The Western Nebraska Community College softball team finished off the regular season on a nine-game win streak and evened their record at 24-24.
Now, the Cougars will head to the Region IX Tournament in McCook, Nebraska, to go for a regional title and a national tournament berth. The fourth-seeded WNCC team will open the tournament Thursday at 11 a.m. when they face fifth-seeded Luna Community College. WNCC and Luna split a four-game series in March at Volunteer Field. WNCC lost both games on the first day 11-8 and 17-7, but won both games on day two 7-4 and 17-4.
The double-elimination tournament runs through Sunday with the championship and if-necessary games with the winner qualifying for the NJCAA national tournament at Choccolocco Park in Oxford, Alabama, May 25-30.
"The girls have been super excited. They just love the fact that they're here at this point, Nayeli Diaz, WNCC first-year head coach, said. "They've been through so much this year and they just want to fight and fight and fight and keep going to the best of their ability and they don't give up.
"We saw that this past weekend (against North Platte), no matter how down they are, they continue fighting and they will never stop and their confidence has been phenomenal after all these wins that we've had recently. They've been just great enjoying each other, and I think the main thing is that they're having fun. Like, of course, winning is fun, but at the end of the day, no matter what situation you're in, as long as they're having fun, which they have been, they'll fight through anything."
The WNCC and Luna winner will then face top-seed McCook Community College Friday at 2 p.m. The other first-round game has third-seeded Northeastern Junior College taking on sixth-seeded Lamar Community College at 2 p.m. Thursday with the winner facing second-seeded Southeast Community College at 11 a.m. Friday. The losers of the first two games on Thursday will play that evening at 5 p.m. in an elimination game.
Diaz said while McCook is definitely the favorite to win the title, don't count out anyone of the other teams because this tourney could be won by any team.
"Definitely McCook, especially how far they went last year. They are definitely the favorite," she said. "But, I mean, these teams in conference have the grit. They have the fight, so it's anybody's game, whoever's hot in the moment, is going to take it."
McCook went 30-2 in Region IX play and enters with a 49-7 overall mark and an 11-game win streak. Southeast, who also earned a first-round bye, comes in with a 25-7 conference record and 31-18 overall.
WNCC's first-round opponent, the Luna Roughriders out of Las Vegas, New Mexico, enters with a 23-33 overall record and a 16-16 conference mark.
WNCC enters the tournament on a nine-game win streak and has played with a lot of grit and determination. WNCC's streak could have been longer, too, as the Cougars lost the middle two games against Lamar – 9-7 and 9-8 in games – in games they could have won.
The 9-8 defeat was in nine innings. After losing that heart-breaking contest, the Cougars topped Lamar 10-3. They then rolled over Trinidad State College in four games, outscoring the Trojans 48-36, and then wrapped up the regular season with a four-game sweep over North Platte Community College, outscoring the Knights 36-18.
Diaz knows her team will have to play strong to get past Luna, a team they split with earlier in the year, falling on the first day at Volunteer Field 11-8 and 17-7, and then coming back and getting both games on day two 7-4 and 17-4.
"They are a good team. We split with them, but we definitely could have taken all four of those games from the team that I've seen today from when we played Luna in the beginning of the season," she said. "If we stay the way we are, continuing defensively moving through the ball and all that fun stuff, and then offensively keep our bats hot, we have a good chance."
WNCC is one of those teams that could surprise people. A year ago, the Cougars made the regional tournament and put together quality games and lost in the championship to McCook 9-1.
This year, the sophomores on this year's team remember a year ago and what it felt like to lose in the title game and they know what it takes. The Cougars are led by a young pitching staff with three freshman pitchers in Gracie Holm, Mia Migliaccio, and Abbey Arntsen.
"My three freshman pitchers have grown so much from the beginning of season until now," she said. "I think they can fight through it. They can pitch through it. I mean, Mia pitched a little over 10 innings this past weekend, so they can definitely go, go, go, go. So, as long as our pitchers have the ability and have the stamina to keep going, we'll be fine."
Holm and Migliaccio each have won 10 games this season while Arntsen has won four games. Holm has tossed 133.1 innings with an ERA of 5.25 with 47 strikeouts, while Migliaccio has pitched 105.1 innings with 72 strikeouts and an ERA of 4.78. Arntsen has struck out 37 in 80 innings of work.
Offensively, this team has plenty of power, but they also can win games by using the small ball as far as singles and timely bunts. WNCC is hitting .323 on the season and has knocked out 68 doubles, 11 triples, and 38 home runs. WNCC is averaging 7.87 runs per contest.
WNCC is led at the plate by Tori Travers with a .423 batting average with eight home runs, 50 RBIs, and 56 runs scored. Abbey Arntsen is next with a .400 batting average with six home runs and 13 doubles, 33 RBIs, and 40 runs scored. Tina Horton is hitting .390 with 65 runs scored, 51 RBIs with eight home runs and 17 doubles, followed by Jasmine Castro at .360 with 39 RBIs and 39 runs scored.
Alyssa Albaugh and Gracie Holm are each hitting above .300 while Viktoria Sarkanyova is just barely below .300 at .298. Albaugh is batting .337 with five doubles, three triples, and one home run, while Holm is at .313 with a team-leading 11 home runs, 43 RBIs, and 39 runs scored.
Diaz, who took over the team in December, said she has enjoyed coaching this team and watching the positive development of the players.
"The team has been phenomenal for me coming in late December and for them not having practice hours with an actual coach for about two months," she said. "They have the fight in them and they want to win. They want to show no matter what happens, no matter what happens in life, you can continue and succeed.
"The girls will never give up. Like I said, the stats have been against them. They have the grit and the fight to continue and play and do what they can do no matter what -- having 15 on the team and only having three pitchers on a team doesn't matter to them. They want to keep going. They want to keep fighting and they want to win. I've never seen a group so happy and so excited to go out there and no matter what seed we are, they want to win. I'm excited. This tournament's going to be fun. Win or lose, it doesn't matter. I'm excited for this group."
Diaz said this team can win regionals and it would be so nice if they could.
"It (if we won regionals) would prove a lot of people wrong," she said. "They would be super happy and it would mean the world to them. They deserve it after everything they've been through. I mean, they're deserving. They just have to fight for it."
The biggest thing for this team is they have a coach that is enjoying being back on the diamond and coaching this team.
"I was definitely done coaching until this opportunity came along and I love it," she said. "I couldn't love it anymore, especially with my little 3-year-old. My 3-year-old loves all the girls. They are a good group of girls. Aside from being on the field, off the field they are people and they are very intelligent, caring, and loving young ladies. So that's what's most important."
Region IX Tournament
McCook, Nebraska
Thursday May 7
Game 1 – No. 4 Western Nebraska (17-15) vs. No. 5 Luna CC (16-16), 11 am
Game 2 – No. 3 Northeastern JC (24-8) vs. No. 6 Lamar (15-17), 2 p.m.
Game 3 – Losers of Game 1 vs. Losers Game 2, 5 p.m. (elimination game)
Friday, May 8
Game 4 – Winner of Game 2 vs. No. 2 Southeast Community College (25-7), 11 a.m.
Game 5 – Winner of Game 1 vs. No. 1 McCook CC (30-2), 2 p.m.
Game 6 – Winner Game 3 vs. lowest remaining seed with one loss, 5 p.m. (elimination game)
Saturday, May 9
Game 7 – Game 6 Winner vs. highest seed remaining with one loss, 11 a.m. (elimination game)
Game 8 – Game 4 Winner vs. Game 5 Winner, 2 p.m.
Game 9 – Game 7 Winner vs. Game 8 Loser, 5 p.m. (elimination game)
Sunday, May 10
Game 10 – Game 8 Winner vs. Game 9 Winner, 11 a.m.
Game 11 – If necessary, 2 p.m.