Arriving at its current location, the opening round of the NAIA national championships, is more important than how the William Woods University softball team got here.
William Woods' 2011 season started with 10 wins in its first 11 games, then went somewhat south with eight straight losses.
But the win streak gave the Lady Owls a glimpse of what they could do when pitching, hitting and fielding all fell into the same high-level line.
"Well I think, starting off, it gave us a sense of what we can be," William Woods head coach Tracy Gastineau said Wednesday in a phone interview. "It was a great start and normally seasons have peaks and valleys, but this team persevered, got hot at the right time and we finished strong."
To help the tornado-stricken people of Dumas and surroundings, donations can be made to the Delta Area Disaster Relief Fund, care of the Delta Area Community Foundation, P.O. Box 894, Dumas, AR, 71639, or through the Arkansas Community Foundation, 700 S. Rock St., Little Rock, AR, 72202.