DesotoExplorer.com

The Eudora Stingers are the underdogs. They are young and sporadic at times, but they comprise one of the best 12-and-under fastpitch teams in the nation, and at the end of the month they will try to prove it.

The Stingers will head to Phoenix for the U.S. Specialty Sports Association (USSSA) 12-and-under fastpitch World Series to find out what it takes to play against the best competition in the nation.

"They've went beyond my expectations," said Steve Goldring, coach and manager for the team. "I thought it would be a building year and they've competed in every tournament."

The Stingers qualified for the USSSA World Series by placing third in a qualifying tournament in Hutchinson and accepting an at-large bid, Goldring said.

Roxanne Grizzle, 10, is a member of the Eudora Stingers, a fastpitch softball team that will compete in the USSSA World Series in Arizona in early August.

Coach Bill Folks said making the national tournament, which will be July 31 through August 5, was a great achievement for the 12-and-under team with a roster comprised mainly of 10-year-old girls. But he said there was still work that needed to be done to fair well at the tournament.

"They're going to need to work on their discipline and stay focused," Folks said. "We play a great game, except for one inning when our immaturity shows through. We need to put a whole game together to compete at this level."

In preparation for the tournament, the team has been practicing about two or three days each week to fine-tune the physical aspects of the game.

"We're working very hard to be very good like some of those A teams," said Roxanne Grizzle, 10, the only player from DeSoto on the team. "We still have a little ways to go."

Folks said the Stingers often struggled on the mound, and that he would be asking a few players from the Kansas City area to join the team for the tournament to provide depth to the pitching staff.

"At this level pitching is everything," Folks said. "We will need good, solid pitching to do well."

Goldring said the team would need to continue to focus on the basics to be competitive, and he said that if the girls played full, solid softball games they would be tough to beat.

"They're a good contact hitting team, and when they play good fundamental defense they shut pretty much everybody down," Goldring said.

Nikki Miller, 11, agreed that if the team stayed physically and mentally focused it would be competitive.

"I think we'll be a good competition for some teams, maybe not for some of the others, but we'll still give them a run for their money," Miller said. "I just want to go down, have a good time and win a couple games."

Whether the team wins every game or walks away without a run scored, Folks said the tournament would be beneficial to the girls because they would be able to see a higher level of softball and have something to work toward.

"You see some good teams around here, but you don't see the best in the nation," Folks said. "I want them to have a good memory of it and see where they need to be to compete with the best in the nation. And I think the most important thing is for the girls to have a good time."

But the good time also comes with a price tag. Goldring said it would cost the team about $4,500 for the trip money he hopes to raise through a series of fundraisers.

"We're paying for everything if we can raise enough money," Goldring said. "We don't want anyone to be left out because of financial concerns."