Burlington, IA – The 2022 National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) DI Softball Region XI Tournament opens up Saturday in Burlington, IA. The No. 16 ranked Indian Hills Warriors enter the weekend as the No. 1 overall seed.

LEADING OFF

The Warriors enter the region tournament with an overall record of 43-8 and 23-1 in league play. Indian Hills has won six in a row and has lost just twice since March 2. The Warriors claimed the regular season title for the seventh consecutive season and are six-time reigning NJCAA Region XI Tournament champions.

The Warriors have won 14 consecutive NJCAA Region XI Tournament games dating back to 2016, outscoring the oppoosition 109-51 along the way.

Iowa Western (41-19, 15-9) earned the No. 2 overall seed followed by Southeastern (26-21, 13-11), Southwestern (16-28, 8-16), and Marshalltown (9-43, 1-23).

HOW WE GOT HERE

The Warriors have powered its way through its conference schedule this year, leading the league in nearly every major offensive statistical category. Indian Hills has lost just one league game, an 8-7 defeat at Iowa Western on April 16.

During the course of the 24-game ICCAC schedule, the Warriors have outscored the opposition 295-40, allowing two runs or less in 18 of the 24 games played, including seven shutouts.

BREAKING DOWN THE BRACKET

Originally scheduled to begin Friday, the tournament moved back to a Saturday start due to impending weather in the Burlington area.

Indian Hills received a first round bye in the five-team tournament and will play the winner of No. 4 Southwestern and No. 5 Marshalltown at 2:00 PM on Saturday. Southwestern and Marshalltown will play at 10:00 AM Saturday to open the tournament followed by Iowa Western and Southeastern at 12:00 PM.

• Warriors vs. the Bracket This Year
  • No. 2 Iowa Western | 5-1 record, 57-15 run advantage
  • No. 3 Southeastern | 6-0 record, 48-3 run advantage
  • No. 4 Southwestern | 6-0 record, 82-19 run advantage
  • No. 5 Marshalltown | 6-0 record, 98-11 run advantage

With a win, the Warriors will advance to the semifinal round at 1:00 PM on Sunday.

• Tournament Schedule
  • Saturday
    • Game 1 | #4 Southwestern vs. #5 Marshalltown – 10:00 AM
    • Game 2 | #2 Iowa Western vs. #3 Southeastern – 12:00 PM
    • Game 3 | #1 Indian Hills vs. W G2 – 2:00 PM
    • Game 4 | L G1 vs. L G2 – 4:00 PM
  • Sunday
    • Game 5 | W G4 vs. L G3 – 11:00 AM
    • Game 6 | W G2 vs. W G3 – 1:00 PM
    • Game 7 | L G5 vs. W G6 – 3:00 PM
  • Monday
    • Game 8 | W G6 vs. W G7 – 11:00 AM
    • Game 9 | (if necessary) W G8 vs. L G8 (if first loss) – 1:00 PM

PLAYERS TO WATCH

The region tournament features a number of individuals across the board with a presence on the national landscape, including a bevy of Indian Hills Warriors.

• Sydney Anderson enters the tournament as the all-time single season home run record holder for the Warriors after hitting 31 in the regular season. The two-time National Player of the Week holds a .497 batting average with 83 RBI on the year.
• Freshman Destiny Lewis ranks seventh in the nation with a .549 batting average and is tied for second in program history with 27 home runs on the year while driving in 82 runs.
• Freshmen Madie Anderson and Ryann Cheek, along with sophomore Madi Huisman have combined for 37 of the team's wins this year in the circle.
• Iowa Western's Jael Wilde enters the tournament with 85 RBI, the third most in the nation this year.
• Southeastern's Adessa Brandenburg earned National Pitcher of the Week honors earlier in the year and has won 10 games while hitting .341 on the year.
• Abbi Conrad is batting a team-high .488 on the year for Southwestern with a nine-game hitting streak in tow.
• Marshalltown's Paige Westlin is the reigning ICCAC Player of the Week and boasts a .482 batting average with 18 home runs.

WHAT'S AT STAKE

The winner of the 2022 NJCAA Region XI Tournament will receive a berth to the NJCAA Midwest District Tournament May 13-14. The winner of the Region XI Tournament will host the District tournament which is comprised of Region XI and Region XVI (MO). The winner of the District tournament will advance to the NJCAA DI Softball Tournament May 24-28 in Yuma, AZ.

The Warriors have qualified for the District tournament in each of the previous six seasons and have reached the national tournament three times during that stretch and 20 times in program history.

GOHILLSTV ON THE CALL

GoHillsTV, the official streaming platform of Indian Hills Community College, will broadcast the entire tournament from start to finish, including non-Indian Hills contests. Russ W. Ocker will be on the call for the duration of the tournament.

Fans can view every pitch by downloading the GoHillsTV app on their smartphone or tablet device, visiting www.gohillstv.com/browse, or on the GoHillsTV Facebook page.