The Des Moines Area Community College softball team begins the 2018 season in the Cowtown Classic at Fort Worth, Texas. The Bears will play Hill College, Navarro College and Highland Community College on Feb. 16 and will face Fort Scott Community College and Clarendon College on Feb. 17.
DMACC opens the season ranked fourth in the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Division II poll. The Bears are coming off a 47-9 season in 2017. They were 24-2 in the Iowa Community College Athletic Conference (ICCAC), won the NJCAA Region XI-A championship and qualified for the NJCAA Division II National Championship for the fourth consecutive season and the fifth time in six years.
Head coach Bob Ligouri returns five sophomores from his 2017 team, including All-American Molly Jacobsen. Jacobsen was named the NJCAA Division II Pitcher of the Year by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association in 2017. She was 25-4 with a 1.08 earned run average. Other players returning this season include pitcher Gabby Schnathorst, catcher Bailey Richards, infielder Taylor Briley and outfielder Bre Hunter.
With the talent we have on this year’s squad the NJCAA Division II National Championship berth is in our sights, anything less the would be a major let down.