Central captures outright softball crown
PELLA-This is why they came back.
Five players who opted to return for a fifth season were among eight seniors who capped Senior Day Monday by wrapping up the 20th-ranked Central College softball team’s first outright American Rivers championship since 2019 by racing past Loras College 8-1 after dropping the opener 3-0.
Already assured of at least a share of the program’s 14th conference crown, all under NFCA Hall of Fame coach George Wares, the Dutch (28-9 overall, 13-3 conference) earned the right to host the league’s six-team conference tournament Friday and Saturday. While Central is already well-positioned to be part of the 62-team NCAA Division III Championships field when it is announced next Monday, the conference tourney winner is assured of an automatic berth.
For now, however, the title win is one to be savored.
“It’s hard to do in this conference because it’s such a quality league,” Wares said. “I give the players a lot of credit. The fifth-year players, when they came back, set this as one of their goals. Now another one is to win the conference tournament and then obviously make a deep (NCAA tourney) run.”
Among the most significant contributions to Monday’s success came from a fifth-year player who didn’t start either game, pitcher Morgan Schaben (Portsmouth, Harlan HS). Positioned to carry a lighter load this season as a reliever, Schaben shouldered a heavy one Monday. When game one starter Sydni Huisman (5th-year, Treynor), who suffered the loss in an 8-0 opener at Nebraska Wesleyan University Sunday, labored in allowing three first-inning runs Monday, Schaben got an early call. She silenced the Duhawks (20-16 overall, 7-9 conference) on four hits and a walk with five strikeouts over the final 6.2 innings. Then in game two, she tossed hitless ball over the final 2.2 frames in relief of starter Emma Beck (sophomore, Holland, Grundy Center HS), giving her 9.1 innings of shutout action.
Schaben can answer the bell whether it’s the first inning or the last, Wares said.
“And she’d be no different,” he said. “We’d go with her in the middle of an at-bat if we needed to. She’s just ready whenever we need her and gives us whatever she can. And she’s generally pretty consistent.
“I thought in the first game she was really effective and pretty much kept them off balance like she always does, with a variety of pitches. She gave us a chance.”
But the three first-inning runs were all Loras needed as Ashlyn Hemm shut out the Dutch on just one hit, walking three and fanning eight.
Central broke out with eight hits in the second game, scoring eight runs in the first three innings. After being shut out twice in two days, Wares said it was good from a confidence standpoint to see the bats come alive.
“It’s a huge difference when you score one or two early instead of going down,” he said. “It was good to see (third baseman) Franie Burnett (senior, Ankeny, Centennial HS) get a big hit and (first baseman) Megan Stuhr (senior, Sigourney) get a big hit.”
Both had RBI doubles while center fielder Emma Johnson (5th-year, Davenport, Assumption Catholic HS) was on base four times with a single, double and two walks. She drove in three runs and scored two.
Beck, who was named the conference pitcher of the week for the third time this season Monday, gave up a run on four hits and a walk while striking out four over 4.1 innings to improve to 13-4.
“She wasn’t as sharp as she was yesterday, but she threw 118 pitches yesterday,” Wares said. “She was still very good. We’re glad we have some rest now before the conference tourney.”
The single-elimination tourney opens Friday as fourth-seeded Nebraska Wesleyan (26-10) meets fifth-seeded Simpson (26-12) at 2 p.m. at the A.N. Kuyper Athletics Complex softball field. In game two, it’s No. 3 Wartburg (23-15) against No. 6 Luther (27-13).
Central opens at 12:30 p.m. Saturday against the winner of game one. The game two winner takes on No. 2 Coe (29-9) at 3 p.m. with the championship set for 5:30 p.m.
Even with a championship in hand, the tourney matters, Wares said.
“It’s really important,” he said. “Yes, I think we’re fairly secure in getting in the (NCAA) field, but winning would help secure a number one seed and (a regional) would more likely be at home, which I think is special. But winning the tournament is important in itself.”
All five conference tourney games can be viewed on the Central Dutch Network through athletics.central.edu with a broadcast of Central’s action Saturday airing on KRLS-FM (92.1) and also accessible through kniakrls.com.
