If Merkel’s softball resurgence has caught you by surprise, you’re not alone. 

Sitting at 11-0 in District 6-3A, having already clinched at least a share of the title in a league that features quality competition from Ballinger, Jim Ned and Clyde, the Lady Badgers have been one of the best stories in the area this year. 

After finishing 0-12 in district in 2019 and dropping their only league game completed before COVID cut the 2020 season short, Merkel has emerged — seemingly out of nowhere — as a legitimate threat in Region I-3A this spring.

But while the dramatic nature of that turnaround has earned the Lady Badgers some newfound and well-deserved attention, coach Bobby Williams isn’t among those shocked by this season’s developments.