Whether you call it destiny, fate, or another term, the similarities linking the end of long State Tournament droughts for the summer sports teams at Pella Christian are undeniable.

In 2021, the 17-18 Eagles softball team entered the Class 2A Region 4 Final having not been to the State Tournament in 31 years. Karen Harrill, Pella Christian’s head coach at the time, was an All-State catcher the last time the school had made it to State Softball in 1990. The Eagles entered their regional final contest as heavy underdogs against 2A #4 ranked Van Meter. 

One day shy of two years later and the Pella Christian baseball team found themselves in an almost identical scenario. The 17-16 Eagles had a 29-year State Tournament drought going into Tuesday night’s game, and assistant coach Matt Menninga was a member of the last State Tournament qualifying team in 1994. Pella Christian baseball was also big underdogs in the game to go to State, facing #1 ranked and four-time defending champion Van Meter. 

Additionally, the two teams featured a parent coaching a child on the team and saw the appearance of siblings from different families. Karen Harrill’s daughter Natalie was the shortstop for the 2021 Eagles softball team, while Matt Menninga’s son Eliot is the catcher for the baseball team. Jarah Morgan was Pella Christian softball’s starting right fielder against Van Meter two years ago, and younger brother Johnson was the right fielder Tuesday night. Two years ago, Claire Westerkamp courtesy run for the Eagles against the Bulldogs, and this year older brother Corbin dominated Van Meter through 7.2 no-hit innings.

While the end result was the same in both games, they came about very differently. The Pella Christian softball team’s offense recorded 15 hits en route to a 12-5 statement win over the Bulldogs. Meanwhile, the Eagles baseball team needed 10-innings to stun Van Meter 2-1 and make it to State.

The Pella Christian baseball team’s State Tournament run begins on Tuesday at 11 a.m. against top-seeded Beckman Catholic, and the game can be heard live on 92.1 KRLS beginning with pregame coverage around 10:45 a.m.