For many people, they haven’t had the chance to compete on a national stage in front of a national audience.

For three Centralia middle schoolers, this was a reality as Jaylynn Brown, Ealynne Bostick and Karli Andersen advanced out of the Little League softball regional round after Daniel Boone Little League out of Columbia, defeating Indiana July 29 in the Central regional championship in Whitestown, Indiana.

In a tournament that has been and will continue to be broadcast on ESPN+, the trio head to Greenville, North Carolina, having played Tuesday in the first game of the first round of the Little League World Series against Mid-Atlantic regional champion Delmar Little League out of Maryland.

Centralia High School softball head coach Elizabeth Bostick, who has coached the girls in one of the five or six teams in the Daniel Boone Little League, said it was impressive that all three Lady Panthers were deemed all-stars in the league to make the squad. It is even more amazing the girls are having this much success so early in their careers in a high-pressure environment.

“It is great to see all the time and commitment that they put in the sport finally start to show on the field,” Bostick said. “At 12 (years old), you usually don’t see that, and you don’t get to see it on a stage like the Little League (World Series).”

Bostick admits she didn’t know much about the Little League softball tournament prior to the girls making the cut. From what she observed and experienced, it is a big deal, especially for some teams such as Missouri’s championship opponent Indiana.

During the contest, Bostick remembers how loud and passionate Indiana’s fans were in their home state, making the “whole stadium kind of rock.” Missouri responded well to all that noise, which is not always easy.

“To see them on such a big stage with ESPN cameras on them, they’re getting interviewed and all that stuff, how they handle themselves and just how they handle the pressure,” Bostick said. “That’s been what’s really neat, to see them grow as athletes and just be out there doing their thing. It’s pretty nerve-wracking. It’s really stressful to be on that stage.”

Missouri easily defeated Michigan and Iowa 10-0 and 17-0, respectively, before playing tighter games against Ohio and Indiana. The Daniel Boone team won 5-2 against Ohio but faced a new challenge against Indiana besides the fans.

Indiana jumped ahead 3-0 in the first inning and carried a 3-1 heading into the bottom of the fourth inning. That was when Elizabeth’s daughter, Ealynne, came through with two runners on and two outs by lining a game-tying base hit up the middle.

“The championship game for regionals was the first time they’ve ever been down,” Bostick said. “For them to just keep fighting their way back up to come back and win it was a huge thing. That shows a ton of emotional stability and mental stability.”

Along with their Missouri teammates, Ealynne Bostick, who will enter seventh grade this year along with Andersen, and Brown, who will go into eighth grade this year, have made all the plays they’re supposed to for the most part and have consistently put pressure on the defense by putting the ball in play.

In the four regional games, Bostick hit to a .545 batting average while driving in five RBI, Brown had a .556 average and five RBI and Andersen hit .250.

Ealynne Bostick’s big hit to keep Missouri’s chances alive in the championship game was a confirmation of the team’s capability, Ealynne Bostick said. A grin beamed from her face as she stopped at first base after “by far the biggest” hit in her career thus far.

“We all knew we had to stay positive and believe that the game wasn’t over yet so we just kept fighting for it,” Ealynne Bostick said. “Once we got tied, we pushed the pedal and finished the game. (My hit) was definitely something that needed to happen.”

Bostick said her teammates know not to lose focus, especially as Missouri plays in the final bracket with 11 other teams from across the country and the world starting Tuesday this week. However, that hasn’t prevented the Missouri girls from enjoying themselves.

The team usually stays loose before the game by dancing to get rid of the nerves, Bostick said. This, among other things, has established a family atmosphere that helps alleviate the pressure that comes with facing more “intense” competition from outside the state.

“I enjoy hanging out with my teammates,” Bostick said. “I think we really became a big family on this journey. We made a lot of new friends and became pretty close.”

Brown said she definitely saw how talented her team was after scoring so many runs early in the regional round.

“Our team has succeeded because of our confidence and how much we’ve practiced,” Brown said.

Elizabeth Bostick said she was one of the mothers on the trip that helped wash uniforms and also provided moral support for the girls. She said it is easy to get bogged down whenever you encounter some adversity like Missouri did in its final two regional games, but the girls can’t forget how special it is to be playing softball on this stage.

When it came to signing the girls up, there were requirements such as being 12 years old at the beginning of this year and playing in a school district located in Boone County. After the “rigorous” paperwork process, the girls need to simply remember to have fun.

“We went back to the hotel (after the 5-2 victory against Ohio), and they were just kind of down,” Bostick said. “We watched the game afterwards, which is cool because you can learn stuff about the batters and learn stuff about what did you do right and what did you do wrong. I’m like, ‘Are you guys proud of what you did today?’ They just shrugged their shoulders and were like ‘whatever.’ I’m like, ‘No, we are all proud of you. You should be proud of yourselves.’

“This is huge, just to go out and put everything on the field and just have fun playing the sport. There’s a day when you don’t get to play it anymore. We talked a lot about that.”

Bostick insists that this tournament is “their game,” and Missouri needs to “play this because you love it” and “play it because it’s fun.” Going into the next round with mentality should leave them in a good state the rest of the way, and at least, leave them with the indelible experience of working together toward a lofty goal.