Royals Set National Championship Quest

LAKE WALES - Every team has its demons. For the Warner Southern College softball team it was Savannah College of Art and Design - and themselves. Once the Royals overcame those menacing monsters, they broke out in a big way. The Royals (37-9) are headed to the NAIA National Championships for just the second time. The 20-team double-elimination tournament starts today in Decatur, Ala.

This season, the Royals were ranked for the first time team history, at 16th in the NAIA national poll. They stayed in the poll for more than a month after they topped the SCAD Bees in a double-header - a turning point in the season that released them from self-doubt.

They went on to win the Florida Sun Conference regular season title, then captured the conference tournament title, beating rival Webber International University twice along the way.

They lauded the Florida Sun Conference's Player of the Year in Jessica Sanchez. A third baseman from Bartow, Sanchez hit .423 in 43 games with six home runs, 39 RBI and 22 walks.

Five other Royals made the All-Tournament team: Rachael Holloway, outfielder Whitney Carroll of Bartow, catcher Staci Fernandez of Bartow, and pitchers Jerrica Sanchez of Bartow and Samantha Swofford of Auburndale.

But the team had to work through its problems, specifically handling pressure. Coach Shawn Gary said that if the team got down in the first inning or two to an opponent, the Royals usually lost. They also had a problem hanging onto leads when other teams rallied.

"Part of this is believing before it happens," Gary said. "This year, we've learned."

In mid-April, the Royals were leading Thomas University, 5-1. They tallied eight errors and lost 7-6.

"We completely fell apart," Gary said.

Gary separated the team into groups and asked them find a way to take a breath during those trying times. They decided that if their opponent scored a run, they would huddle, let go of those bad moments and refocus on the attack.

They defeated Thomas in the second game of the double-header and headed to Savannah to play sixth-ranked SCAD, where they won 2-1 and 8-7. In both games, the Bees had runners in scoring position in the bottom of the seventh.

"If there was ever a moment to unravel, it was then," Gary said. But the Royals held it together and prevailed. They split a later series at home.

"It showed everyone we're here to win," Sanchez said.

"It was our whole goal," said sister Jessica. "We told last year's players if we beat SCAD, it's us all the way."

Gary and the Sanchez sisters say all the players have matured an improved.

"We're a program now," Gary said.

[Lisa Coffey can be reached at 863-401-6971 or lisa.coffey@theledger.com. ]