(ABC 6 News) — It’s not lost on Byron Bears Softball that this season is now a historic one.

Having made state for the first time ever, the Bears are ready to make a splash at the Class AAA State Tournament.

In a dominating 13-2 defeat of Winona in the Section 1AAA Championship, power hitters like Mackenzie Steele and Talli Behrens were determined to finally break the spell for the Bears.

“We proved time and time again that we are a good team, we can play with these good teams,” pitcher Talli Behrens noted. “And so going into State, we have nothing to lose. You know, we proved to each other time and time again that we are a good team. And so, you know, going into this, we’re going to be really confident.”

The victory over Winona was also significant in that the Winhawks spoiled Byron’s title hopes in the 2023 Section 1AAA Title Game. To get back at Winona was a victory beyond the stat sheets.

“We all wanted to kind of shut the door on them and reverse the roll,” senior outfielder Leah Strain said. “And we worked hard and the slump we had and we came back better than ever. we’re a very young team. We only had four seniors and a senior last year. So using that against them and all the energy we could bring.”

Now, Bears Softball will officially make its State debut as the sixth seed against #3 Cretin-Durham Hall on Tuesday, June 3 at Caswell Park in North Mankato at 12:30 PM.