Messenger photo by Britt Kudla: The Fort Dodge softball squad poses with its 2023 regional championship banner. Team members are, front row: Kamryn Gochee, Macy Brown, Lydia Lara, Maggie Elsbecker, Ellie Doster, Meah McCaleb, Katie Mason, Hope Alstott and Ashlyn Wills; Back: Mackenzie McIlrath, Teryn Rippentrop, Lucy Porter, Cadence Touney, Calliegh Zimmermann, Naomi Alexander, Ava Wessels, Mae Meyer and Maddie Hoshaw. Not pictured: Aundrea Pettigrew.

They don’t feel pressure to perform at an elite level, despite the recent track record of their predecessors.

They aren’t worried about statistics, records or seeding.

This year’s Fort Dodge softball squad — the group after “the group” — is loose, confident and perfectly content to scratch, claw and fight their way to victory. The third-ranked (Class 4A) Dodgers don’t overwhelm opponents with talent or numbers. They’re good with winning on sheer will and leaving it at that.

Making a school-record sixth consecutive state tournament appearance, head coach Andi Adams’s team faces sixth-seeded Adel-ADM in a 4A quarterfinal matchup on Monday. First pitch is set for 3:30 p.m. on Iowa Central Field (Diamond 2) at Rogers Park.

Fort Dodge lost 85 percent of its home runs, 70 percent of its doubles and 56 percent of its runs batted in from last summer’s ballclub, as the Dodgers went from a state finalist in three consecutive years to a bit of an unknown among the top contenders. Fueled by doubt and criticism, FDSH pieced together a 29-9 regular season for an Iowa Alliance Conference Northern Division title, then recorded two regional shutouts to reach the big stage yet again.

“They just want to play and keep proving themselves,” said Adams, who has now directed 14 different teams to state during her 23-year tenure with the Dodgers. “Sometimes, you’re blessed with a ton of talent. But sometimes, you also deal with too many egos and attitudes. This is just a low-maintenance bunch. They get along, work hard and play with a chip on their shoulder.

“They watched how it was done, and followed the lead of (three graduated five-year starters and three first team all-staters). They learned about not only what it takes, but how to get there, and decided they wanted it for themselves. That’s what I love about (the 2023 squad): they didn’t care about what others thought (in the preseason). They didn’t worry about who we were playing, or what things looked like on paper. They’ve just taken ownership and said, ‘this is our time.'”

Fort Dodge has just two seniors — Lydia Lara and Mackenzie Elsbecker — and knew a number of talented underclassmen would have to embrace roles and fill in the blanks. Despite a shift from 5A to 4A and into the IAC from the CIML, Adams still made sure to include 5A powers West Des Moines Valley, Southeast Polk, Waukee Northwest, Johnston, Ankeny, Linn-Mar and a slew of others on the schedule.

“It seemed kind of crazy (to put the team through another gauntlet), but I could tell pretty early on we had something special and that our whole was going to be greater than the sum of its parts,” Adams said. “There’s just a really good chemistry and cadence to this group. They’ve seen a little of everything, which is exactly what I want to be able to say about (meeting long list of elite opponents) at this time of year.

“Our program will never shy away from a challenge, even if it means taking our lumps and losing some games. You want to be put in as many scenarios as possible, so that when (the postseason) rolls around, nothing can surprise you.”

Sophomore hurler Lucy Porter is 20-8 this season with a 1.59 earned run average. Porter, who recently reached the 300-strikeout plateau for her three-year varsity career and has 182 Ks this summer alone, is already 47-11 at the varsity level as a Dodger despite still being an underclassman.

“Lucy has been so good,” Adams said. “She’s confident and in a great rhythm. She trusts her teammates, and the defense has been solid behind her.”

Eighth-grader Hope Alstott (.425, 30 RBI), sophomore Cadence Touney (.373, 33 RBI) and senior Maggie Elsbecker (.355, 25 RBI) have led the way for Fort Dodge offensively. Sophomore Meah McCaleb paces the Dodgers in runs, walks and doubles. Lara has four home runs, a team-best 40 RBI, and is 11-1 from the pitching circle.

Ninth-rated ADM (24-12) ousted No. 5 Dallas Center-Grimes in a 4A regional final, 3-1. The Tigers are back at Rogers Park for a third consecutive year under the direction of former North Scott and University of Northern Iowa star Lindsay (Wood) Stanford.

“We’ve been preparing for them, but it’s hard to know exactly what we’ll see — especially from their pitchers,” Adams said. “They have a freshman (Lauren Hagedorn) who is very talented (12-8 record, 7 saves, 1.34 ERA), but (junior) Cameran Smith (9-0, 2.51 ERA) has also been effective in different ways. They give you a contrast in looks.”

Senior catcher Addison Banse has seven home runs and is batting .337 for ADM. Hagedorn (.358) leads the squad in average and has driven in a team-best 35.

The Tigers squared off with a number of impressive foes in their own right, closing the regular season with close losses to Carlisle, Ankeny Centennial, Indianola and Southeast Polk.

“Honestly, we’re tired of (the anticipation). I’m sure they are, too,” Adams said. “We’re incredibly fortunate to be in this position. Making it (to state) six straight years…you never want to buy into the idea that any of this is a given. It’s not. I want people to appreciate that.

“No matter what happens (this week), our kids will be able to take so much away from this season — lessons that will apply to the rest of their lives. You sometimes have to be patient and wait your turn. You can’t cut corners. You have to keep working. Nothing is handed to you. And if you work well with others, good things can and will happen.”