Central (29-10), rated No. 24 in last week’s NFCA Division III Top 25, is seeded first and will take on the fourth-seeded University of Wisconsin-Superior (25-13) Thursday at noon, followed at 2:30 p.m. by the second-seeded University of Wisconsin-Whitewater (32-8) taking on third-seeded Bethel University (Minn.) (30-9). Thursday’s winners clash at 11 a.m. Friday in Game 3, with Thursday’s losers meeting in an elimination game at 1:30 p.m. The Game 3 loser and Game 4 winner play another elimination game at 4 p.m. The championship is set for Saturday at 11 a.m. with an additional game at 1:30 p.m., if necessary.
The regional winner advances to the super regional May 23-24 against the winner of a two-time regional at McMinnville, Oregon that features Linfield University (Ore.) (42-0) against Redlands University (Calif.) (32-11) in a rematch of a regional staged at Linfield a year ago. The eight super regional winners move on to the national finals May 30-June 5 at Marshall, Texas.
“You see the faces and even though we knew we were probably in, it’s still exciting to hear your name called and especially to get to host,” said NFCA Hall of Fame coach George Wares, who has piloted the time for 40 seasons. “I’m happy for the players.”
It’s the second year in a row the Dutch have cracked the field and also the second consecutive time the regional will be in Pella. The Central field was also the site of a 2015 super regional and the 1992 national finals.
The Dutch have a 97-62 (.610) all-time NCAA tournament mark after going 2-2 in placing second in last year’s regional, which was won by Bethel, behind all-American pitcher Kayla Simacek, who is back this season. Central’s 97 tournament wins are seven shy of the Division III record held by the College of New Jersey.
Central was ranked No. 1 in the most recent Division III Region IX poll, although the regional tournament pairings can include teams from multiple regions. The Dutch are No. 24 in the NFCA Division III Coaches’ Top 25. Bethel is ranked No. 18 while Wis.-Whitewater was among those schools receiving votes.
“Bethel obviously has a great pitcher,” Wares said. “Wis.-Whitewater won its conference tournament and that league is very good at the top. And Wis.-Superior had to win its conference tournament to get in and beat Bethany Lutheran, which is pretty solid. We know the coaching staff and they’ll be well-coached.”
Wares likes the way his team is playing, coming off its 14th conference title, but said NCAA tournaments are unpredictable.
“You never know,” he said. “We’ve had teams come in on a roll and then were two-and-out. And then you’re two and out with other teams just limping. And next thing you know we go on a run. But this team has been really zoned in and focused in practice. I think winning the conference championship was very important to them, and even though we fell short in the conference tournament, I thought we played well.”
Tickets — Tickets each day are $10, with seniors and students charged $7, and youth age 12 and under charged $5. Children age 3 and under are admitted free. All tickets will be sold at the gate.
Roll Rivers–The American Rivers Conference has three teams in the field. Coe College won the conference tourney over the weekend and received the accompanying automatic bid. The Kohawks (31-9) travel to Greencastle, Indiana to meet Baldwin-Wallace (Ohio) (25-14) in a regional hosted by DePauw University (Ind.). Wartburg College (23-16) also advanced and will take on Illinois Wesleyan University (30-10) in a regional hosted by the top-seeded University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh.
On the air– Central’s games will be broadcast on KRLS-FM (92.1) and via www.kniakrls.com with the voice of the Dutch, Trevor Castle. A video webcast and live stats for each game can be accessed through the tournament web page, located on the Central athletics website at athletics.central.edu. The webcast can also be accessed via the Central Dutch Network app.
National numbers-The running game remains a staple of the Central offense. The Dutch rank fifth in Division III in stolen bases with 144. It’s the 23rd time Central has swiped 100 or more bases in a season and it’s the team’s highest total since stealing a record 182 in 2000.
It’s an integral part of Central’s small ball attack. The Dutch have just two home runs this year and one was inside the park, but they’ve outscored opponents 258-142. Seven players have 10 or more stolen bases and seven have scored 20 or more runs.
Individually, relief pitcher Morgan Schaben (5th-year, Portsmouth, Harlan HS) ranks 21st in appearances (30) and 24th in saves (3). Center fielder Emma Johnson (5th-year, Davenport, Assumption Catholic HS)ranks 18th in toughest to strike out (average of once per 61.5 at-bats). She’s fanned twice this season.
Season leaders–Designated player Hannah Higgins (sophomore, Macomb, Ill.) is the team’s leading hitter with .379. She has nine doubles and a team-high 33 RBIs. Johnson is batting .359, scoring 36 runs while driving in 17. She shares the team lead in stolen bases with 20. Second baseman Haley Bach (junior, Council Bluffs, Lewis Central HS) is hitting .352 with nine doubles and has drawn a team-high 23 walks for a .450 on-base percentage. She also leads in runs scored with 38 and has 19 steals.
Three-time American Rivers pitcher of the week Emma Beck (sophomore, Holland, Grundy Center HS)has a 14-5 record with a 4.09 earned run average over 103.1 innings, walking 54 batters and striking out71. Schaben is 6-0 with a 3.01 ERA while Sydni Huisman (5th-year, Treynor) is 8-5 with a 5.63 ERA.
School-record leaderboards-Third baseman Franie Burnett (senior, Ankeny, Centennial HS), at 4-foot-11, is among Central’s most powerful hitters and ranks fifth in school history in career RBI’s (119). She ranks sixth in career stolen bases (72) and is tied for 14th in career hits (156). First baseman Megan Stuhr (senior, Sigourney) ranks seventh in career putouts (924) and is tied for 14th in doubles (27).
Schaben has the school career records for appearances (120) and games finished (68). She’s tied for fifth in career saves (8). Huisman ranks 11th in career strikeouts (272), is tied for 14th in wins (43) and is 15th in innings (375.2).
D3’s winningest coach-Wares is the winningest coach in Division III history with a 1261-446-3 (.738) record. He’s piloted Central to four NCAA championships (1988, 1991, 1993, 2003) with a pair of national runner-up finishes and 13 national top-eight appearances, 14 regional titles and 28 30-win seasons. Central’s conference title this year was its 14th, all under Wares.
NCAA Division III Pella, Iowa Softball Regional
Thursday, May 16
Game 1 Noon Central (29-10) vs. Wis.-Superior (25-13)
Game 2 2:30 p.m. Wis.-Whitewater (32-8) vs. Bethel (Minn.) (30-9)
Friday, May 17
Game 3 11 a.m. Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2
Game 4 1:30 p.m. Loser Game 1 vs. Loser Game 2
Game 5 4 p.m. Winner Game 4 vs. Loser Game 3
Saturday, May 19
Game 6 11 a.m. Winner Game 3 vs. Winner Game 5
Game 7 1:30 p.m. Winner Game 6 vs. Loser Game 6 (if necessary)
