Burlington, IA – The Tarah Rayos era begins Friday morning as the Indian Hills Softball team opens up its 2024 campaign at the SCC Turf Tournament in Burlington, IA.

DETAILS: Indian Hills at SCC Turf Tournament

Burlington, IA  | 501 S. Broadway St., Burlington, IA

FIRST PITCH

Under first-year head coach Tarah Rayos, the Warriors open up their 2024 campaign just down the road from Ottumwa with the SCC Turf Tournament in Burlington, IA, hosted by Southeastern Community College. 

• The Warriors are coming off a 47-win season that reslted in the team's 21st all-time trip the NJCAA DI Softball World Series while capturing both the Region and District championships.
• Indian Hills is 8-2 in the team's last 10 season openers.
• The Warriors are ranked No. 14 in the NJCAA DI Softball Preseason Poll.
• 2024 marks the Warriors' first season opener in the Hawkeye State since the COVID-19 shortened season in 2020.

WARRIORS TO WATCH

The Warriors return eight players from last year's World Series team to combine with 10 true freshman on this year's roster.

• The Warriors return 2023 NFCA and NJCAA All-American Julia Kwakernaak who posted a .455 batting average with 10 home runs.
• Indian Hills returns six All-Region players from last year - Claire Tipton, Eva Fulk, Tatum Aragon, Jenna Lemley, and Hannah Simpson, along with Kwakernaak.
• Sara Reider provides veteran experience in the circle after posting a 6-1 record last year in 52.0 innings of work.
• Jordyn Beck, Alivia Ruble, and Ashlynn Sheets look to make an impact in the circle as true freshmen for the Warriors this year.

RAYOS' NOTES

"I am very excited to get started with the season tomorrow. We have worked incredibly hard through the fall and our offseason, and it will be great to see where we are at. We have a wonderful group of young women that feed in, have a gritty mentality, and a chip on their shoulders. It's go time!"

SCOUTING THE TROJANS

The Warriors open up the 2024 campaign against ICCAC cross-division foe NIACC on Friday morning.

• NIACC is coming off a 36-13 campaign, just one year removed from a 3-35 season in 2022.
• Emily Jones returns for the Trojans after posting a .434 batting average with a team-high 68 RBI last year.
• Jones and Brynn Stalberger return to the circle for the Trojans after combining for 17 wins last year.
• The Warriors are 8-3 against the Trojans dating back to the 2018 season, having dropped the most recent matchup a 2-1 loss last season in Kansas.

SCOUTING THE EAGLES

Kirkwood opens the year after a 45-18 campaign last year and a trip to the NJCAA DII World Series, the team's eighth-straight trip to the World Series.

• The Eagles ranked in the top-10 in the nation in 11 statistical categories last year, including second with 263 walks.
• Four of the Eagles' top-five hitters from last year return, including Sydney Roe who batted .412 with a team-high 67 RBI.
• Indian Hills is 11-14 vs. the Eagles since 2014, but have won three of the last four, including the most recent matchup, a 6-4 win last season.
• The two teams last met at the SCC Turf Tournament February 8, 2020 - a 12-0 win for the Warriors.

SCOUTING THE GOLDEN EAGLES

Rock Valley, a perennial NJCAA DIII powerhouse, made the jump to the NJCAA DII level last year and posted a 44-12 record while advancing to the NJCAA DII Softball World Series.

• Rock Valley returns pitchers Alison Hassett and Riley Stiles to the circle after combining for 67.2 innings of work last year.
• Molly Kable returns after posting a .427 average in 51 games last year while Faith McClain posted a .350 average in 45 contests.
• Indian Hills and Rock Valley have met seven times over the last two seasons with the Warriors winning six of those matchups, including a 4-0 sweep last year.
• The Warriors will head to Rock Valley for a four-game series April 13-14 in Rockford, IlL.

SCOUTING THE BRAVES

The Warriors will close out the weekend against Black Hawk, the first all-time meeting between the two clubs.

• Black Hawk is coming off a 32-25-1 record last year that resulted in an Arrowhead Conference title after going 17-2-1 in league play.
• The Braves return three of its top-four hitters from a year ago in Drew Clark (.419), Olivia King (.359), and Ashley VanBeveran (.355).
• Bailey Emery collected a team-high 13 wins in the circle last year for Black Hawk and returns for her sophomore campaign.

WHAT'S NEXT

The Warriors will make their annual southern swing with trips to Tennessee and Alabama next week. Indian Hills opens up play at Volunteer State Community College on February 21 for a doubleheader before heading to Oxford, AL, home of the 2024 NJCAA DI Softball World Series for six games as part of the JUCO Extravaganza  February 23-25.

As always, GoHillsTV provides free live broadcasts of all Indian Hills home softball games. Fans can tune in a number of ways all season long:

• Facebook: visit www.facebook.com/gohillstv
• GoHillsTV App: Download the GoHillsTV app on your android or ios device
• Website: https://www.gohillstv.com/browse to catch all live and archived information
• Roku Streaming Device (new):  Have a Roku TV or streaming stick? Download the GoHillsTV app to start streaming today!

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