BEEBE, Ark. — Beebe softball will be in full uniform on Thursday evening when they play for a state title, but for now, they practice in t-shirts with a specific message.
“I thought it was a mistake at first," said junior Jordy Lefford.
The message is simple enough: "Win the last game." However, on these shirts, it’s upside down.
“Like whenever we look down at the shirts it’s for us,” explained junior Kyleigh Wooten. “Like we win the last game, so it’s a cool little reminder for us that it's not really for anyone else, it’s for us.”
It’s a fitting message for a team that many outsiders didn’t expect to be here.
“This year we’ve been doubted a lot, I think that just lit a fire in us to keep going,” said Ledford.
“All year, we’ve been underestimated, but our team stayed steadfast to who they were," added Coach Sara Flenor.
From the Beebe community, there was never a doubt.
“Everyone just showing up and showing out for us, it's super cool to see that in our small town,” said Wooten.
“Everywhere we go people are telling us they’re rooting for us, that they’ll be at the game, it’s definitely firing us up. We want to bring it home for our team and our community,” added Lefford.
It’s Beebe’s first appearance in a state title game since 2007 when Coach Flenor was playing on the same team.
“I’ve coached in state championship games before at different schools, but this one is a lot different. I think there's a little more pressure on me to make it full circle," she described.
The 2024 Badgers have a chance to do what no Beebe softball team has done before: win a state championship.
“It means everything,” said Flenor. “It’s pretty special."
“We know that we believe in ourselves and it’s us against everyone else,” Wooten explained.
Beebe takes on Sheridan in the 5A state championship on Thursday at 7:00 p.m.
All state title games will be played at UCA.