The Iowa Community College Athlete Conference (ICCAC) announced the 2018 National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Division II All-Region teams and special awards and the Des Moines Area Community College (DMACC) softball team dominated the selections.
Eight members of the DMACC softball team earned first-team honors, two players were named to the second team and two players received honorable mention recognition.
Special awards went to DMACC sophomore Molly Jacobsen of Adel and DMACC softball coach Bob Ligouri. Jacobsen was named Pitcher of the Year and Ligouri was named Coach of the Year.
Jacobsen led the ICCAC in earned run average (0.18) and strikeouts (223) and finished the regular season with a 20-0 record. She leads NJCAA Division II in strikeouts and is second nationally in earned run average. Jacobsen is averaging 13.35 strikeouts a game.
Ligouri led DMACC to a 40-0 regular season record in his seventh season as the head coach. He has taken the Bears to the NJCAA Division II Softball Championship in five of the past six seasons and has coach 15 All-Americans during his time at DMACC.
Joining Jacobsen on the first team were sophomore Bailey Richards of Des Moines, sophomore Gabby Schnathorst of Carlisle, freshman Mia Ruther of Burlington, freshman Avery Guy of Cedar Rapids, sophomore Bre Hunter of Boone, freshman Kaisha Wells of Topeka, Kan., and freshman Morgan Nealey of Urbandale. Richards was named to a catching position, Schnathorst to a pitching position, Ruther and Guy to infield positions, Hunter and Wells to outfield positions and Nealey to a utility position.
DMACC sophomore Taylor Briley of Creston and freshman Kelsey Hora of Ainsworth were named to second-team infield and outfield positions respectively and freshmen Ellie Dixon of Iowa City and Jayci Vos of Monroe received honorable mention recognition at infield and outfield positions respectively.
Richards led the ICCAC in hitting with a .434 batting average. She has an on-base percentage of .527 and a slugging percentage of .670. She has 46 hits in 106 at-bats, including 10 doubles and five home runs. Richards has driven in 29 runs and has scored 36 runs.
Schnathorst is 11-0 with an ERA of 1.62 for the season. She has thrown 60.1 innings, allowing 39 hits and 20 runs, 14 of which are earned. Schnathorst has struck out 77 batters, walked 21 and is averaging 8.93 strikeouts a game.
Ruther is hitting .526 with an on-base percentage of .573 and a .689 slugging percentage. She has 71 hits in 135 at-bats, including eight doubles and seven triples. She has driven in 27 runs and leads the Bears in runs scored with 62. Ruther also leads the team in stolen bases with 21.
Guy is batting .362 with an on-base percentage of .449 and a .469 slugging percentage. She has 47 hits in 130 at-bats, including six doubles and four triples. She has driven in 28 runs and scored 40 runs.
Hunter's season average is .395 with a .461 on-base percentage and a .681 slugging percentage. She has 47 hits in 119 at-bats, including 15 doubles, two triples and five home runs. She has drive in 43 runs and scored 46 runs.
Wells tied Nealey for the team leadership in home runs with 14 and was second to Nealey in RBIs with 50. She has 14 doubles and a triple to go with those five home runs and has scored 22 runs. Wells has 49 hits in 115 at-bats for a .426 batting average. She has on on-base percentage of .452 and a slugging percentage of .930.
Nealey has a .489 batting average with a .525 on-base percentage and a .689 slugging percentage. She has 64 hits in 131 at-bats, including 11 doubles to go with her 14 home runs. She has driven in 68 runs and scored 26 runs.
Briley's season includes a .315 batting average, a .374 on-base percentage and a .523 slugging percentage. She has 35 hits in 111 at-bats, including three doubles, a triple and six home runs. Briley has driven in 31 runs and scored 25 runs.
Hora is hitting .398 with 33 hits in 83 at-bats. Her hits include a double and a triple. She has driven in seven runs and scored 35 runs. Her season includes a .425 on-base percentage and a .434 slugging percentage.
Dixon helped DMACC with six RBIs and six runs scored this season and Vos contributed five RBIs and 14 runs scored.
The DMACC softball team will face Dawson Community College (DCC) in the NJCAA District H Softball Tournament May 10 and 11 at the DMACC softball tournament. DCC, located in Glendive, Mont., brings a 21-14 record into the double-elimination tournament. The two teams will play a doubleheader on May 10 and a championship game, if necessary, on May 11.
The District H champion advances to the NJCAA Division II Softball Championship May 16 to 19 at Clinton, Miss. DMACC is seeking its fifth consecutive appearance in the national tournament and its sixth appearance in the past seven seasons.