This one was for the originals.

Five years ago, Mount Zion was in Charleston’s shoes.

Charleston, the Apollo Conference winner, was taking on its Apollo foe in the IHSA Sectional Championship.

This time, an 11-7 extra innings loss ended the Trojans’ season. Imagine the feeling when Mount Zion did it again in 2019 — a 5-2 loss to the Braves in another Sweet 16.

For Macey McElravy, Reagan McGahey, Ramsey Armstrong, and more, making it to state was just as much for them as it was for this current team. 

“These girls remember those girls,” said Charleston coach Blain Mayhall. “They remember sitting on those bleachers when they were in high school. They looked up to them, in a sense. That is why I sent a message to all the former players saying this was because of them, too. They made a mark for Charleston softball, and they have to understand their impact on the program.”

Think about these metrics. The Apollo Conference has been battled between Mt. Zion and Charleston for half of a decade. Mt. Zion sweeping CHS and winning the Apollo was nearly the kick in the stomach that ended the Trojans’ season.

“Losing the doubleheader to Mount Zion was a low point in our season,” said Mayhall. “It was an ugly time. There were a lot of high emotions. We wanted to play the blame game. Nobody wanted to talk to each other for two days. When we came back Monday, we assessed what we wanted and that was to be a family.”

That is what Charleston softball has been for a decade. 

Since Mayhall took over as the team’s softball coach, Charleston has never had a losing season. His tenure has featured six consecutive 20-win seasons, including four Regional Championships and, now, the team’s first state appearance.

While it is easy to point to the talent that has come along the way, the team’s culture is the root of all of this success.

“I don’t care how talented you are,” said Mayhall. “If you don’t get along, you won’t be successful. That’s not the way team sports work. Since we got back to our roots, we haven’t lost a game. The energy in the dugout has been great. There is no blame game. Winning takes care of that, but believing in each other is a key reason. The credit goes to the kids for making the change.”

Charleston will battle Antioch at 12:30 today for a chance to compete in the state championship. Antioch is 33-1 and won the Northern Lake County Conference with a 12-0 record. The team has won 14 consecutive games. There are no familiar opponents.

Antioch, the No. 2 ranked team in the Class 3A rankings, is led by the following players.

  • Jacey Schuler – P/OF (18-1 W-L, 0.82 ERA, 251 Ks, 129 IPs, .564 BA, 63 RBIs, 9 HRs)
  • Eden Echevarria – CF (.517 BA, 36 RBIs, 11 2Bs, 11 HRs)
  • Emily Brecht – 2B/3B (.474 BA, 36 RBIs, 8 2Bs, 7 HRs)
  • Claire Schulyler – SS (.371 BA, 34 RBis, 5 2Bs, 5 HRs)