The Gopher softball team is heading to Oklahoma City for its first ever Women's College World Series.
Dozens of fans came out to the Athletes Village lobby to send them off and get autographs Tuesday before the got on the bus, appreciative of the program's climb to the national elite.
"They're just a fun group," Wayne Sandbulte said. "You've got such a mixture of youth and leadership and they do a great job, so what's not to like?"
"I was at my cabin and I was watching and I was like, 'Yes!' I was so happy for them," 10-year-old Stella, a fellow softball player, said of the WCWS berth.
The program was in transition in the last two years after a historic 56-5 2017 season. Their head coach Jessica Allister left for Stanford and one of the best home run hitters in the country, Kendyl Lindaman, transferred from Minnesota to Florida.
In 2019, behind stellar pitching from Amber Fiser and a balanced offense, they beat back-to-back SEC teams to advance to the final eight with a chance at national championship. It's uncharted territory for the Gopher program.
Athletic Director Mark Coyle says they showed that change is OK, but it's how you respond that matters.
"Sometimes things don't go the way we want to, and you can either fold or you can pick up and compete harder, worker harder and do things the right way and they've done an awesome job and we're just so grateful for our softball program and our softball student athletes," he told the crowd.