WNCC softball ready for national tournament

                ST. GEORGE, Utah – The Western Nebraska Community College softball team enter the NJCAA national tournament with plenty of fire.

                For starters, the Cougars enter the tournament with a No. 15 seed with a 51-13. WNCC will tangle with Salt Lake Community College, the No. 2 seed with a 52-6 record at 1 p.m. at The Canyons Softball Complex in St. George, Utah.

                The match up pits two of only four 50-plus winners in the first-round of the double elimination tournament.

Sophomore Allie Alverson, from Toole, Utah, said that when they heard they drew Salt Lake in the first round, they were excited since six of the Cougar players are from Utah.

“We are ready. We have been practicing the last two days getting ready in preparing for Salt Lake Community College. I think we will be prepared for them,” Alverson said. “I think we have a good chance at beating them or everyone. I think this will be a good game and us Utah kids really want to show it to them.”

                WNCC is on an 11-game winning streak and have won 21 of its 23 games. What sets this team apart is their drive to make some noise at the national tournament.

                “This team has told me that they want to go back to back and they also want to be the first to win a game at the national tournament and show people we are Western Nebraska,” WNCC coach Maria Winn-Ratliff said. “It is not just about getting to the national tournament; it is about competing when we get there. We tell them to win every inning and if we can do that, we will be in position to win at the end of the game.”

                Alverson said this team can live up to the goals they have set since practices have been going well.

                “I think we can. I think this team can win not one but a couple games down here,” she said. “we have a good team and will be ready to go tomorrow [Thursday]. Practices down here have been going really good and we all have been excited and ready to play.”

                WNCC’s march to its second consecutive trip to the national tournament and third in the past four years, was highlighted by a team that doesn’t have one or two stars; they have many players that have stepped up throughout the year.

                The Cougars are paced by two 20-game winners in the circle Ashton Hughes, who was named Region IX player of the year, comes into the tournament with a sparkling 30-4 record with an earned run average of 2.17. The sophomore from Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada, set a school record for strikeouts in a season with 261.

                Right behind Hughes is Amanda Jones, a freshman from Las Vegas, Nev., has also sizzled from the circle with a record of 20-8 with an ERA of 3.42. Jones has struck out 90 in 163 innings pitched.

                Winn-Ratliff said that while the entire pitching staff has performed well, including relief pitchers Sarah Ward-Hadden and Aria Agle, she said that every one of the players, at some time, have come up with key games.

                “Both pitchers have done a good job for us all year and offensively we have done a good job of supporting them,” Winn-Ratliff said. “I have a ton of depth in the circle and that is a big attribute for us. Sarah Ward-Hadden has also come in and did the things she needed to do when she was called upon and Aria Agle has played with a broken finger most of the year before seeing time as a pitcher late.

                “But, I don’t want to take credit away from any one because I thought all 14 of them, day in an day out, did what we needed then to do. This is a total team effort. In previous years we might have had some kids stand out, but this year it has been a team effort and someone different would show up every day.”

                The Cougar’s depth includes an offensive attack that has hammered the ball to the tune of 75 home runs this season, a school record. Megan Bourdon leads the team with a school-record 18 homes. The sophomore also has 66 RBIs and 70 runs scored from her lead-off position.

                Right behind Bourdon is freshman Jocelyn Stubbs who has 16 home runs on the season along with 67 RBIs and 54 runs scores. Stubbs was named Region IX Freshman of the Year. Jacqui Cappuccilli also has provided a boost as well with 15 round trippers.

                Like WNCC, Salt Lake also has plenty of power. The Bruins have hit 91 home runs on the season, led by sophomore Krystin Jachim with 19 home runs. Freshman Savanah Webster has also hammered 13 homes with a batting average of .503.

                The Bruins’ pitching staff is bolstered by Ariel Zimmerman with a 26-3 record and a 2.14 ERA. Zimmerman has struck out 279 batters this season. Right behind Zimmerman is Kylee Colvin with an 18-1 record and a 2.36 ERA.

                If the Cougars win their opener, they will face the winner of the Howard College and Central Alabama Community College at 7 p.m. Thursday. A first-round loss puts the Cougars in the loser’s bracket against the loser of the Howard and Central Alabama game at 4:30 p.m.

                The double elimination tournament continues through Saturday with the championship game. Tournament games will have live audio for games 1 through 27 and then live video for the rest of the games.

NJCAA First Round Tournament Schedule

Thursday, March 19

#1 Yavapai (AZ) College (62-4) vs. #16 Pitt (NC) CC (49-8), 10 a.m.
#8 McLennan (TX) CC (36-16) vs. #9 Iowa Western CC (47-12), 10 a.m.
#4 Miami Dade (FL) College (33-20) vs. #13 Darton (GA) College (47-9), 10 a.m.
#5 Tallahassee (FL) CC (37-20) vs. #12 Butler (KS) CC (45-8), 10 a.m.
#2 Salt Lake (UT) CC (52-7) vs. #15 Western Nebraska CC (51-13), 1 p.m.
#7 Howard (TX) College (40-18) vs. #10 Central Alabama CC (45-5), 1 p.m.
#3 Blinn (TX) College (51-6) vs. #14 Lake Land (IL) College (41-10), 1 p.m.
#6 Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College (48-11) vs. #11 Volunteer (TN) State College (38-8), 1 p.m.