Taylor Bass easily recalls last year’s Babe Ruth Southern New Jersey state tournament championship and subsequent Middle Atlantic Regional tourney in Mount Olive. The results weren’t pretty for the Stafford Township 14-and-under softball squad. In fact, the results were quite painful, as Stafford lost both games of the state championship series and then got bounced from the regional tourney really fast.

“It was tough,” said Bass, the team’s catcher. “There’s definitely a mission this year.