Messenger photo by Britt Kudla Jacque Oberg of St. Edmond makes a throw to first base at Rogers Park during the regular season.

The 10th-ranked (Class 1A) St. Edmond softball team begins their postseason journey in familiar surroundings here Tuesday night.

After receiving a bye through the first round, the Gaels (18-8 overall) will face Rockford (16-8) inside Rogers Park at 7 p.m. in a 1A, Region 2 quarterfinal. Awaiting the winner will be a date in Mason City on Friday with either No. 6 Mason City Newman or Colo-Nesco.

Last year under head coach Nick Clark, St. Edmond made a surprise run to the regional final after upsetting Newell-Fonda on the road. They fell to Montezuma, ending the year 12-18 in Clark’s first season.

St. Edmond closed its regular season last week with a loss to seventh-ranked North Union that snapped a two-game win streak. They are 9-3 over the last 12 games, scoring at least seven runs in five of those wins.

Ella Vratny, a two-year starter as a freshman, is 17-7 with 117 strikeouts in 154 innings. She set a new career-high with 12 strikeouts earlier this year and sports a 2.27 earned run average.

Sophomore Jocy Timmerman leads the Gaels with 40 hits and is tied for the team-lead with Jacque Oberg with 20 RBI. Erin Flattery, Macey Mason, lone senior Audrey Kolacia, Rylee Kinney, Chloe Lewison and Kacey Kruthoff all have at least 13 runs driven in on the year.

Flattery, Mason, Kolacia, Kinney and Oberg have a combined 75 steals in 78 attempts. Timmerman, who also has eight steals and has struck out just once in 87 plate appearances, leads SEHS in batting average (.460), is second in slugging percentage (.552) and second in on-base percentage (.472).

Lewison also has just one recorded strikeout against her in 79 plate appearances.

Rockford picked up an 11-1 victory over North Iowa last night to advance after also besting the Bison, 13-0, in the regular season finale. They have four of five, with the lone loss being an 11-2 setback to Hampton-Dumont. St. Edmond earned matching 5-2 victories over the Bulldogs during the year.

Senior Marissa Norby is the ace of the Rockford pitching staff with just under 100 strikeouts in 100 innings. She tossed a four-hitter with 13 strikeouts vs. North Iowa.

Sitting on the top-half of the regional bracket is fourth-ranked AGWSR. The highest-remaining team left next Monday will host the regional final.