• DMACC begins season ranked third in NJCAA Division II preseason poll
• Bears return seven players from last season
• Freshmen are going to have to play a key role for a successful season

The DMACC softball team will begin the 2023 season with participation in the Southeastern Dome Classic February 24 and 25 at West Burlington. The Bears begin play ranked third in the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Division II preseason poll.

DMACC will face four Illinois teams in the tournament. The Bears will play Spoon River College (SRC) and Illinois Central College (ICC) on Feb. 24 and will meet Kankakee Community College (KCC) and Triton College (TC) on Feb. 25.

Head coach Bob Ligouri said his team has made a lot of progress despite having not been able to practice outside because of the winter weather. He said Fareway Fieldhouse, DMACC's new indoor facility, has been a true blessing for his team.

"We've been able to do a lot of indoor scrimmaging and practice and we have made some really good progress since we started practice in mid-January," Ligouri said.

The Bears return seven sophomores from the 2022 team that went 52-5 overall and 22-2 in the Iowa Community College Athletic Conference (ICCAC). DMACC also won its  eighth consecutive ICCAC regular season championship and qualified for the NJCAA Division II Softball Championship for the eighth straight season.

Top returning sophomores are pitcher Sydney Kennedy of Peosta and right fielder Kendal Clark of Humboldt. Kennedy was 8-0 with a 2.37 earned run average last season. Clark, one of the top hitters in the country, batted .559 with 27 home runs and 101 runs batted in. She led the nation in RBIs and finished second to teammate Emma Dighton in home runs. Clark capped the season by earning first team All-American honors.

Other returning sophomores are Emily Ades of Boone, Amaya Snyder of Cedar Rapids, Maddy Kearns of Glenpool, Okla., Bailey Donohoe of West Branch and Kaylynn Salyars of Muscatine.

"We lost five players that went on to play at the (NCAA) Division I level off last year's team but we probably have as good a corps of sophomores as we've ever had," Ligouri said. "It's a mixture of losing some great young ladies and having some great ones coming back. We're excited to get going."

Kennedy will be the mainstays of a pitching staff that also includes five freshmen. They are Kinsley Robertson of Tiffin; Courtney Donahue of Marshfield, Wis.; Grace Bailey of Hamilton, Lauryn Foudree of West Des Moines; and Campbell Kelley of Rock Island, Ill.

"Five of the pitchers made an all-state team in high school so they've done pretty well," Ligouri said. "Kennedy has established herself nationally and (assistant coach Thana Heller) has done a great job with developing the freshmen. Each one of them brings differ types of pitches, speed and movement so we'll use them all."

Freshmen Madisyn Kelley of Nora Springs, Ceara Swanson of Lincoln, Neb., and Kenzie Schon of Carroll are competing at catcher and Snyder and Donohoe are getting a look at first base.

Campbell Kelley and freshmen Elle Nelson of Grimes and Hannah Ironside of Swisher are vying for the start at second base and incumbents Salyars and Kearns will start at shortstop and third base respectively. Ligouri said freshman Bella Nelson of Gilbert is getting a look at third base and could also play left field.

Freshman Kelsey Palmer of Cedar Rapids is another candidate for left field and Ades is expected to start in center with Clark in right. Ligouri said freshmen Shea Rhodes of Van Meter, Maia Abrahamson of Van Meter and Grace Porter of Earlham are also vying for playing time in the outfield.

"Overall, I think we've got some good depth, but we have some holes that freshmen are going to have to step up and play," Ligouri said.

DMACC led the nation in home runs last season and Ligouri said his 2023 team probably won't duplicate that.

"We lost a couple of big bats and I think we'll hit home runs, just not at that level," Ligouri said. "We are more of a gap power hitting team right now and we have a few who have really good power, including some freshmen."

Ligouri said the strength of his team is the seven sophomores.

"They have played in the (NJCAA Division II Softball Championship), they have played in big games and they have all performed on the stage," Ligouri said. "They know how to win, they've won and that's big for us."

A concern is whether some of the freshmen can step up and fill gaps.

"In the past we've had freshmen step in and fill key spots for us and we hope that happens again this year but we've got to wait and see," Ligouri said. "It's a big step for some of them. Their progress has gotten better in practice but they still have to do it in games on a big stage."

Following the Southeastern Dome Classic, the DMACC softball team will travel to Columbus, Ga., March 3 and 4 for the National Fast Pitch Coaches Association (NFCA) Leadoff Classic. The Bears will then play 10 more nonconference games and four conference games on the road before opening the home season March 21 against Southeastern Community College (SECC).