they started out as freshmen in her debut year. She calls them tremendous athletes but even better human beings.