By Liz Weeker

Town Crier Editorial Intern

Practices were intense last week at Stevenson Park for the local Bobby Sox softball teams as they prepared to travel to Nationals in Los Angeles on Thursday.

For the first time, three teams from Mountain View have qualified for the national tournament.

The 14-and-under, 10-and-under and 8-and under teams will compete against 15 teams, some from as far as Hawaii.

This will be the second-straight year at the big tournament for the core of the 10-and-under team. Coaches Jim Otis and Bob O’Hearn seemed excited to see their girls advance so far this season.

“The girls are very close,” Otis said.

Strong camaraderie may have been a factor in the team’s success, but it may not be the only reason.

The girls worked on the defensive drills and hitting to fine tune their skills for the tournament.

Otis is confident in the players’ talents - especially his pitchers.

“We have girls pitching between 44-51 mph,” he said.

The team has not been immune to obstacles, however.

Bobby Sox will travel to Los Angeles without three of its players who are playing elsewhere during the tournament. The absence of these girls will change the team, according to the coaches, but the squad remains positive.

“We’ll still be competitive,” Otis said.