The 22nd-ranked Central College softball team opens play in the NCAA tournament today with a first round matchup against Grinnell.

It’s the first time into the 62-team field since 2019, and the first time any players on the current roster have made it. That’s been a regular point of discussion among the senior class, who have been fighting for this moment for four years. While it’s been 20 years since the program’s last national championship, senior catcher Madison Farrington says that’s always what they’re shooting for.

“I have very specific goals – I want to make a run for the national tournament and win the national tournament”, Farrington said. “That’s the ultimate goal and that’s our expectation that we always have for this team.”

But Farrington knows that in order for that to happen, it’s one pitch at a time and one game at a time, starting today with Grinnell. The Dutch swept a March 28th doubleheader in Pella 15-1 in five innings and 6-5 in come-from-behind fashion with a seventh-inning walk-off double by junior Frannie Burnett. Coach George Wares says that they have not focused on anything but Grinnell since learning about their postseason draw on Monday afternoon.

“They’ve got solid pitching, with the Drabek kid they’ve got as good of a hitter as we’re going to see, and they play really good defense”, said Wares. “And they’re well coached. When you play at Luther (as Grinnell coach Lexy Determan did), you understand what postseason is all about. There is no looking past them. If we get beat it won’t be because we’re looking past Grinnell.”

First pitch is scheduled for 4:30 today at the Kuyper Athletic Complex in Pella. You can hear all the action of Central’s games all throughout the NCAA tournament on 92.1 KRLS, with video available this weekend at CentralDutchNetwork.com.