PELLA—Making a short drive west, the Central College softball team is set for its 34th appearance in the NCAA Division III Championships.
Central is a No. 3 seed and playing in Indianola where Simpson College (34-5) is the No. 1 seed. The Dutch will face the No. 2 seed College of Saint Benedict (Minn.) at 1:30 p.m. Thursday. Simpson and No. 4 seed Greenville University (Ill.) (31-11) will play at 11 a.m.
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 21-22 against the winner of the Winona, Minnesota Regional. Saint Mary's University (Minn.) (36-6) is the top seed and is joined by Calvin University (Mich.) (30-13), Bethany Lutheran College (32-9) and the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point (30-13)
The Dutch are 101-67 all time in the NCAA tournament and are making a fourth consecutive appearance. The 2024 team won its regional and advanced to the Super Regional. Last year's team went 0-2 in Oshkosh, Wisconsin.
Roll Rivers--The American Rivers Conference has four teams in the field. Simpson College won the conference and regular season titles and will host the regional Central is at. Wartburg College is hosting a regional as the No. 2 seed. Redlands University (Calif.) is the No. 1 seed in Waverly. Loras College is the No. 3 seed at a regional hosted by Trine University in Angola, Indiana.
National numbers—Defense has been a strength for Central all season, ranking fifth amongst NCAA Division III programs with a .976 fielding percentage. The Dutch have committed just 26 errors in 1,086 fielding chances.
Patience at the plate has paid off as Central is ninth nationally with 163 walks. Central also is No. 13 in the country with 135 stolen bases.
Season leaders—Catcher
Rylee Dunkin (junior, Hamilton, Twin Cedars HS) leads the Dutch offensive in batting average (.358), runs scored (51), hits (43) and home runs (four).
Sarah Stufflebeam (junior, shortstop, Macomb, Ill.) and
Hannah Higgins (senior, third baseman, Macomb, Ill.) share the team lead with 37 RBI.
Jadyn Huisman (sophomore, Treynor) has logged 101.1 innings in the circle for Central, leading the team with 12 wins. She has a 3.25 ERA and 54 strikeouts.
Peyton Levine (freshman, Oswego, Ill., Yorkville HS) is 11-6 with 4.34 ERA.
Ella Morse (freshman, Tucson, Ariz., Sabino HS) is 6-0 with two saves and a 2.52 ERA.
The College of Saint Benedict — The Dutch are 7-4 against the Bennies in a series that dates to 1993. Most recently, Saint Benedict came to Pella for a doubleheader in March 2024, which the teams split.. The two programs played three times in the 1993 NCAA playoffs, with Central winning the West Regional final 8-3 en route to the program's fourth national title.
Greenville University—The Dutch are 5-0 against the Panthers in a series that dates back to 2017. Most recently, Central swept a home doubleheader in March 2023. The two programs have never met in the NCAA tournament.
Simpson College—The Dutch are 85-56-1 against the Storm that started in 1974.Most recently, the two teams split a doubleheader on April 16. Central won its last game in Indianola, taking down Simpson 4-3 in last year's American Rivers Conference semifinals. Central is making its fifth trip to Indianola for NCAA action, its first since 1998. Central holds a 6-5 advantage in NCAA meetings.
NCAA Division III Indianola, Iowa Softball Regional
Thursday, May 14
Game 1 11 a.m. #1 Simpson (34-5) vs. #4 Greenville (Il.) (31-11)
Game 2 1:30 p.m. #2 Saint Benedict (Minn.) (33-9) vs. #3 Central (29-12)
Friday, May 15
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 16
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)
