Dreyer Pitches Dutch to Baseball Split Against Crown

In his first collegiate start, Chance Dreyer (freshman, Davenport, Assumption HS) pitched a complete game victory with seven strikeouts to down Crown College (Minn.) 7-2 Tuesday afternoon. Central (5-3) lost to the Polars (5-3) 10-9 on a bases loaded walk in the seventh inning of game two.

Dreyer scattered five hits and allowed just one walk over seven innings against Crown while giving up two runs. Trailing 2-1 going into the bottom of the fifth, first baseman Garrett Finley (senior, DeWitt, Central DeWitt HS) tied it with an RBI double. Dreyer drove in the go-ahead run on a fielder’s choice putout. In the sixth, Finley took a walk with the bases loaded to drive in the first run and then shortstop Kasey Carter (freshman, Prole, Indianola HS) cleared the bases with a double to push Central’s lead to 7-2.

Central found itself in a hole again in the second game, trailing 7-0 to start the fifth. Central took advantage of some defensive miscues to put up nine runs and take the lead. Colton DeRocher (junior, Sioux City, East HS) also belted his third home run of the season while Declan O’Hare (senior, Los Angeles, Calif., John Marshall HS), Finley, Dreyer and Colton Jones (junior, Knoxville) also had hits in the inning. Five Central pitchers combined for 11 walks and two hit by pitches in the loss.

Central has the today off in Florida before taking on Beloit College (Wis.) and Knox College (Wis.) on Thursday at 9:15 a.m. and 1 p.m. (EST), respectively.

Gabos Closes Strong for Central Men’s Golfers in Texas

On a day when a few of the top Central College men’s golfers ran into trouble, Kyle Gabos (senior, Plymouth, Minn., Maple Grove HS) came up big. Gabos carded a 1-over-par 72 and helped the Dutch hang on to sixth place in the 10-team Pinecrest Invitational Tuesday. Central finished with 307-305-312—924. Gabos tied for 18th individually in the 54-hole tournament, shooting 78-78-72—228.

The Dutch will continue early season practices in Texas throughout the spring break week, with a practice round in the Dallas area slated for today. Central makes another extended trip March 27-28 at the Garn Championship at Nicholasville, Kentucky. The tournament is played at the Keene Trace Golf Course, site of the NCAA Division III Championships May 16-19.

Dutch Debut at #23 in Softball Rankings

In the first regular season edition of the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) Division III softball top-25 coaches poll, Central College is slotted at #23.

Central has started the season 9-1, including a 6-0 mark to start its trip to the Tucson Invitational. Central is the only American Rivers Conference squad in the rankings and is the second-highest rated team in Region IX behind No. 9 Bethel University (Minn.).

The Dutch have finished with a top-10 NFCA ranking six times since 2009. Under NFCA Hall of Fame coach George Wares, Central has reached a record 30 NCAA Division III tournaments with four national titles. Wares, the winningest coach in Division III history, has compiled a 1,208-396-3 (.753) record.

Central has six games left in Tucson, starting with a 1:30 p.m. (PDT) meeting with Sul Ross State University (Texas) on Wednesday.

NFCA Division III Top 25 Softball Coaches Poll – March 14, 2023

Rank	Team	Points	2023 Record	Previous
1	Salisbury (10)	250	14-0	3
2	Christopher Newport	240	6-2	1
3	Trine	230	10-2	2
4	Texas Lutheran	220	13-2	4
5	Berry	210	14-3	5
6	Virginia Wesleyan	200	7-3	7
7	Case Western Reserve	190	8-0	11
8	East Texas Baptist	180	10-1	13
9	Bethel	170	6-2	9
10	Randolph-Macon	160	5-3	10
11	Linfield	150	8-2	12
12	Pfeiffer	140	10-8	NR
13	Transylvania	130	9-3	NR
14	Saint Benedict (Minn.)	120	9-1	NR
15	Tufts	110	0-0	15
16	Concordia (Wis.)	100	6-0	16
17	Eastern Connecticut State	90	2-2	17
18	Rowan	80	9-1	24
19	Belhaven	70	7-8	6
20	Millikin	60	4-4	8
21	Birmingham-Southern	43	14-5	19
22	Piedmont	30	11-5	25
23	Central (Iowa)	19	9-1	NR
24	Hardin-Simmons	17	16-2	NR
25	WashU	11	4-4	23

Others receiving votes: Lynchburg 9, Coe 6, Hiram 6, Rochester 4, Luther 3 and Babson 2.

Dropped out: Mary Hardin-Baylor, Mount St. Joseph, Wartburg, Wisconsin-Eau Claire and Worcester Polytechnic Institute.