Central second in regional softball rankings
Central College
PELLA — Central College remains in second in the NCAA Division III Midwest Regional softball rankings.
The Dutch are 28-7 overall and 23-4 in in-region games, while St. Thomas (Minn.) is No. 1 with a 31-5 overall mark and 27-4 in-region record.
Coe, which shared the Iowa Conference title with Central, is rated fourth at 31-5 while Simpson (29-9) is No. 5, Luther (25-9) is No. 7 and Dubuque (15-17) is No. 8.
The regional rankings serve as the basis for selection to the 62-team NCAA Division III tournament and teams’ in-region records are the top criteria in that process. The field will be announced in a video webcast on www.ncaa.com Monday at 9 a.m. Central Time. Central will play host to one of the eight regional tourneys May 9-13.
As the surprising May snow continued falling in Pella Friday, the Dutch are preparing for a weather-shortened Iowa Conference tournament. Two games are slated for Saturday in the single-elimination tourney, with Central scheduled to play at 1 p.m. Sunday against the winner of a Saturday contest between Luther and Buena Vista. The tourney championship game follows at 3 p.m. KRLS sportscaster Trevor Castle will provide a play-by-play webcast of Sunday’s action via www.kniakrls.com.
