• The DMACC softball team has advanced to the College World Series seven times in the last eight years, including four final four finishes
  
  
• The Bears enter the season ranked 9th in the nation according to the initial NJCAA Division II poll.
  
  
• Returning veterans and talented freshmen lead Head Coach Bob Ligouri to believe the 2021 team could have a very special year

DMACC will begin the 2021 softball season with three games on Saturday, February 20 and two more on Sunday, February 21 at the Meridian Tournament in Meridian, MS. 
The Bears will face Bossier Parrish Community College, Baton Rouge Community College and Olney Central Community College on February 20 and will meet Northwest Mississippi Community College and Calhoun Community College on Sunday, February 21.  The Bears will also play a doubleheader against number 11th ranked John Logan (Illinois) Community College and against number two nationally ranked Jones Community College on Monday, February 22 in Ellisville, MS.

DMACC comes into the season with as the number ninth national ranked team according to the initial National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Division II poll. The Bears are coming off a season that was literally shutdown as it was getting started due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2019, DMACC had a 52-8 record, won the Iowa Community College Athletic Conference (ICCAC) regular-season championship at 26-2, the NJCAA Region XI-A championship and finished third in the 2019 NJCAA Division II National Championship.

The won/loss record speaks for itself, but DMACC Head Softball Coach Bob Ligouri said he's equally proud of the program's academic performance.  The program averages 17 Academic All-Region players per year and last year had nine players who earned a 3.9 grade point average or better.

The DMACC softball program has established itself as a traditional national NJCAA power since the program was restarted in 2012.  The Bears have had eight consecutive top ten national rankings and have advanced to seven NJCAA World Series appearances, including four final four finishes.  In addition, DMACC has had more than 30 players earn NJCAA All-American, NJCAA All-World Series team or First Team
All-Region XI honors. Last year, DMACC was once again ranked in the top five nationally when the season was cancelled due to the pandemic.

"We are very excited about our team for this year," Ligouri said.  "Obviously, we were incredibly disappointed about losing our season last spring to COVID and I think all of us are really looking forward to returning to the field and competing in Region XI with some of the top NJCAA softball teams in the nation."

COVID-19 has also changed eligibility requirements meaning that no player last year lost a year of eligibility.  Therefore, the Bears return seven redshirt freshmen to the roster.  One of the biggest losses for the Bears is that left handed pitcher Josie Swafford of Choctow, Oklahoma has signed a national letter of intent to attend the University of North Carolina at Charlotte and play softball for the 49ers.  She is considered one of the top pitchers in the nation. As a true freshman in 2019, she led DMACC to a third place finish in the NJCAA World Series, was a First Team NJCAA All-American and Region XI Pitcher of the Year posting a 29-3 record with a 1.31 earned run average.  She also hit .440 with 56 RBI.

"We have five pitchers including three First Team Iowa All State selections, Abby Flanagan of North Linn High School, Ellie Jacobson of Humboldt and Lexi Lander of West Monona," Ligouri said. "They are joined by Melissa Locke, a top pitcher from Worth, Missouri

.  We believe that we have great depth on our staff, and it will allow us to keep our pitchers rested."

The redshirt freshman class includes starters Sophie Maras, a middle infielder from Johnston who is a lefty-hitting leadoff hitter; Kaylie Reynolds of Muscatine, a corner infielder/catcher who hit five home runs in nine games last season; Delaney Kelley of Rock Island, Illinois, who can play second base, first base or designated hitter and Zoey Wright, a center fielder from Ottumwa. 

Three part time starters are among the redshirt freshman returning for the Bears.  Abby Archer, a catcher from Van Meter; Haley Forret, an infielder from Van Meter; Jocelyn Long, an outfielder from Blue Valley, Kansas.

Archer who was the catcher in half of the games last year. 

"To go along with her, we have Kamrin Wells of Topeka, Kansas and Tricia Sporaa," Ligouri said.  Kamrin is the third Wells sister to play at DMACC! Her two older sisters (Kaili, 2012-13 and Kaisha, 2017-2018) both were all Region XI and earned national honors for us. We are very excited to see what Kamrin will bring to our team. Tricia Sporaa comes to us from North Polk, and is an outstanding defensive catcher."

He said there are several additional players on the team who earned post season recognition as a catcher that will be available if the team has injuries but will play at other positions. They include Kaylie Reynolds, Laney Loyd of New London, Sami Miller of Mason City and Sophia Maras.

"Our infield positions are not set," Ligouri said.  "We have two deep competition at every position.  Our infielders are very athletic and can play more than one spot.  This will be great for us because it will enable us to adjust to game situations, opponents and injuries."

Ligouri said Kaylie Reynolds, Sophia Maras and Delaney Kelley all started as true freshmen last year but will be pushed this year by Sami Miller, Laney Loyd, Haley Forret, Isabella Johnson of Ballard, Sara Keeler of Creston and Bri Vasey of Altoona. 

"Like our infield, we return two outfielders who played last season—centerfielder Zoey Wright and leftfielder Jocelyn Long.  Both have excellent speed and strong arms," Ligouri said.

He said they will be joined by a strong group of freshmen, including Julia Merfeld of Clear Lake, Abby Husak of Ballard and Jada Collins of Southeast Polk.

"We felt that our 2020 team had potential to be a very good DMACC caliber team, and then we lost our season due to COVID," Ligouri said. "Like so many, I think that loss really made everyone appreciate things in their lives — including softball.

"We understand that we compete in a very tough conference with great players and coaches. Our region is the toughest in the nation in softball. We also believe that our 2021 DMACC softball team has the depth, athleticism, talent and internal leadership to have a very special year. We are excited to get started, and regardless of the outcome, we are all committed to having a great journey together."

Following the five games in Mississippi, the Bears will travel to Enid, Oklahoma on February 26 and 27 to play five games in the Northern Oklahoma Tonkawa (NOC) Tournament.