Braun April 28, 2009

Central hosts league tourney

PELLA—The Iowa Conference softball tournament comes to Pella for the first time this week. Central College (34-4), which captured its 10th league championship and its first since 2004, carries the No. 1 seed in the six-team, double-elimination tournament. The tourney opens at 10 a.m. Thursday and continues through Saturday at Central’s A.N. Kuyper Athletics Complex field. The tournament winner receives the league’s automatic berth in the 59-team NCAA Division III tourney. First-round NCAA play at eight pre-determined sites is set for May 7-11.          

The Dutch open the league tourney at 2 p.m. Thursday against the winner of a 10 a.m. game between No. 4-seeded Luther College (30-7) and No. 5-seeded Simpson College (26-15).  The loser of that game comes back at 10 a.m. Friday in an elimination game against the loser of a Thursday contest between No. 3 Coe College (30-10) and No. 6 Univ. of Dubuque (12-24). The winner of Central’s Thursday game plays in a winner’s bracket contest at 2 p.m.

Start times are subject to weather-related changes, which will be updated on the Central athletics Web site at www.central.edu/athletics or go directly to the tournament Web page.

Listen live—Webcasts of all of Central’s conference tournament games will be offered through www.kniakrls.com or www.central.edu/athletics. If Central reaches Saturday afternoon’s championship game, that will also be carried live on KRLS radio (92.1 FM) with Trevor Castle.

Tournament history—The league softball tourney was staged in Waverly from 1984-86 but was discontinued before resurfacing in its present format in 2006. Central won the tournament crown in coach George Wares’ first season in 1985, making a surprising run, and again in 1986. But the Dutch are 2-6 since 2006.

Last year at the tournament in Waverly Central met both of this year’s potential opening-day opponents. The Dutch were eliminated by Luther, falling twice to the Norse, 6-4 and 2-1. Central ousted Simpson 9-4.

This season a 3-run rally let Central split a doubleheader with Luther at Pella April 1, winning 4-3 in 10 innings but tumbling 2-1 in the nightcap. The Dutch swept Simpson at Indianola April 10 4-0 and 10-0 (six innings).

It’s the first time Central has carried the No. 1 seed into the tourney. The Dutch are ranked No. 1 in the Midwest Region and appear to be a lock for the Division III tournament field. But after a six-day layoff—Central’s longest break since March—Wares wants his club to bring some urgency to each game.

“Because of the time off we want to approach this with a high level of importance,” he said. “Our hope is to win the tournament, maintain our chance to be a No. 1 seed (in the NCAA tourney) and keep performing at a high level.”

Wares thinks three and possibly four conference teams will make the NCAA field, making for a competitive league tourney. The tourney title is up for grabs, he said, noting that the No. 6 seed, the Univ. of Dubuque, owns victories over Central, Coe College and Wartburg College.

“It’s going to be a very intense and entertaining tournament,” he said.                       

Balanced squad—Central’s top five hitters are batting between .349 and .380 and three freshmen are in the team’s top six. Designated player Rachael Everingham (freshman, Georgetown, Ill., Ridge Farm HS) is hitting .380 with 22 RBIs while outfielder Ryann Engholm (senior, Bloomington, Minn., Thomas Jefferson HS) is at .377 with three home runs. Catcher Kyrie Hale (freshman, Lee’s Summit, Mo.) is at .375 with 21 RBIs, center fielder Alysha Overturf (senior, Bettendorf, Pleasant Valley HS) is batting .357 with five doubles, 16 RBIs and 17 stolen bases, third baseman Afton Nelson (junior, Bettendorf, Pleasant Valley HS) is hitting .349 with five doubles and 23 RBIs and shortstop Kelsey Wright (freshman, Gilbertville, Don Bosco HS) is hitting .325 with 19 RBIs and a team-high 22 stolen bases in 23 attempts. She’s swiped a school-record 18 in a row. Left fielder Hannah Weindruch (senior, Bettendorf, Pleasant Valley HS) is hitting .296 with 14 RBIs. First baseman Katie Tenboer (sophomore, Morrison, Ill.) is the team RBI leader with 25 and is hitting .288 and right fielder Laura Braun (junior, Newton) is at .254 with 11 steals.

The balance has given Wares more lineup options this year.

“We’ve got a whole lot of things we can do, depending on the situation,” he said.

Central is showing significant progress in nearly every area, but none moreso than in the pitching circle where senior Megan Swingen (Woden, Woden-Crystal Lake HS) and sophomore Kiley Lythberg (Mount Prospect, Ill.) have helped the Dutch post a team earned run average of 1.25, a dramatic drop from last year’s 3.64. Swingen is 15-1 with a 1.25 ERA, walking 16 and striking out 43. Lythberg is 15-2 with a 1.30 ERA, walking 22 and fanning 93.

“Kiley’s showing much more maturity and renewed confidence,” Wares said. “And Megan is performing at the high level we believed she could.”

Stat rankings—Central is ninth in the NCAA Division III in stolen bases per game (2.61). The Dutch hold an outsized 99-9 stolen base advantage over opponents. Central is also ninth in triples per game (0.58) after setting a school season mark with 22. The squad’s team ERA of 1.25 ranks 14th.