O'FALLON - Although the Panthers' season didn't end the way they wanted to with a regional championship loss to Edwardsville on Friday, May 30, 2025, at Edwardsville, O'Fallon still had a great season, and the entire body of work is reflective of how much the Panthers have improved over the year.
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"It's hard," said O'Fallon head coach Jamie Corbier. "It's hard to feel like you didn't play to the potential we know we have, but it's hard, at the most, to just know that this is the last game for this season, because this group was really special."
Although the five errors in the second did in O'Fallon, there's still much to be proud of this season.
"Yeah, absolutely," Corbier said. "Edwardsville's a great program, and a great team, and we had to give it our best. We just didn't have our best, today, and unfortunately, as we said, it's a tough day to not be at your best. But, still extremely proud of this team, and what we accomplished this year. Accomplishing feats, getting into the regional championship, the record that we had, the third-place finish in the (Southwestern) conference, these are things our program hasn't done in quite a few years. So, I'm nothing but proud of this group."
Corbier is also very optimistic about the future of Panther softball, as well.
"I'm very excited," Corbier said. "Extremely happy with where we're going. I think we have a very talented group with us at the junior level, the sophomore, and the freshman level, and we're exited to see what our freshmen bring in for next year. It's just been a growing year, and we've seen a lot of growth, and a lot of improvements. I'm excited. This was an awful way to finish, but the promise of what we have coming, it's hard not to be excited to get ready for off-season workouts."
Many of the players will be playing on summer select teams this year, but the prep work for the 2026 campaign begins almost immediately for the Panthers.
Corbier said: "We are doing an off-season workout this year. One of my assistant coaches has a background in strength and conditioning, so we're starting Monday with off-season workouts, getting back in the weight room, and getting stronger. So, I'm excited. I'm ready to see where the future takes us."
According to Corbier, next March can't get here soon enough to start the new season.
"March is always the best month of the year, as long as the weather isn't so cold and rainy," Corbier said. "I'm so proud of this group, and proud of what we accomplished. I just want to thank my seven seniors' they poured into this program, and they're the reason we we've had such success. not just with the record that we left, but just the program legacy that they're leaving. I'm just proud of them."
