Messenger photo by Britt Kudla: Fort Dodge celebrates its Class 4A quarterfinal win on Monday over ADM at Rogers Park.

Fort Dodge finds itself in a familiar position, despite having an entirely new look.

The third-seeded Dodgers (32-9) will play in their fourth straight state semifinal on Tuesday, looking for their fourth consecutive shot at a state title.

Fort Dodge meets seventh-seeded Winterset (26-12) at 11:30 a.m. on Kruger Seeds Field for the right to play for the Class 4A state championship.

“There is no doubt that this team feels it’s exactly where they should be,” said FDSH head coach Andi Adams. “They should feel that. Their expectations are high because of their drive to continue the culture and the program — it shouldn’t be any different.

“They are taking every single thing that the coaches are telling them to heart.”

The Dodgers, who are led by seniors Maggie Elsbecker and Lydia Lara, have a mix of you talent and some seasoned players.

“We make practices so hard that when it comes day time, it’s like their recital,” Adams said. “We have to make practices difficult, so it makes the games seem easy. That’s why we play the schedule we do, and that’s the most important thing that gets us ready.

“We like to see phenomenal defenses and a variety of pitchers.”

The Dodgers enter the semifinals coming off an 8-3 win over ADM on Monday. Eighth-grader Ellie Doster had a triple and a double and drove in a run. Classmate Hope Alstott had two RBI.

Elsbecker had three RBI, and sophomore Ashlyn Wills drove in one.

Sophomore Lucy Porter improved to 20-8 on the season.

In their opening round contest, Winterset upset second-seeded Carlisle, 11-5. Brynn Acton was 4-for-5 with a double and a home run and drove in three runs. Avary Darling had three hits and two RBI.

Makenna Olson and Jena Young had two hits each, while Olson drove in two and Young had an RBI. Ashlyn Devine also had two hits and an RBI.

Young, the 2023 Iowa Gatorade Player of the Year, was making her season debut. The University of Iowa recruit has been out after tearing her ACL during the basketball season.

“Steve Corkrean (Winterset head coach) is a role model for me. He always has been. He’s good coach and a good human being,” Adams said. “He does everything the right way.

“They will be fundamentally sound and move runners around.”

Adams knows the Dodgers will have their hands full, but she is confident her team will be ready to play.

“We are not going to play like the higher seed. We’ll keep clawing from the bottom up,” Adams said. “Our program has been taught that you can’t take anything for granted. We have to play Dodge ball and worry about ourselves.

“We need to keep trusting each other.”