Des Moines Area Community College (DMACC) softball players Molly Jacobsen, Bailey Richards, Mia Ruther and Morgan Nealey were named to the first team of the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Division II Softball All-American Team announced June 13 by the NJCAA.
Jacobsen, a sophomore from Adel, was named to a pitching position; Richards, a sophomore from Des Moines, was named to a catching position; Ruther, a freshman from Burlington, was named to an infield position; and Nealey, a freshman from Urbandale, was named to a designated player position.
Jacobsen, an All-American in 2017, finished the season with a 26-2 record and a 0.47 earned run average. She won her first 25 games and led NJCAA Division II in strikeouts with 312. Jacobsen was second nationally in earned run average and tied for third in wins. She pitched 163.2 innings, allowing 17 runs, 11 of which were earned, on 57 hits. She walked 12 batters and averaged 13.34 strikeouts every seven innings.
Jacobsen was also one of DMACC's top hitters, compiling a .420 batting average, with a .495 on-base percentage and a .648 slugging percentage. She had 37 hits in 88 at-bats, including nine doubles, a triple and three home runs. Jacobsen drove in 34 runs and scored 20 runs.
Jacobsen had 10 putouts and 20 assists in 30 chances to finish the season with a 1.000 fielding percentage.
Richards batted .377 this past season, collecting 49 hits in 130 at-bats, including ten doubles and five home runs. She drove in 29 runs and scored 38 runs. Richards ended the season with a .475 on-base percentage and a .569 slugging percentage.
Richards was one of the top fielding catchers in the nation, recording 414 putouts and 19 assists in 435 total chances with just two errors.
Ruther led DMACC in hitting with a .519 average. She also had a .558 on-base percentage and a .659 slugging percentage. Ruther, who also led DMACC in stolen bases with 23, ended the season with 85 hits in 164 at-bats, including nine doubles and seven triples. She drove in 31 runs and scored a team-high 69 runs.
Ruther was also one of DMACC's top fielders with a .924 fielding percentage. She had 58 putouts and 52 assists in 119 total chances, ended the season with nine errors.
Nealey led DMACC in home runs with 17 and runs batted in with 78. She ended the season with a .474 batting average, a .521 on-base percentage and a .890 slugging percentage. Nealey had 73 hits in 154 at-bats, including 13 doubles to go with her 17 home runs. She scored 30 runs.
Nealey ended the season with a .952 fielding percentage, collecting 20 putouts in 21 chances with one error.
The DMACC softball team concluded the season with a 48-2 record and a third-place finish in the NJCAA Division II Softball Championship. The Bears won the Iowa Community College Athletic Conference (ICCAC) with a 22-0 record and won their first 46 games. DMACC was ranked first in the NJCAA Division II poll for most of the season.