York softball coach Drew McGuire patiently waited for his young team to start winning games.
The Dukes a Class 4A regional title last season but lost most of their starters, so McGuire expected some rough moments this season.
York followed McGuire's expectations, losing five of their first six games, including four to start the season. But the Dukes pushed along during the next three weeks, finally getting over the .500 mark with a 12-11 victory against Glenbard West on April 29.
The Dukes turned their season around, though, with nine wins during an 11-game stretch. York lost both of its games last weekend in the Class 4A state tournament, but McGuire called the season a success.
"These girls went down fighting," he said. "It just wasn't our weekend. These girls are young and we learned a lot from this experience and will only get better.
"They just started believing in their ability. These girls got a ton of talent and they just believed in themselves."
The Dukes (23-16) lost 6-3 to eventual state champion Minooka in Friday's semifinal and fell 5-1 to Barrington in Saturday's third-place game. Junior left-hander Brooke Bandy (15-9) lost both games but held the two potent lineups to a combined 20 hits and eight earned runs.
York senior Gracie Sullivan said team unity carried the Dukes to state.
"I'm glad that we got to end our season at state," Sullivan said. "We never felt pressure. This weekend was rough, but we took fourth place out of so many teams."
With just one senior starter, the Dukes arrived at state ahead of schedule and beat highly regarded Trinity in a sectional final and a hot Sandburg team in the supersectional along the way.
"They've competed all year long against some of the best teams in the state," McGuire said. "We always came up just short. They finally started believing how good they could be. This weekend wasn't necessarily our weekend. It's been an awesome run. It's just looking up for this program. I think the sun is going to shine on York for a few years."
