LEROY, Ill. (WCIA) – LeRoy softball is state bound after beating Serena 9-5 in Bloomington on Monday.

The Panthers boast a remarkable 34-5 record for the season, with five of those wins coming from postseason games. Throughout the postseason, they have been defeating their adversaries by an impressive average of 8.2 runs per game.

“We’re just a close-knit group,” stated LeRoy sophomore Jacey Hageman. “We always remind each other that if anyone needs energy, they should lean on the person beside them, so we constantly feed off each other’s energy. It’s been so much fun as a team this weekend, and I’m really excited to see what the rest of the weekend holds for us.”

It was a comeback win on Monday that sent Panther softball to the 1A state semifinals in Peoria.

“We take it one game at a time. Our focus is on the next game and in the upcoming practices; we’ll prepare to beat the other team by playing our own game and giving it our all,” said LeRoy senior Natalie Loy. “We’ve invested a tremendous amount of effort during the postseason and offseason, and we’re really thrilled and couldn’t be happier.”

LeRoy plays Dakota on Friday at Louisville Slugger Park in Peoria with the winner advancing to the state championship. Friday’s game is scheduled for 12:30 p.m. Saturday’s title match will be played at 11:30 a.m. after the third place game at 9 a.m.