They didn’t leave with the state trophy, but they left with something far greater — a legacy that will echo through Mount Vernon softball for years to come.
This season, the Yellow Jackets softball program soared to the state championship game for the first time in school history, and though they fell just short of a title, what they built was undeniable: a bond, a culture, and a sea of pride that swept through the town like wildfire.
“I knew we had the skill,” said Head Coach Ryan Pentz. “But it was our mental game that needed sharpening. Florida helped us. That Watkins loss? It changed everything.”
From early adversity to dominant postseason performances, the Jackets became more than a team — they became a family. Senior captain Grace Bates, a program cornerstone, called it the ultimate reward.
“I’m proud of everything,” Bates said. “The past four years led us here. Mudita — joy in another’s success — that’s what brought us together.”
In the state final, the Yellow Jackets looked out and saw it: a wall of black-clad supporters, a whole community behind them.
“It was crazy,” Bates recalled. “The entire city of Mount Vernon was there.”
Through wins, weather, and emotion, Coach Pentz witnessed his team rise.
“They embraced my expectations,” he said. “This group stood out. The senior leadership… they were going through so much and still stayed focused.”
Pentz reshaped the program from the inside out, adding a young female assistant with college experience, rotating lineups, making tough calls.
“I had to learn to relax. They made me better too,” he said.
In the dugout, laughter balanced pressure. Grace’s best friend/teammate, Hailey Rudrick by her side kept her grounded. The coach she trusted most, always steady.
“Hailey’s my best friend,” Bates said, thinking of her teammate. “Coach? He makes me laugh, keeps me in check. When I look at that dugout and see them, I breathe and smile.”
After the season’s end, Bates sent a message from home to her coach, in regard to a present he presented to all the seniors — a necklace engraved with GPS coordinates of home plate.
“She told me she was sitting alone in the bleachers behind home plate,” Pentz said, emotion rising. “Taking it all in. Peaceful. Missing the atmosphere already.”
Mount Vernon didn’t lose — they inspired.
They won the LCL. They captured district and regional titles. They rewrote expectations.
More importantly, they turned teammates into sisters, adversity into unity, and games into life lessons.
“I want them to win in life,” Pentz said. “Mistakes happen. You grow. This game teaches you that.”
They were one of the winningest teams in program history. But for Pentz, the wins were only a piece of the puzzle.
“I’ll never forget my eight seniors,” he said. “They worked me. They had talent. Passion. This program is enduring change… but the impact of this group? It’s forever.”
Mount Vernon may not have lifted the state championship trophy — but they lifted a city, a program, and each other. And that’s something no scoreboard can measure.
