Sitting on the bus on the way to Corpus Christi Texas, music blasting over the speakers, the Bowie varsity softball team prepares to play their Regional Semifinal series, on their journey to the UIL softball state championships.

With district record of 12-3 and a placement of second in district, the team moved onto the playoffs. Their first game was against Vandegrift high school, which they won 8-4.

“It felt great winning that game because it gave us the motivation for our next game. As we move on we can keep perfecting the little things and be able to go far,” sophomore team member Julianna Dankert said. “As a team we feel very confident going on to the next game. We need to keep the energy high, and do the things we know how to do.”

The team played their second game against Judson High School, winning 4-2, making Bowie the area champions. This was the first time the team had beat Judson in three years.

“Coming out on top was the best possible outcome,” junior team member Emmersyn Villa said. “There were a lot of jitters before the game so this win was huge. I feel that as long as we keep playing lights out ball we should sweep the next series.”

Not only did this win allow the team to move on to the next round, it was a large morale lifter for the team, and boosted their confidence going into the next game.

“It was one of the best feelings in the world,” Villa said. “Judson has eliminated us for the past three years and we finally came out on top.”

Mentality is an important part of softball, and the Lady ‘Dawgs have found that the right attitude towards the game has been a key part of their success.

“We feed off of one another’s energy and our success as a team,” Dankert said. “Every time we achieve a goal we’ve worked really hard for, or beat a really difficult team it boosts our confidence so much and we play better because of it.”

During the next round in playoffs, the team faced Lake Travis high school, where they won the first game of the series 12-6.

“It felt really good to go out there and just play. Our team had so much energy and confidence,” senior member Emma Solis said. “I know that as a team we are looking to go out there today and shut them down and get ready for next week.”

In the next game of the series against Lake Travis, the team won 13-3, advancing them onto to the next round, and giving them the title of Regional Quarterfinal Champs. The team won on terms of the mercy rule, meaning that the game was stopped early due to the team gaining too many points.

“It felt great to beat Lake Travis,” senior team member Olivia Moreno said. “I think as a team after beating Judson we gained a lot of confidence and dominated round three.”

While the team is excited about having done so well in the playoffs this far, some athletes are feeling the pressure to continue their success.

“There is always pressure to do well, and I think this year I have felt it the most,” Solis said. “Each game I want to do better than the last for my team and it’s hard to”

On Saturday May 21, the Lady ‘Dawgs are scheduled to play their first game of the Regional Semi Final series against Weslaco High School. Going into the game, the Weslaco Panthers have an overall record of 32-6, while the Bulldogs enter the game at 24-7.

“Going into the sweet sixteen round of the playoffs we feel really prepared,” Moreno said. “Hopefully all of our preparation pays off and we come out with the win. We want this so bad and we’ve worked so hard for it. We’re all just hoping that we can do what we need to do and come out on top.”