Ottumwa, IA – 12 members of the Indian Hills Softball team have been named to the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) All-Region 11 team following the program's eighth consecutive region championship. The Warriors also took home four individual postseason awards.
Nine individuals took home first-team honors while three were named to the second-team. The 12 selections are tied for the most in program history along with the 2021 and 2018 teams. The nine first-team selections are the most in school history. Head coach Lindsay Diehl has now coached 41 All-Region 11 selections throughout her four complete seasons at the helm of the Warrior program.After another historic season that saw the Warriors go undefeated in conference play and collect the team's fifth consecutive 40-win season, Indian Hills dominated the All-Region 11 selections once again.
Madie Anderson: The ICCAC Pitcher of the Year for the second consecutive season, Anderson earned her second career All-Region 11 First-Team honor. Anderson was named the ICCAC Pitcher of the Week five times this year and led the conference with 17 wins. Anderson pitched a team-high 131.1 innings and led the Warriors with 116 strikeouts and 13 complete games along with a 1.55 earned run average.
Head Coach Lindsay Diehl on Anderson: Madie has had a fantastic career at Indian Hills and I know she is not done. It has been fun to watch her confidence grow and her push herself to be the pitcher of the year for a second year in a row. Her ability to spin the ball and keep batters off balance has been fun to call games for.
Sydney Anderson: The ICCAC Offensive Player of the Year, Anderson put together another stellar season at the plate. An All-American from a year ago, Anderson batted .372 at the plate with an .834 slugging percentage. The sophomore ranked second on the team with 17 home runs and 69 RBI. Anderson was twice named the ICCAC Athlete of the Week.
Head Coach Lindsay Diehl on Anderson: Sydney is a force at the plate and has really gotten back in the groove of being herself as of late. I'm proud of what she has done down the stretch here and is being a huge leader for us at the plate, on defense and in the dugout.
Tatum Aragon: One of four freshman on the first-team, Aragon produced a breakout freshman campaign as the team's primary left fielder. Aragon batted .394 on the year with a team-high 155 at bats. The freshman collected 61 hits, including 17 for extra bases and four home runs. Aragon was also named the ICCAC Athlete of the Week for the week of February 27-March 5.
Head Coach Lindsay Diehl on Aragon: Tatum is a gamer. She worked hard in the offseason but she is someone that shows up for gameday. She really has proven to be a force as one of our most consistant hitters throughout the whole season.
Ryann Cheek: Cheek became a two-time NJCAA All-Region 11 First-Team pitcher after leading the conference with a 0.92 earned run average, the fifth-lowest mark in the nation. Cheek posted an 11-2 record in the circle and has been on a tear down the homestretch of the season. Over her last 42.2 innings, Cheek has allowed just three earned runs and has not lost a game since March 20. Cheek has struck out 76 batters to just 13 walks allowed on the year. Cheek is a two-time ICCAC Pitcher of the Week.
Head Coach Lindsay Diehl on Cheek: Ryann has really grown in the past year in the circle. She now understands her body and how to make adjustments in games. She has shown dominance down the stretch and is one of the best in NJCAA DI softball.
Eva Fulk: The team's primary centerfielder throughout the year, Fulk tore the conference with a league-best 28 stolen bases on the year. Fulk sported a .367 batting average on the year along with a .393 on-base percentage. The freshman will head into the District tournament on an 11-game hitting streak, batting .429 during the stretch. Fulk has also produced a .906 fielding percentage with three outfield assists on the year.
Head Coach Lindsay Diehl on Fulk: The growth Eva has had this season is fun to reflect on. She was pressing so hard to start the season but has settled into an anchor in our outfield. She is so quick and gets great reads on the ball but I think her performance at the plate has been what has come the furthest for her. Love what she brings to this lineup.
Julia Kwakernaak: A force at the plate in her freshman campaign, Kwakernaak was named the NJCAA All-Region 11 First-Team Designated Player. On the year, Kwakernaak has posted a team-high .489 batting average, the eighth-best best mark in school history. Kwakernaak has collected 19 extra base hits this year, including nine home runs for a .920 slugging percentage. The freshman is currently riding a 14-game hitting streak and hit .750 in the NJCAA Region 11 Tournament.
Head Coach Lindsay Diehl on Kwakernaak: I have said from day one that Julia can knock the cover off the ball but has really worked hard to turn herself into a force at the plate. She is another kid that has come a long ways from the start of the season and has now become a huge bat in our lineup.
Destiny Lewis: The two-time ICCAC Player of the Year, Lewis put together another remarkable year for the Warriors. Transitioning to the team's primary second baseman, Lewis became the school's all-time career home runs, runs, and total base leader and will finish within the top two of the school's all-time batting average leaderboard. Lewis owns a .468 batting average with 29 home runs, tied for the fourth-most in the nation.
Head Coach Lindsay Diehl on Lewis: Destiny is just different, in everything she does on the softball field. She has the ability to take over a game and her teammates follow her lead and pick her up on days they need to. She is well known in this conference and does some serious damage at the plate for us offensively. Destiny has left her mark here and I look forward to how she finishes out her sophomore career.
Claire Tipton: After missing the first 12 games of the year, Tipton has served as a force at the plate down the stretch for the Warriors. The freshman owns a .384 batting average and ranks third on the team with 12 home runs. Tipton has produced 15 multi-hit games this year and is batting .517 with five home runs over the team's last nine games. Tipton currently leads the team with 12 doubles on the year.
Head Coach Lindsay Diehl on Tipton: Claire has really had a great freshman season when she spent most of that time doing rehab and listening but not being able to execute until late March. Claire has become a power at the plate to lead our offense. She still has a high ceiling of what we think she can grow into which is super exciting to think about with the numbers she has put up this year.
TJ Stoaks: A two-year member of the Warriors, Stoaks earned first-team All-Region 11 honors as the team's primary right fielder. Stoaks batted .336 on the year along with a .397 on-base percentage. The sophomore produced 38 hits, including three home runs while scoring 30 runs for the Warriors.
Head Coach Lindsay Diehl on Stoaks: TJ has worked so hard to come from a kid that played minimal innings as a freshman to becoming an every day starter in the Warrior line up. She has put in the work to become an offensive threat at the plate to turn our lineup over. She finds ways to make things happen and has been a big part of this team's success.
Jenna Lemley: Lemley was named the All-Region 11 Second-Team catcher after a solid freshman campaign for the Warriors. Lemley batted .386 on the year after collecting 34 hits, including eight extra base hits and a pair of home runs. Lemley drove in 29 runs on the year while scoring 18 more times. Lemley led the ICCAC with six runners caught stealing from behind the plate.
Head Coach Lindsay Diehl on Lemley: Jenna has worked really hard for us to grow behind the plate and works really hard for her pitchers. She started the season with big numbers and has settled into being an important piece in our lineup on both sides of the game.
Abby Martin: The Warriors' primary shortstop, Martin starred for the Warriors on both sides of the plate. Offensively, Martin batted .357 with 31 RBI, 41 runs scored, and nine home runs on the year. In the infield, Martin owned a .930 fielding percentage and led the ICCAC with 10 double plays turned. The freshman also ranked third in the league with 87 assists.
Head Coach Lindsay Diehl on Martin: Abby has been an anchor in our infield making some really big plays for us at shorsthop. She has grown so much on both sides of the game in a short period of time. She has flashed power at the plate and is so close to getting both sides figured out on a consistent basis.
Hannah Simpson: Despite missing the final 13 games of the season due to an injury, Simpson was selected as the NJCAA Region 11 Second-Team Designated Player after a strong freshman campaign at the plate. Simpson sported a .360 batting average along with eight home runs and 32 RBI. Simpson also crossed the plate 34 times on the year.
Head Coach Lindsay Diehl on Simpson: Hannah is a kid that unfortunately had her freshman season cut short due to an injury but really started to flex her power and RBI ability prior to things being cut short for her. We look forward to her sophomore season because I know she is going to turn her adversity into her advantage in her sophomore season. She has also been a huge vocal leader for us in the dugout since her role has changed.
Sophomore Destiny Lewis (Indianola, IA/Indianola) has been selected as the ICCAC Player of the Year while sophomore Sydney Anderson (Elkhart, IA/North Polk) was named the ICCAC Offensive Player of the Year. Sophomore Madie Anderson (Mt. Pleasant, IA/Winfield, Mt. Union) was tapped as the ICCAC Pitcher of the Year. All three individuals were named to the NJCAA All-Region 11 First-Team and have earned their respective award in back-to-back seasons.
Diehl was awarded the ICCAC Coach of the Year for the fourth consecutive season.
To read more about Destiny Lewis being named Player of the Year, visit: LEWIS NAMED ICCAC PLAYER OF THE YEAR
To read more about Madie Anderson being named Pitcher of the Year, visit: MADIE ANDERSON NAMED ICCAC PITCHER OF THE YEAR
To read more about Sydney Anderson being named Offensive Player of the Year, visit: SYDNEY ANDERSON NAMED OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR
To read more about Lindsay Diehl being named Coach of the Year, visit: DIEHL NAMED ICCAC COACH OF THE YEAR
The Warriors are set to travel to the NJCAA Midwest District Tournament May 13-14 in Neosho, MO as Indian Hills will take on Crowder College (MO), winners of the NJCAA Region 16 Tournament. The best-of-three series gets underway at 1:00 PM Saturday with a doubleheader and an if necessary game on Sunday.
Looking for Indian Hills Athletics information straight to your inbox? Subscribe to our newsletter and mobile alerts to receive news, scores, highlights, and more in real-time: INDIAN HILLS ATHLETICS NEWSLETTER