BATH — East Beaufort’s 16U softball all stars have been on a warpath, and it’s led them straight to the Babe Ruth softball World Series in Florida. They rolled through the state tournament in Chocowinity, winning a rematch from last year’s title game early on and then topping Western Carteret, 8-2, to earn their second-straight title.

They weren’t quite sure what to expect in Virginia. The competition, which came from as far north as Virginia and as far south as Florida, was the best in the southeastern United States.

Still, East Beaufort executed its game plan to near perfection. Throughout the two tournaments, the ladies won by a combined score of 101-12.

“We are playing some extremely good ball, defensively and offensively,” coach Eric Slade said. “They hit the ball really well. They played solid defense, and we’ve got some good pitching. It went a lot easier than I thought it would. Some of the games were tougher than the scores tell you.”

Slade stressed that the defensive excellence can be attributed to fundamentals. It’s a focus each time the team hits the practice field in Bath, and it will be even more important upon arriving in Florida in less than a week.

“The girls have bought into it. Keep it simple, do the fundamental things right and you’ll win,” Slade said.

He added that, as expected, fine-tuning everything will be the mission over the course of East Beaufort’s two or three practices before embarking for Florida. Of course, there’s not too much to change about the way the team is playing when it’s outscoring the opposition by almost 90 runs throughout two tournaments.

Fundamentals have helped the defense behind pitcher Rebekah Williams, who has also been exceptional. Having a stout defense to back her up has given her the confidence to perform at the level she has.

“It feels good to have them behind me. I’m really confident with the defense,” she said. “I’m not really worried about a ball getting hit, I’m not worried about them getting it because I know they’re going to get it.”

There’s a balancing act involved in preparing for this trip, too. The coaches, many of the players, and parents wishing to travel to Florida have jobs. They have roughly a week to catch up from what they missed during the regional, as well as get ahead for when they’re at the World Series.

Everyone associated with the team takes a great deal of pride in representing Beaufort County. Slade said that many people mispronounced “Beaufort” at the beginning of the tournament in Virginia.

“We told them where we were from and no body knew it,” Slade said. “When we left, the good thing was that they were talking about Bath and Washington and Belhaven.”

Savannah Slade added, “It’s a good opportunity for us to go and make a name for ourselves and our community. No one knows who we are. We’re going and everybody is knowing who we are. We’re making a good stand for ourselves because we’re doing pretty well.

Everyone involved has that sense of pride for representing Bath and Beaufort County. The county has shown its support, too, in helping to fund their travels.

“We’ve had great support thus far,” Eric Slade said. “In about a four-day period, we raised about $7,000 from our local businesses to go to the regional. It’s already started to come in now. We’ve got a big hump to get over, though.”

East Beaufort 16U is raising money for the trip. Expenses include tournament fees, transportation and hotel rooms. Donations are tax deductible. All sponsors will be listed on the team banner. Checks can be made payable to the Bath Recreation Department. For any questions, please contact Joanna Slade at 252-944-8494.