A little spunk and a lot of heart — those are the assets Christal McGlothin has to work with on her Vidalia Little League Softball Team.

The group of 9- and 10-year-olds is gearing up for the postseason as they kick off district play at 7 p.m. tonight at home, hosting Avoyelles in Game 1 of a best-of-three series.

“They are all athletes of course, but most of them are full of energy,” McGlothin said. “We also definitely have lots of personality.”

As one would think, a team with young players would be eager to get on the field. But, McGlothin said what most don’t know is that she is dealing with the not-so-fun side of youth.

“Half of this team is first-year players in this age group. Most all-star teams have a majority of second-year players and we just don’t have that,” she said. “Most of them are still learning.”

Despite the learning curves — which McGlothin said includes training players to be all-star outfielders, as well as coaching her team to maintain strength at the plate — there’s one player she knows she can count on.

10-year-old pitcher Addie Johnson is a second-year all-star who also has experience on a travel ball team.

“She’s just great all around. She can play every position out here,” McGlothin said. “She knows a lot through playing travel ball, so it helps that she can lead others in the middle of everything.”

Because of the size of the district, McGlothin’s team will get an automatic bid to the state tournament, which is also being held in Vidalia, but she said she doesn’t want the sureness to discourage her players.

“We have a lot of support here,” she said. “The community brings it. That’s just the way it is, but what’s going to pull us through is determination.

“All of these kids have the want to. They have worked really hard and been at every practice.”

If anything, McGlothin said, she’s just happy to be doing what she’s doing.

“We are really excited to be in Vidalia,” she said. “I think every single one of these kids has the heart to be here, and they will do what it takes to win.”