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LOS ALAMITOS — A few brave steps into the Los Alamitos softball dugout, the secrets to one of the most surprising runs of the postseason begin to unfold.

Players, clad in matching, red practice jerseys and visors, quickly display the costume accessories they use in the dugout to display their team spirit and unity during games.

There’s a red-white-and-blue cowboy hat. A plastic, heavy-duty chain. A replica gold title belt and a shiny crown with colorful jewels.

It’s all from the collection of senior pitcher Ally Robbins. And combined with the screaming and cheering from a roster of nearly 25 players, the Griffins (26-7) have unapologetically expressed themselves during their run to Saturday night’s CIF-SS Division 1 final against Roosevelt (26-3).

The game is set for Deanna Manning Stadium at Bill Barber Park in Irvine at 6:30 p.m.

“We’re a very obnoxious team,” said Robbins, drawing laughter from her teammates. “We get really excited in here.”

But most importantly, the players say, they’ve bonded to have fun and advance in the difficult Division 1 bracket despite not being ranked in the final Division 1 poll.

Junior third baseman Giselle Alvarez knows how to explain the craziness in the dugout.

After belting a three-run home run to help lead the Griffins stun top-seeded and undefeated Oaks Christian 4-0 in the semifinals on Saturday, she had the “home run chain” placed around her in the celebration.

“It just brings our energy up and it’s just something that you are looking forward to,” she Alvarez, a junior committed to Washington. “The chain is a huge reward. It’s amazing.”

Los Alamitos’ softball team plays Roosevelt in the CIF-SS Division 1 final on Saturday at Bill Barber Park in Irvine. (Photo courtesy of Los Alamitos softball)

First baseman Taylor Johnson said her previous teams at Los Alamitos have been enthusiastic and close but not quite like the 2022 edition.

“Every year, (the level) just builds,” said Johnson a senior bound for San Diego. “Now, our team has really good camaraderie. On and off the field, we’re all friends. We all hang out. We enjoy each other’s presence, so I feel like this year is extra special.”

So is the chemistry between the players and veteran coach Rob Weil.

In August, he departed the powerhouse Firecrackers travel team and started his own program for the first time. It’s called the Wildcats.

Several Los Alamitos players also are part of the club, which features Weil and Marina co-coach Dan Hay, also president of Premier Girls Fastpitch, as partners.

The players include Johnson, Robbins, Jazzy Santos, Callie Fitzpatrick, Juliet Holcomb, Taryn Clements and Diamond Sefe. Emerging sophomore second baseman Isabella Rodriguez plays for another Wildcats’ team.

“It definitely has impacted us as players and just as people,” Johnson said of playing travel for Weil, a six-time CIF-SS champion. “All the time, we’re learning from him.”

On the field, one of the Griffins’ biggest keys has been the emergence of pitcher Sydney Saldana, Weil said.

The Utah State-bound senior has used her location and ability to throw multiple pitches at different speeds to outduel highly regarded pitchers such as Oaks Christian senior Micaela Kastor and Beuamont sophomore Cambria Salmon in the playoffs.

Saldana said she and the Griffins have been fueled by a 15-1 loss to Norco in the playoffs last season. She started in the circle for the quarterfinal game, which lives on through a motivating sign at Los Alamitos.

“This year was kind of a breakthrough year (for me),” said Saldana, who rose the ranks at Los Alamitos admiring pitchers such as Sarah Ladd and Tyler Denhart. “I definitely feel like I’m an underdog but if you keep winning, then all of a sudden you’re not an underdog any more.”

That underdog mentality is pushing Los Alamitos as a team. The Griffins were swept by Huntington Beach to finish second in the Surf League and entered the playoffs without many of the expectations of recent seasons.

In 2020, Los Alamitos was ranked No. 1 in the nation by MaxPreps when the pandemic ended the season. The Griffins were national champions in 2017 after winning Division 1.

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“We were flying under the radar all year,” Weil said. “That’s one of the things that helped us. We didn’t have the pressure on us coming into the playoffs.”

A lot of vibrant props and energy in the dugout also has helped.