The Mathews Senior All-Stars placed second in the Virginia State Little League Softball Tournament, which was held Friday through Monday at the Coeburn Little League fields in Wise County.
Mathews earned a berth in the state tournament last month after capturing the District 15 crown.
In the state tournament, the Mathews girls won their first two games, defeating Phoebus, 14-4, on Friday and coming from behind to beat Clinch River, 12-9, on Saturday. In the final game of pool play on Sunday, Mathews faced off against another undefeated team, Chesterfield, who dealt Mathews its first loss, 7-1.
The Mathews girls’ 2-1 record was good enough for them to advance to the final four. In Monday’s state semifinal game, the Mathews All-Stars beat the previously undefeated team from Warren County, 9-3, setting up a rematch against Chesterfield for the state title. Unfortunately, Mathews couldn’t get past Chesterfield, which won the championship game, 15-5.
“The Mathews girls played inspirational softball throughout the state tournament,” team manager Harry Meeks said. “In practice, we stressed fundamentals, teamwork and a positive atmosphere. Many parents were grateful that the coaches helped the girls rediscover the love for the game again. We were all so proud of the girls.”
Throughout the tournament, the team was led by Teresa Espiritu at the plate with 12 hits. Avery Thomas, Christiana Wood, Callie Penick and Marley Brock also collected multiple hits for Mathews, igniting an offensive powerhouse. Penick launched an over-the-fence home run on Sunday against Chesterfield. Wood pitched all five games and was a true warrior on the mound, striking out 28 batters.
Mathews was managed by Meeks, coached by Billy Cook and Kara Rilee, and assisted by Gilbert Coons and Bonnie Meeks.
Community support for the team was amazing, according to Mathews Little League president Ricky Wiatt, beginning with multiple fundraisers that collected about $23,000 all told. All the costs—travel expenses, hotel rooms, a per diem for each of the players, etc.—ran about $20,000. The additional money, Wiatt said, will be used to purchase a new scoreboard for the softball field, with talks already underway with a vendor.
That community support continued during the tournament. Around 50 fans traveled to Coeburn and sometimes more than 2,000 viewers tuned in to watch the games’ live feed on Facebook.