During Homecoming weekend, most of the students at LHS will be celebrating in town. But for 15 varsity softball players, they will be playing three hours away in Springfield, Missouri for a tournament.

   The Springfield Tournament is a Friday and a Saturday, September 25-26, the same weekend as Homecoming. There were mixed emotions from the Lady Jays about the fact that they will not be able to attend.

   “I was upset because it is my senior year and I would like to go to Homecoming,” senior Ashlyn Sutton said. “It’s something that I enjoy along with most of the other girls on the team. I was mad about it.”

   While most of the team agrees with Sutton, some might view this as a weight off their shoulders.

   “I had a happy moment when I realized I don’t have to buy a 100 dollar dress and I don’t have the pressure of getting a date or a group,” junior Janai Simpson said. “Overall I had mixed emotions on not going this year.”

   Optimism is a key essential in athletics and that is something that the softball squad has. Instead of being sad about not going to Homecoming, the ladies decided they will have one of their own.

   “When we were warming up for practice one day, we thought of it,” sophomore Autumn Avery said.

   And that was all it took.

   “We were all standing in a group talking about how we were missing Homecoming and somebody sarcastically suggested that we just had our own homecoming in the hotel in Springfield,” Simpson said. “Now it has turned into an actual idea where we actually are going to have a Homecoming.”

   “I think we’ll probably either do it in someone’s room or we’ll talk to someone at the front desk,” Sutton said. “Usually they have a little lobby area that anyone is welcome to go to so hopefully we can do it there.”

   The girls plan on buying ‘ugly’ dresses from a local thrift store and attempt to have as close to a dance as they can get. But the Lady Jays still can’t forget the true reason why they are in Springfield and that is to play softball.

   “The Springfield tournament is basically a tournament that we go to every year,”  Simpson said. “We always look forward to this tournament. Everyone looks forward to being in a hotel room with your friends and to play softball on a field other than your own. It’s really nice.”

  Head varsity coach Scott Howard agrees.

   “It’s a good tournament,” he said. “The thing I like about it best is that we get to go down there and spend a couple nights as a team. It’s a lot about the team bonding. We also get to see different teams than what we see here.”

   According to Howard, the team has always executed very well in this tournament. They have played in this tournament four times, taking first place in two outings and second in the other two.

   “I expect the same thing this year,” assistant varsity coach Zach Werner said. “Our pool is a pool that I think we have a really good shot at winning. We want to win our pool and then get into bracket play where we can face some good teams. We should be able to compete and give ourselves a chance at winning the thing.”

   Last year’s team found themselves in the championship against Nixa High School. The Jays lost in the bottom of the seventh.

   “I expect us to play really well and get back to the championship like how we did last year,” Avery said. “I want redemption.”

   The ladies are very excited about the season and having a homecoming of their own this year after all.

   “We’ll just have to see,” Simpson said. “Shoot it from the hip and wing it.”