NORMAL, Ill. - Survive and advance will be the motto of the record-breaking 10th-ranked Iowa Central softball team here this weekend at the NJCAA Div. II National Tournament.
The fifth-seeded Tritons (59-6 overall), who are making their first national tournament appearance in program history, meet No. 12 seed Illinois Central (25-27) in opening round action here on Thursday.
First pitch is slated for 10 a.m. at Champions Field. The winner will meet either fourth-rated and fourth seeded Heartland of Ill. (45-8) or 18th-ranked, No. 13 seed Mercyhurst North East from Penn. (29-12) at 4 p.m. this afternoon, while the losers square off in an elimination game at 2 p.m.
"It's obviously very exciting to qualify for the national tournament for the first time,'' said ICCC head coach Rick Sandquist, who previously guided the Triton baseball program to five NJCAA World Series berths and the Fort Dodge baseball team to the state quarterfinals in 1995. "Our girls are looking forward to this rare opportunity.
"It'll be a neat experience that we'll never forget.''
Region XI champion Iowa Central is looking to ride the momentum from a pair of easy home triumphs - 3-1 and 9-1 - over North Platte (Neb.) in the District F title contest last week.
Freshman hurler Christina Bradley (21-2) will receive the starting nod for the Tritons in game one. Bradley has allowed just 102 hits in 132 2/3 innings pitched. The right-hander sports a miniscule ERA of 1.79 with 41 walks and 155 strikeouts.
"Hopefully we can provide (Bradley) with some solid run support,'' Sandquist said. "It's always our goal to jump ahead early and keep the pressure on.
"Our kids are pretty resilient, though, so we won't panic if we don't score first.''
Iowa Central's potent offensive attack, which averages 7.4 runs per game, recently received a boost with the return of sophomore slugger Kit Daugherty, who was sidelined for 52 games with a broken hand. Daugherty earned Louisville Slugger/NFCA second team All-American honors in 2008 at third base.
Sophomore catcher Hannah Jones, freshman third baseman Brittany Martin and freshman second baseman Steph Graziani represent the other top bats in the Triton lineup.
Jones is hitting an impressive .412 with five home runs, six triples, 13 doubles, 50 RBI and 68 hits. Martin (.400) paces Iowa Central in longballs (11), doubles (23), runs (61), runs driven in (73) and hits (78). Graziani (.389) has collected 51 runs, 63 hits and is 40 of 43 on stolen base attempts.
In addition, speedy freshman outfielder Ashley Willard (Eagle Grove) has already established a new Triton mark for bags swiped (68-for-74) in a season.
"We feel like we're peaking at the right time,'' said Sandquist. "We've had some ups and downs with injuries, but we're finally healthy for the first time all year.''
Meanwhile, the perennial power Cougars are competing in their 19th national tournament. They won national crowns in 1982 and '98, while finishing as runners-up in '85, '87 and '89.
Illinois Central topped Danville Area (Ill.) 11-3 in the District P championship.
Chelsey Rankin (.388), Darci Williams (.319) and Sara Hamilton (.314) are the catalysts for Illinois Central, which is located in Peoria, Ill.
"(Illinois Central) is very scrappy and well-coached,'' Sandquist said. "They've played an extremely tough schedule, so their record is quite deceiving.
"It should be a great opening matchup.''
Sandquist and the Tritons are anxious to see how they stack up against the nation's best.
"We want to be playing on Saturday when the final four hits,'' said Sandquist. "(Top-ranked) Phoenix (Ariz.) is the cream of the crop, but the other 15 teams hope to be facing them on that last day.''
Contact Josh Meyer at (515) 573-2141, or by e-mail at sports@messengernews.net