For three years, the Helias Lady Crusaders knocked on the door.
The Lady Crusaders lost in three consecutive district softball tournament title games to teams that eventually advanced to the Final Four.
For nine Helias seniors, now it's their time.
"They've been right there," Helias coach Chris Wyrick said as the Lady Crusaders (24-5) prepare to face Incarnate Word (18-6) in the Class 3 semifinals at 2 p.m. today at the Killian Softball Complex in Springfield. "I just hope we keep that hunger, we can't be happy with just getting to the Final Four.
"You want to enjoy your time down there, but it's a business trip and you want to win a state championship."
The Lady Crusaders have found an extra gear in the postseason. After topping Fulton and edging Blair Oaks to win the district title, Helias blanked Bolivar and Logan-Rogersville to advance to the Final Four for the first time since 2015.
"Once we accomplished getting past the district tournament, it seems like we've hit a new level of intensity and hunger," Wyrick said.
The duo of junior Alexa Rehmeier and senior Lauren Howell have been a potent 1-2 punch in the circle in the four postseason games for the Lady Crusaders, allowing just three runs while combining for three shutouts.
"It's a luxury to have two all-state caliber pitchers," Wyrick said. "If those two are pitching well and hitting their spots, I like our chances."
Rehmeier took over as Helias' starter when Howell was sidelined with an injury early in the season.
"Alexa took off," Wyrick said. "She has matured a lot after some struggles early against some really good teams."
Rehmeier is 17-3 with a 0.94 ERA in 119 innings. She's allowed 58 hits and 20 walks to go along with 192 strikeouts.
"We have a strong mindset to win this thing," Rehmeier said after Saturday's quarterfinal win against Logan-Rogersville. "We had a goal to get to state and now we're headed there."
Howell is 3-0 with one save in 12 games. In 26 innings, the Arkansas commit has allowed 12 hits and 12 walks to go along with 55 strikeouts while compiling a 1.59 ERA.
"She's come in and blown people away as our closer," Wyrick said.
Howell has embraced working the final inning or two after starting the last three seasons.
"It's not usually what I do, but I want to do my job," Howell said Saturday. "We're playing for each other."
Rehmeier and Howell are backed by a solid defense that has made the necessary plays for much of the season.
"We've made the routine plays and that's all I ask," Wyrick said. "If you can do that and throw in a great play every once in a while, I'll take my chances that we are going to win a game."
Pitching and defense could be important this afternoon against a potent Incarnate Word offense that's averaging more than nine runs per game. The Red Knights have scored in double digits in six of their last seven games.
"They're dangerous," Wyrick said. "They are playing with an edge and doing it at a high level."
Incarnate Word has some pop in its lineup. Lauren Gallagher has five home runs for the Red Knights, while Mia Boyd, Macy Brown and Brielle DeMemmo have hit four each.
They make up the core of a lineup that can hit it out of the park, but can make adjustments to put the ball in play when they're down in the count. Boyd leads the team with a .573 average, followed by DiMemmo (.481), Gallagher (.380) and Brown (.356).
"They're a rare breed of power and average," Wyrick said. "They hit mistakes, you have to be careful with what you're throwing."
In the circle, Gallagher is 11-0 with a 2.41 ERA in 70 innings. The junior has allowed just 19 walks, but has struck out just 33.
"She throws a lot of strikes, she's solid, but not overpowering," Wyrick said. "We're going to try to put the ball in play hard and see what happens."
That's been the Lady Crusaders' offensive philosophy all season. Helias is striking out less than four times per game and is hitting .326 as a team.
"We have to be the same team we've been all year," Wyrick said. "We can't change what we do."
Taylor Woehr, Helias' leadoff hitter, tops the Lady Crusaders with a .427 average. The senior has scored a team-high 35 runs. Rylee Kolb, the No. 3 hitter, is next with a .400 average. She has scored 31 runs.
As the season has gone on, Helias has improved offensively by seeing more pitches.
"Our at-bats are getting longer and we're extending our at-bats to see something better," Wyrick said. "The longer you make a pitcher pitch, the better chance there is that they will make a mistake.
"Eventually, you will get something you can hit."
The Helias-Incarnate Word winner will face either Sullivan (24-6) or Savannah (19-2) for the title at 4 p.m. Saturday. Those two will meet at 2 p.m. today in their semifinal.
"We are fully focused on Incarnate Word, they are on fire right now," Wyrick said. "If we're 1-0 on Friday, we have a chance to be 1-0 on Saturday."
The Class 3 third-place game is scheduled to start at 7 p.m. today.