Throw out the records, the post season begins Monday for the Western Nebraska Community College softball team as they get ready for the first round of Region IX tournament.

                The Cougars earned the No. 2 seed and will host No. 3 Lamar Community College in a best two out of three series. The first two games will be played Monday starting at 1 p.m. at Volunteer Field with an if-necessary game slated for noon on Tuesday.

                The other side of the bracket has No. 1 Trinidad State Junior College hosting No. 4 Otero Junior College in Triniday also on Monday. The two winners will meet in the 2-out-of-3 championship series at the site of the highest seed next weekend.

                WNCC enters the regional tournament with the best record in Region IX at 34-19. Lamar enters the series at 27-22. Both teams are 3-3 this season against each other.

                The Cougars are prepared for the regional tournament, but at the same time they know they have to play their game.

                "The team is ready," freshman Julia Suchan said. "We have been preparing all year for this and have worked incredibly hard to get where we are now."

                 The last time the Cougars played, on Sunday when they defeated Northeastern Junior College 15-5 and 18-0, the Cougars showed plenty of offense from one through nine. Those quality at bats were instrumental in Sunday's win and that Is what they need against Lamar.

                "Quality at bats are the most important part to WNCC softball's success," sophomore Jasmine Wessel said. "When we are calm and see some pitches, most of the time we win the battle."

                But it won't be easy against a Lamar team that features some talented pitching. The Lopes are led in the circle by Lauren Reed and Larissa Royer, who each have tossed 131 innings. Reed posts a 4.31 ERA with 75 strikeouts with a record of 15-9. Royer has an ERA of 4.01 with 129 strikeouts and a 10-7 record.

                "We know what their pitchers are going to throw to us and we know that they hit to the left side of the field a lot," she Wessel said. "The key to us winning against Lamar is to adjust early."

                To do that, they need clutch hitting. WNCC has none that on several occasions and the hits come from one through nine in the lineup.

                "it is really important for quality at bats," Suchan said. "Quality at bats are always necessary. None of the batters one through nine are easy outs. We will need to get the timely hits and take advantage when runners are in scoring position."

                Lamar is batting .380 on the season and have seven players hitting above .400.  Caitlin McCarthy is batting .447 with 37 RBIs and 36 runs scored. Lauren Reed is hitting .443 followed by Samantha McDonald batting .423 with seven doubles.

                Lamar's Mercedes Salazar and Kelsee Bushell led the team in home runs with 10 each.

                WNCC also produces a deadly offensive lineup. WNCC is batting .422 as a team with six players above .400. Lauren Oxford leads the team with a .528 batting average. Oxford has hammered eight home runs and has 73 RBIs and 63 runs scored. Oxford's .528 average is the fifth best in the nation, and is second in on-base average (.636).

                Wessel is batting .497 with a team-leading 15 home runs. Wessel also has 71 runs scored and 87 RBIs. Wessel also leads the team with 30 doubles. Wessel is ranked fourth in the nation in RBIs.

                Madi Jackson is also batting .497 on the season. Jackson, a freshman, has 48 RBIs, 72 runs scored, and 17 doubles. The other three include Celyn Whitt at .447, Suchan at .426, and Emily Selby at .416.

                The Cougars bread and butter is their double hitting. WNCC has hit 166 doubles this season and Wessel and Celyn Whitt lead the nation with 30 doubles each. Suchan is ranked fourth in the nation in runs scored with 79 while Suchan is eighth with 75.

                While both teams; offenses can score points, it is going to come down which team plays the best defense. WNCC's pitchers will be key in the circle. Ashley Thomas has led the team all season, tossing 219 innings with a 27-12 record. Thomas has struck out 96 and has a 4.47 ERA. Sarah Linford will also be counted on. Linford has a 10-2 record with 67 innings pitched. Linford has an ERA of 6.24.

                The winner of the Region IX tournament will host the Kansas winner in two weeks for a chance at the NJCAA national tournament in St. George, Utah.