Fairbury softball appears ready to get back to state tournament after narrowly missing out in 2018

FAIRBURY -  Fairbury softball has quietly become a strong contender over the last couple years in southeast Nebraska. It's a region already stacked with solid softball talent. In 2018 alone, Beatrice, Crete, Auburn, Centennial and Milford all made the state tournament in Hastings.

The Jeffs narrowly missed out, finishing runner-up in their district to then-defending Class B state champion Crete.

"It's a huge motivator," head coach Taylor Biehl said. "When you can finish in one of the toughest Class B districts as second and play great competition, it's a huge motivator. We know what we have coming back. We know the great talent we have on the field, and we're excited to get going."

This year, Fairbury looks equipped to get back to state for the second time in three seasons. Having moved down from Class B to C, the Jeffs return their top seven hitters and four of their top five pitchers from last season. Leading this pack of experience is sophomore sensation Jami Mans. The pitcher and outfielder led her team last year with a .426 batting average, including 11 doubles and three home runs.

She also went 5-1 in the circle with a 3.63 ERA.

"I just want to keep the momentum going," Mans said. "You know, perform well for the team. I don't want to let them down."

Fairbury has five seniors on the roster this year. Shortstop Jaelle Johnson was one of those five that experienced the state tournament in 2017, where the Jeffs finished fourth. Fairbury hasn't made the state final since 2003, where they finished runner-up to Wayne.

With plenty of young talent alongside, Johnson and the four other seniors are determined to make their final season the best yet.

"This team has all the pieces," she said. "I'm so excited to see where we go. We want to end up on top, and we're going to do whatever we can to do that."

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