GIBSONBURG, Ohio — Gibsonburg's Elly Evarts is heading to the World Series.
"I was just like, 'I'm going back again,'" said Evarts. "I'm so happy, I can't believe it."
The seventh-grader is one of three finalists in the national Pitch, Hit & Run competition. She's been to finals before and she knows what to expect and how to handle the nerves.
"Last time, I was more nervous about the pitching, but that was because we only have a target to practice with, but this time I have the pitching net again and I definitely feel like that will help me a lot," said Evarts. "I'm already getting better at that, it's great."
Evarts came in second place in 2019, just a couple of points shy of winning it all.
She practices throwing strikes out in her yard daily with a pitching target her uncle made her, and right down the road takes batting practice at a local park.
"I wanted to win," said Evarts. "Last time, I lost by like 10 points or so, and I just want to go there and win this time."
In years past, this competition has been held during the MLB All-Star game so she knew where the competition would be.
This year Evarts is glued to the playoffs as it determines her destination.
"I'm definitely rooting for Atlanta. I really want to go to Atlanta because I get to fly and my family, we all have relatives down there," said Evarts. "So my family could drive down there to go to my great aunt."