The Vidalia 10-and-under All-Stars crossed off their first postseason goal by winning the District 3 Little League Softball Tournament on June 22, but now it’s on to the next.

The team, led by head coach Jay Gamberi, has its eyes set on a state title.

“We don’t have a lot of cheerleaders on the team. We have a lot of players,” Gamberi said. “Every one of them wants in the game. There really isn’t anyone out here to pick daisies.”

Vidalia claimed its district championship on its home turf in fairly easy fashion, Gamberi said, since it only had to defeat one other team.

While the all-stars won its two district games with no problems, Gamberi said he knows the opposition will be much stronger when his team travels to Jonesboro, La.

State tournament play begins on July 7.

“We had a little competition the last game (of district), but we haven’t gotten to a pressure cooker yet,” he said.

Of the challenges his 13-member squad might face, Gamberi said one of his main worries is making sure everyone knows their role. He said in his experience with all-star teams in the past, selections are typically heavy on infield players.

“You have to make outfielders,” he said. “They know what to do for the most part at the bases, and some of them even at shortstop. When you put them in left, right or center it’s something they’ve never played. The first two weeks, that’s a big transition.”

Luckily, Gamberi said, his team has now had about a month of practice since the end of the regular season. He said when making a decision about which players to train as outfielders, he wanted to make sure they understood the importance of the job.

“We had to look at arm strength, speed and the ability to pick things up quickly,” he said. “Sometimes, they don’t think that is an actual position and just get stuck out there. We want to stress that if they don’t do their job, the team will suffer. The ones in the outfield have the ability to grow into that position.”

Another obstacle for Vidalia, Gamberi said, is the set up of the state tournament. Each of the seven teams will play just one game per night throughout the weekend.

“In softball, that’s not usual,” he said. “We won’t get to the elimination round until Sunday (June 9), and I don’t particularly like that. It is a lot of time in between games. They get the jitters, and as kids they like to play. It can be hard to keep them focused.”

Overall, Gamberi has complete confidence in his group to overcome its hurdles.

“I think we will be competitive,” he said. “They really want to get after it, and that’s great.”