Lee County softball team travels to Delaware for World Series

A Southwest Florida sports team faces Canada on Monday to take one step closer to the softball World Series championship.

It’s the second time the team from Lee County has gone to the World Series in four years. And, they will have to beat a lot of talented teams and countries to take home the trophy.

The girls from the Florida District 9 team, representing Fort Myers and Cape Coral, are going to familiar territory, the Senior League World Series. The girls between 13 and 16-years-old, are prepared for the tough road ahead. But first, celebrating the win that got the team this far was important to everyone.

“There were people crying,” said right fielder Megan Hall. “Everyone was cheering.”

“It was just cool to know that we get to go to the next step,” said Kaitlyn Coakley who also plays right field. That step means representing Southwest Florida on a global stage. They were close in 2019 when they lost in the regional championship and Covid canceled the whole tournament the last two years.

“We weren’t able to make it then and so it’s always, ‘well get them next year.’ And there was never a next year,” said Alana Hutchinson who plays second base.

Starting as strangers, this team came together in a matter of months through grit, hard-work, and determination to be where they are now.

“All of us learned to play in such different places,” Hall said. “We all came from different travel teams.”

“We’ve all bonded so close. And that has helped so much in the games,” Hutchinson said. “Like we’re all able to communicate better and just trust each other so much more.”

Just ask Dan Mills the team’s manager, he knows the World Series will push this team, but he isn’t backing down. “We want to face you know the great teams in this organization from around the world and see how we measure up,” Mills said.

Athletes, like Hutchinson, have a way of showcasing their confidence with big games coming up. “We want to go all the way and win it,” Hutchinson said.

The players said they’re excited to meet and play against people from around the world. Some of the countries represented include the Netherlands and the Philippines. But they’ve got to take care of their first game against Canada on Monday.