ARLINGTON — After wrapping up their district championship at the end of June on their home field, the Stilly Valley junior softball team has been spending the week and a half afterward working on their mechanics.

The girls started with basic warm-ups but quickly manager Allen Backstrom focused on getting the team into a rhythm. As they passed the ball back and forth in pairs in the outfield behind Haller Middle School, they synced up on Backstrom’s count. As the team shifted into infield drills tagging bases and passing between first and second bases, rhythm remained an important factor with the girls’ speed.

As the team prepares for the state tournament, which begins July 18 at Everest Park in Kirkland, memories of the year before can’t be too far away. A majority of the team returns from last year’s majors squad that went undefeated through the state tournament, their closest game in the championship against Sammamish. But at regionals, the girls lost their first two games by one-run margins, effectively ending their Little League World Series dreams.

“We get another shot at making another run for it,” said coach Brian Fields, who managed last year’s majors team, of what brought so many girls back for another year of all-stars. “What I see is maturity. Obviously, I see improvement across the board.”

The girls haven’t put off select softball either, which draws so many girls out of Little League. Many play softball year-round and several members of the team are juggling another select team this summer.

“A lot of these girls are pitchers and pitch all winter,” Fields added. “We don’t put the glove down, it’s something that continues.”

The junior girls begin the state tournament bracket July 18 against North Whidbey all-stars at 3 p.m. The junior softball bracket is available at http://www.littleleaguewa.org/component/option,com_tournament/Itemid,26/div,148/.