The squad is still in awe of their feat of reaching the tournament last season and has had time to celebrate, including having freshman Marino Jakic throw out the first pitch at DePaul’s softball game versus Illinois.
“It’s taken a long time,” head coach Matt Brothers explained. “Last year was exceptional, and we had a very unique bunch of people. We are a really young squad this year. I believed anything was possible, but I had no idea what we had. The men were truly committed to working hard every day and progressing, which they demonstrated throughout the season. Their diligence paid off.”
The hard effort continues as they prepare to compete against the world’s finest. After winning the conference title, the squad had two days off before returning to practice. “Many of our schools shared similar timetables,” student Vito Tonejc explained. “We played a lot of points and matches in practice, and I believe it was beneficial to refresh a little after the season.”
The Band of Brothers’ surviving members competed in both conference championships. They were the younger guys last year, learning the ropes of success. This year, they were the seasoned presence that steered the club back to prominence.
