May 29—CARRINGTON, N.D. — For the first time in the history of Carrington High School, the softball team is headed to the state tournament, and one of the big reasons for that is senior Brynn Smith.
Smith is one of seven players who have been with the team since their inaugural season in 2022.
“Each year we get better,” Brynn said. “The first year, we lost by 20 almost every game and the next year we kept winning a little more but still had some big losses. Throughout the years, we cut those losses and started winning more and more, and this year finally we made it to the spot we’ve been dreaming of.”
After the team’s first season, Smith’s older brother, Brady, was hired as the head coach, a position he continues to serve in. Brady said he has had to find a balance between being a brother and a coach and has enjoyed coaching his sister.
“It’s really special to me,” Brynn said. “He picks on me a little more than others but he teaches the things I need to know. … It just makes the sport even more special to me.”
The siblings now get to experience the state tournament together for the first time after Brynn said she watched Brady make it there in baseball when he was in high school.
“She’s obviously one of my players but at the same time, she’s also my little sister and anytime you get to experience that together, it makes it much more special,” Brady said.
This year, the Cardinals went 11-8 overall and are heading into the tournament on a two-game winning streak.
Last season, the Cardinals lost in a tournament qualifier game to Thompson but came back this year and beat the Tommies 15-5 to book their spot in the state tournament.
“I know it took the girls a couple days to come back down from cloud nine but you expect that after making school history,” Brady said. “Definitely some disbelief, obviously very emotional win for us. You couldn’t wipe the smiles off any of the girls faces for at least two days, including myself. So they had a lot of fun with it and now it’s time to get back to work for the state tournament.”
During her final season, Brynn is hitting .443 with eight doubles and 25 RBIs. She is also 10-for-11 on stolen bases. Defensively, she has a .947 fielding percentage. This season has been Brynn’s first playing first base, which Brady said came with challenges early in the season as she learned the position. Brynn said she has improved this season at digging balls out of the dirt and stopping overthrows, which has translated into fewer runs scoring on her team.
Brynn said she and her teammates have increased their communication on the field, which has led to success, and added their defense has taken a step forward this year. This year, the Cardinals have a .917 fielding percentage.
Brynn said she and her three other seniors are all looked at as leaders for the team and they help the young players with advice when they need it.
The Cardinals will face No. 1-seed Central Cass at 4 p.m. on Thursday, May 29, at North Dakota State University’s Tharaldson Park. The Squirrels come into this game with a 20-5 overall record and a six-game winning streak.
Brady said his team will have to limit the damage that the Squirrels can inflict and score some runs of their own.
“Obviously, win as many games as you can. But you have a very tough first round ahead of us, Central Cass Squirrels, they’ve been the juggernaut of the state for the last 10 years, it seems like,” Brady said. “So it’s gonna be a David versus Goliath matchup that’s for sure. (We’re) gonna have to play extremely well if we’re gonna compete against not only them but the rest of the field. So it’s gonna be a great test for us. I know I’m excited and the girls are excited, just looking forward to seeing what we can do against these teams at the state tournament.”
Over the last three games, the Squirrels are outscoring their opponents 62-2.
“I think it’s more the mental challenge, we know that they’re a big school, we know that they’re very strong and it’s gonna be hard to play them but I think we gotta get into our heads that we can compete with them,” Brynn said. “Yes, they’re big and strong and tall, but so are we and we can beat them if we do our best.”
There is a vast experience difference between the two squads, as the Squirrels have made the state tournament 12 times. This year the Cardinals have played two teams who are in the tournament field, Velva/Drake/Anamoose and Mayville/Portland/Clifford/Galesburg.
“It’s a first for a lot of us,” Brady said. “It’s a first for the seniors on our team as well, not a lot of expectations of what to expect so we’re gonna go down there, soak in all the atmosphere, do our best that we can to get ready to play. We’ve only played two of the other teams at the state tournament so we know what they’re capable of. There’s other teams that are just as a good as them too so we have an idea of what to expect but we’ll find out more once we get there and get settled in.”
This game serves as the first time the Cardinals and Squirrels have ever played.
In the lead-up to the game, Brynn said she and her teammates have been practicing game scenarios and learning how to navigate them. She said they have also been dialing up the pitching machines in order to prepare to face the speed that the pitchers at the state tournament will be throwing.