COLUMBUS, Ga. — When Auburn University at Montgomery’s Katie Spain tagged third for the final out Thursday night, Warhawk players stormed the field in celebration of a 10-6 victory over William Carey signifying the school’s first softball championship.

AUM team manager Hunter Veach, a 2012 graduate of Morgan Academy, took another approach as the celebration got underway.

“When they went out and celebrated and dogpiled on the mound we all stepped back — [our entire coaching staff] — and soaked in the moment because we worked so hard to get them to where they are today,” Veach said. “It was just awesome seeing them celebrate.”

Veach, who helps prepare the Warhawks field for games and practices and fills in anywhere else AUM head coach Chris Steiner-Wilcoxson needs him, is in his second year with the program.

After years of playing baseball for Morgan Academy, Veach had to sit back and hope Thursday that he and the rest of the coaching staff had done enough to get the team ready for their big moment.

“This is what I’ve dreamed of doing my whole life, even when I was playing,” Veach said. “Just being a part and helping these girls accomplish something they have always dreamed of.”

AUM (44-7) won its first national championship in only the program’s sixth year of existence, but it wasn’t easy. William Carey won Thursday’s first game 7-4, forcing the Warhawks to win a winner-take-all game three. Veach said from the beginning of the second contest, it was clear the Warhawks were focused and ready to go.

“They never settled and never quit pushing to get more runs,” Veach said. “The words can’t describe the feeling in the girls eyes when they stepped to the plate.”