The Des Moines Area Community College (DMACC) softball team dominated the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Region XI All-Region Team with 14 players earning all-region honors and head coach Bob Ligouri being named Coach of the Year.
The Bears are 48-6 and are ranked second in the NJCAA Division II poll. DMACC won the Iowa Community College Athletic Conference (ICCAC) title with a 26-2 mark and is headed to the NJCAA Division II Softball National Championship for the sixth consecutive season and the seventh time in the past eight seasons.
All-Region First-team honors went to freshman Josie Swafford of Wellston, Okla., sophomore Mia Ruther of Burlington, sophomore Avery Guy of Cedar Rapids, freshman Morgan Lewis of Cedar Rapids, sophomore Kaisha Wells of Topeka, Kan., and freshman Ally Pickering of Winterset.
Swafford was named to a pitching position and was also named the Pitcher of the Year. Ruther and Guy were named to infield positions and Ruther earned Offensive Player of the Year honors. First-team outfield honors went to Lewis and Wells and Pickering was named to the first team as a designated player.
Freshmen Elly Schuemann of Marion, Dana Dunbar of Chadron, Neb., Maddie Karr of Center Point and sophomores Ellie Dixon of Iowa City and Jayci Vos of Monroe were named to the all-region second team, Schuemann as a catcher, Dunbar as a pitcher, Karr and Dixon as infielders and Vos as an outfielder.
Freshman Katelin Schumacher of Leawood, Kan., freshman Ally Anderson of Atlantic and sophomore Peyton Parker of La Porte City earned all-region honorable mention, Schumacher as a catcher and Anderson and Parker as pitchers.
Swafford picked up where former DMACC standout Molly Jacobsen left off in 2018, compiling a 25-1 record with an 0.94 earned run average and three saves. She pitched 157 innings, allowing 25 runs, 21 earned runs, on 76 hits, struck out 219 and walked 39. Swafford averages 9.76 strikeouts per seven innings pitched. She led the Iowa Community College Athletic Conference (ICCAC) in ERA and is second in wins and strikeouts. Swafford is fourth nationally in strikeouts and wins and second in shutouts with 11. She threw one no-hitter during the season.
Swafford was also instrumental in DMACC's season offensively with a .444 batting average, a .516 on-base percentage and a .713 slugging percentage. She had 48 hits in 108 at-bats, including 13 doubles, two triples and four home runs. She drove in 48 runs and scored 32 runs.
Ruther earned offensive player of the year honors behind a .599 batting average and a .618 average in conference games. She has a .633 on-base percentage and a .750 slugging percentage. Ruther has collected 103 hits in 172 at-bats, including 10 doubles, five triples and two home runs. She has driven in 39 runs, scored 82 runs and stole 45 bases in 46 attempts. She leads the nation in hits and runs and is second in average and on-base percentage.
Guy is batting .448 with a .484 on-base percentage and a .658 slugging percentage for DMACC this season, getting 77 hits in 172 at-bats. Her hits include 12 doubles, six triples and four home runs. She has driven in 55 runs, scored 60 runs and stole 29 bases in 31 attempts.
Lewis has a .478 batting average, a .523 on-base percentage and a .611 slugging percentage this season with 75 hits in 157 at-bats. She has collected 15 doubles and three triples, driven in 27 runs and scored 59 runs. She has been successful on all 32 of her stolen base attempts and has struck out just eight times.
Wells has a .363 batting average, a .394 on-base percentage and a .707 slugging percentage this season. She has 57 hits in 157 at-bats, including 15 doubles, three triples and 11 home runs, sharing team honors with Karr. Wells has driven in 53 runs and scored 30 runs.
Pickering has collected 61 hits in 153 at-bats for a .399 average. She has a .453 on-base percentage and a .549 slugging percentage. Her 61 hits included 14 doubles, 3 triples and a home run and she has driven in 53 runs and scored 46 runs.
Schuemann is hitting .418 this season with a .466 on-base percentage and a .615 slugging percentage. She is 38-for-91 at the plate, including 13 doubles, a triple and a home run. Schuemann has driven in 27 runs and scored 14 runs.
Dunbar is a member of DMACC's pitching staff, going 9-1 with a 2.89 ERA and three saves this season. She has pitched 53 and a third innings, allowing 30 runs, 22 earned runs, on 57 hits. Dunbar has struck out 22 batters and walked 19.
Karr is another top hitting for the Bears this season, hitting .406 behind 69 hits in 170 at-bats. She has 15 doubles and a triple in addition to sharing team home runs honors with Wells. Karr leads DMACC in RBIs with 61 and has scored 53 runs.
Dixon is batting .358 with a .371 on-base percentage and a .486 slugging percentage. She has 53 hits in 148 at-bats, including eight doubles, a triple and three home runs. Dixon has driven in 40 runs and scored 30 runs.
Vos is another of DMACC's .400 hitters with a .400 average on 44 hits in 110 at-bats. Her hits include one double, two triples and a home run. Vos has driven in 16 runs, score 31 runs, has a .442 on-base percentage and a .473 slugging percentage. She has stolen 24 bases in 26 attempts.
Schumacher is also hitting .400 this season, collecting two hits in five at-bats, including a double. She has scored two runs and has a .571 on-base percentage and a .600 slugging percentage.
Anderson and Parker join Swafford and Dunbar on the DMACC pithing staff. Anderson is 8-0 with one save and a 2.98 ERA. She has pitched 51 and two-thirds innings, allowing 29 runs, 22 earned runs, on 56 hits. She has struck out 29 batters and walked 15.
Parker is 6-4 with two saves and a 4.15 ERA. She has pitched 59 innings, allowing 44 runs, 35 earned runs, on 79 hits. Parker has struck out 30 batters and walked 22.
Ligouri, in his eighth season as DMACC's head coach, led the Bears to their second consecutive ICCAC regular season championship. He picked up his 1,000th career victory April 28 when the Bears defeated North Iowa Area Community College (NIACC), 5-3, in the first game of a doubleheader at the DMACC softball diamond. Overall, Ligouri is 1,009-215, including a 373-77 record in his eight seasons at DMACC.
The NJCAA Division II Softball Championship will begin May 22 at Clinton, Miss., and will continue through May 25. DMACC has finished fourth or better in three of its six previous appearances in the tournament, including third-place finishes in 2014 and 2018.