Eleven member of the Des Moines Area Community College (DMACC) softball team have been named to the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) All-Region Softball Team.

Sophomores Claire Dudek of Urbandale, Kerigan Torres of Des Moines, Kenzi Sutton of Adel and Megan Rushing of West Des Moines were named to the first team along with freshmen Molly Jacobsen of Adel, Abby Gehringer of Indianola and Bre Hunter of Boone. Sophomores Ashley Sicard of Ackley and Taylor Creason of Lee's Summit, Mo., were named to the second team as was freshman Bailey Richards of Des Moines and freshman Taylor Briley of Creston received honorable mention recognition.

Jacobsen and Sicard were named to pitching positions, Dudek, Rushing, Creason and Briley were named to infield positions and Torres and Hunter were named to outfield positions. Gehringer made the first team as a designated player, Sutton as a utility player and Richards was named to the second team as a catcher.

Jacobsen, who is 24-3, received five of the eight first-place votes for the best player in the Iowa Community College Athletic Conference (ICCAC) and was also voted the Region XI Pitcher of the Year. Her 0.97 earned run average leads the nation among pitchers with more than 25 appearances and she is second nationally in total strikeouts with 253. Jacobsen has pitched 158 and a third innings, allowing 92 hits and 32 runs, 22 of which are earned. She has walked 33 batters. Jacobsen is second nationally in strikeouts per game, averaging 11.19.

Jacobsen is also a key offensive player for the Bears, hitting .400 with an on-base percentage of .447 and a slugging percentage of .682. She has 34 hits in 85 at-bats, including nine doubles and five home runs. She has driven in 23 runs and scored 21 runs.

Dudek is one of three DMACC softball players to earn all-region first team honors for the second consecutive season. A second-team All-American, Dudek is hitting .432 with on on-base percentage of .498 and a slugging percentage of .585. She has 79 hits in 183 at-bats, including 10 doubles, six triples and two home runs. She has driven in 41 runs and leads the team in runs scored with 66. Dudek ranks sixth nationally in stolen bases with 47.

Sutton is also an all-region first team returnee and is a returning All-American. She is batting .413 with a .470 on-base percentage and a .665 slugging percentage. Sutton has 74 hits in 179 at-bats, including 16 doubles, a triple and a team-high nine home runs. She also leads the team in runs batted in with 68 and has scored 44 runs.

Torres leads the Bears in hits with 80, compiling a .465 batting average with a .470 on-base percentage and a .517 slugging percentage. Her 80 hits came from 172 at-bats and included five doubles and two triples. Torres is second on the team in runs scored with 51 and has 28 RBIs. She also has 28 stolen bases.

Gehringer is hitting .455 with 65 hits in 143 at-bats. Her hits include 20 doubles, a triple and eight home runs. Gehringer has driven in 49 runs and scored 36 runs. She has an on-base percentage of .509 and a slugging percentage of .776.

Rushing, the third all-region first team returnee for DMACC, has recorded 46 hits, including 13 doubles, a triple and seven home runs. She is hitting .365 with those 46 hits coming from 126 at-bats. She has driven in 35 runs and scored 42 runs.

Hunter sports a .389 batting average this season with 63 hits in 162 at-bats. Her hits include 15 doubles, a triple and seven home runs. Hunter is second to Sutton in RBIs with 61 and has scored 42 runs.

Sicard is 19-3 with a 2.00 ERA in 2017. She has pitched 122 and a third innings, allowing 120 hits and 48 runs, 35 of which are earned. Sicard has struck out 109 batters and walked 28.

Creason is hitting .426 with a .472 on-base percentage and a .704 slugging percentage. She has 49 hits in 125 at-bats, including nine doubles, a triple and seven home runs. She has driven in 35 runs and scored 25 runs.

Richards has compiled a .354 batting average with 35 hits in 99 at-bats. Her hits include 12 doubles and two home runs and she has driven in 23 runs and scored 25  times.

Briley has a .316 batting average with 25 hits in 79 at-bats. She six doubles, 16 RBIs and 18 runs scored.

DMACC takes a 46-7 record and a No. 5 ranking in NJCAA Division II into the NJCAA Division II Softball Championship May 17 to 20 at Clinton, Miss. The Bears are making their fourth consecutive appearance in the national tournament that their fifth in the past six seasons. Pairings for the tournament will be announced at a later date.