PELLA—It's a fresh start for the Central College softball team when the Dutch open play in the NCAA Division III Softball Championships for a record 29th time Thursday in Sta. Paul, Minnesota.
Central (27-10), rated No. 17 in the NFCA Division III Top 25, is seeded third in the NCAA Division III St. Paul, Minnesota Regional and takes on second-seeded Wis.-Oshkosh (25-12) Thursday at 1 p.m. at South Field on the University of St. Thomas campus. In Thursday's other first-round game, the top-seeded host, No. 7-ranked St. Thomas (34-8) meets the fourth seed, the University of Northwestern-St. Paul (Minn.) (25-14), at 3:30 p.m. The tourney concludes Saturday.
"I think it's a good regional," coach
George Wares said. "It's a quality field. You'd expect that. Wis.-Oshkosh finished second to Whitewater and had two 6-5 games with them in their conference tournament. St. Thomas has done nothing but get better since the (NFCA Division III Leadoff Classic March 2-4) and they're going to be at home. And Northwestern won the (Upper Midwest Athletic Conference) tournament, so I think it's a competitive field."
The regional winner advances to the super regional May 18-19 against the winner of the Decorah, Iowa Regional, which features Iowa Conference tournament champ Luther College (35-8). The Norse meet Lake Forest (Ill.) (29-11) in the regional which also includes Saint Benedict (Minn.) and Cornell. Another league school, regular-season champ Coe College (26-12), is at the Whitewater, Wisconsin Regional, meeting Trine (Ind.), with Benedictine (Ill.) and Wis.-Whitewater in the other game.
The eight super regional winners move on to the national finals May 24-29 at Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
Ithaca College (N.Y.) also cracked the NCAA field and shares the record for most appearances with Central at 29.
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.
Off the bubble--While Central was ranked throughout the year and finished second in the league, uncertainty still surrounded Monday's pairings announcement. Luther won an automatic NCAA berth by winning the conference tournament after earlier ousting the Dutch 9-1 in six innings Saturday at Cedar Rapids. That loss, combined with a limited number of at-large berths due to several upsets in other league tourneys around the country, created some anxiety. Wares is hoping the bid will bring a burst of tournament energy.
"You saw the down moods after the Luther game, not just because we lost the game but the impact that might have had, and so the players are pretty excited," he said. "Hopefully that translates into this opportunity to play and we get something going to play not just this weekend but beyond."
Site or opponent were not concerns, Wares said. Even as playoff veterans, the NFCA hall of fame coach and the Dutch were longing for another NCAA berth and the chance to keep playing together.
"They could have put on the board that we had to play Alabama and it still would have been a celebration," he said. "I think when you're at the point where you start having doubts about whether you're getting in or not, once you see your name up there, it's pretty special no matter how many times it happens."
Tournament history--Central has played host to regional tournaments in its past six appearances, last going on the road for regional action in 2010. The Dutch did play away from home in the national finals in 2013.
St. Thomas is making its 26th tournament appearance and has posted a 72-40 record with two Division III titles. Yet it's the first time the Tommies have hosted a regional. Wis.-Oshkosh is in the field for the eighth time and the second year in a row. The Titans have a 13-15 tourney mark. Northwestern-St. Paul is making its first NCAA appearance.
Wares said the key to winning in the NCAA tournament is to forget it's the NCAA tournament.
"Nothing changes," he said. "You've got to pitch, you've got to defend and you've got to score when you get the opportunities. You only get so many chances to score and you've got to take advantage of those. And the other team is going to have the same number of chances and you have to make sure you shut them down."
Past meetings—Central holds an 8-0 record in its all-time series with Wis.-Oshkosh. The teams first met in 1993 and most recently in 2005. Central holds a 14-10 advantage over St. Thomas in a series that launched in an NCAA regional at Pella in 1986. The Tommies overwhelmed Central in last year's regional at Pella, 10-6 in six innings. The Dutch have not previously played Northwestern-St. Paul.
On the run--Central's familiar small-ball attack was effective again this year. The Dutch held a commanding 127-28 stolen base advantage over opponents, ranking third in stolen bases in the NCAA Division III as of Friday. They have a school-record 43 steals from center fielder
Sara Tallman (sophomore, Pella), which also ranks third nationally. Tallman and right fielder
Shaye Witte (sophomore, West Des Moines, Waukee HS) form a speedy tandem that fuels the Dutch offense. Witte, a transfer, hit a team-high .431 with 13 steals in as many tries while Tallman batted .413 with a team-best 52 hits and 48 runs. Catcher
Emily Walton (senior, Cedar Rapids, Jefferson HS), who missed the 2017 season due to injury, came back with her best season. She's batting .376 with a team-leading 37 RBIs and has 10 doubles and two home runs, including a solo shot against Luther Saturday. Another new face, freshman
Daria Parchert (Illinois City, Ill., Rockridge HS).
The Titans—Wis.-Oshkosh was second behind Wis.-Whitewater in the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference regular season and in the league tournament over the weekend, falling to the Warhawks four times, all by one run. The Titans were toppled by St. Thomas March 4 during the NFCA Division III Leadoff Classic in Tucson, Arizona, 11-6.
Wis.-Oshkosh relies on a powerful offensive attack, boasting a .320 team batting mark. The Titans top the WIAC in doubles (72) and triples (20) and have 19 home runs. Sophomore second baseman Amanda McIlhany is hitting .384 with four home runs and 21 RBIs. She's only struck out once. Senior third baseman Erika Berry is a three-time all-WIAC pick and batting .377 and junior first baseman Kaitlyn Krol is batting .356 with a team-high 31 RBIs and 16 walks.
Sophomore pitcher Claire Petrus has a 13-8 record with a 2.66 earned run average. She's also seen action in the outfield and is hitting .389 in 36 at-bats. Junior Bailey Smaney is 10-3 with a 2.62 ERA.
Wares said he's still learning more about Wis.-Oshkosh but already knows Central faces a challenge.
"I know their pitching staff is very good, they're solid defensively, they've played a very good schedule and that league is really solid," Wares said. "They've had five teams in that league ranked in the Great Lakes Region off and on throughout the year. We have great respect for that conference and if they finished second in the league and second in the conference tournament, they have to be a good softball team."
But Wares said seeing new opposition gives the tournament a special feel for the players.
"I like the fact that it's somebody different," he said. "Oshkosh may be better than Coe or Luther and they may be better than us, but it's just nice to play somebody besides another conference team right away."
Common opponents—Wis.-Oshkosh routed DePauw (Ind.) 12-3 in five innings and fell to Babson (Mass.) 15-5 March 3 in the Leadoff Classic. The same day, Central defeated DePauw 11-10 in eight innings and Babson 5-0.
St. Thomas faced two Iowa Conference teams on spring break trips. Coe outscored the Tommies 17-8 in five innings in Arizona March 3 but St. Thomas edged Loras 3-2 in Clermont, Florida March 29. St. Thomas was 3-0 against Saint Benedict, which defeated Central in Arizona March 6, 5-4 in eight innings. St. Thomas was 2-0 against Augsburg (Minn.) while Central edged the Auggies 7-6 in Arizona.
Northwestern-St. Paul met a pair of league teams for indoor games in Rochester, Minnesota March 3, losing to Buena Vista 4-3 but defeating Dubuque 8-3. The Eagles split a March 22 twinbill with Augsburg, winning 7-6 but tumbling 10-9.
Dirt-free--South Field features an artificial surface rather than the traditional grass outfield and dirt infield. After arriving in St. Paul late Wednesday, Central is slated to conduct a short practice on the field, where snow has been absent for only a few days.
"We've talked to some other coaches," Wares said. "(The turf) is not like playing indoors or even like when we practice on (the artificial surface on) our football field. The players can wear their normal spikes. What it is, is what it is. That's what they need up there with the weather they have. We're just happy to be playing. The turf will be different but having a day to practice on it will help and I think once we start, it will just be another game.
Better than average—Wares said the Dutch are among the most enjoyable teams he's coached, despite a season that included some frustrating moments.
"I think we're the same team we were (at the start of the season) that we are now," he said. "It's just a question of what we do on a given day. I think we're a very, very good team and, I think at moments, we play like a great team. And we have moments that we play like a very average team. I'm hoping playing non-familiar teams works to our advantage. But I wouldn't be surprised if we won the regional and I wouldn't be surprised if we're two and out. That's just the type of team we've been all year."
NCAA Division III St. Paul, Minnesota Regional
Thursday, May 10
Game 1 1 p.m. #3 Central (27-10) vs. #2 Wis.-Oshkosh (25-12)
Game 2 3:30 p.m. #4 Northwestern-St. Paul (Minn.) (25-14) vs.#1 St. Thomas (Minn.)
(35-6)
Friday, May 11
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 12
Game 6 noon Winner Game 3 vs. Winner Game 5
Game 7 2:30 p.m. Winner Game 6 vs. Loser Game 6 (if necessary)
