Oxford, AL – The Indian Hills Softball team is set to make its 21^st appearance at the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) DI Softball World Series as the Warriors open up play Tuesday night at Choccolocco Park.

DETAILS: 2023 NJCAA DI Softball World Series

Oxford, AL  |  Choccolocco Park  |  May 23-27

#19 (10) Indian Hills vs. #8 (7) Seminole State (OK)

Tuesday, May 23  |  6:00 PM CT

WATCH LIVE ($): NJCAA Network

LIVE STATS: Indian Hills vs. Seminole State

AUDIO (FREE): GoHillsTV

TICKETS: NJCAA DI Softball World Series

BRACKET: NJCAA DI Softball World Series

No. 10 seed and No. 19 nationally ranked Indian Hills (45-8) will take on No. 7 seed and No. 8 nationally ranked Seminole State (OK) (42-6) in the opening round of the 2023 NJCAA DI Softball World Series at Choccolocco Park in Oxford, AL.

LEADING OFF

The Warriors earned the No. 10 seed in the 16-team, double-elimination field as the 2023 NJCAA DI Softball World Series gets underway with eight games in the opening round on Tuesday.

• Indian Hills is making its 21^st all-time appearance at the World Series and first since 2019.
• The Warriors captured the NJCAA Region 11 Championship and defeated Crowder College (MO) in a best-of-three series to win the NJCAA Midwest District Championship and an automatic berth to the NJCAA DI Softball World Series.
• Seminole State enters the World Series after winning the NJCAA South Central District Championship. The Trojans won all four games in the tournament to punch its ticket to Oxford.
• Sophomore Destiny Lewis competed in the annual Home Run derby Sunday night prior to the World Series and finished in the semi-final round.
• Odessa (TX) was awarded the top overall seed in the tournament.

WARRIOR RANKS

Indian Hills enters the World Series ranking at or near the top of a number of team and individual statistical categories.

• Indian Hills owns the seventh-best team earned run average in the nation, and third-best mark of team's in this year's World Series with a 1.89 mark.
• The Warriors' 104 home runs on the year are fourth-most in the NJCAA and trail only Southern Idaho (145) in this year's World Series.
• Indian Hills is the sixth-highest scoring team in this year's World Series with 468 runs scored on the year.
• Destiny Lewis owns the third-most home runs in the nation this year with 30 and the second-most among all players at the World Series, trailing only Southern Idaho's Gracie Tentinger (37).
• Ryann Cheek has posted the sixth-best individual earned run average in the nation this year with a 1.01 mark.
• Freshman Julia Kwakernaak is riding a team-high 17-game hit streak dating back to April 12. Kwakernaak owns a .493 batting average during the stretch.
• The Warrior defense has tallied the second-most double plays this year with 20, trailing only Southern Idaho's 22.

SCOUTING THE TROJANS

The Trojans boast a number of key pieces on both the offensive front and in the circle.

• Seminole State owns the third-best team earned run average in the nation this year with a 1.39 mark. The Trojans also rank eighth nationally with 16 shutouts this year and second overall with a .179 batting average against.
• Sophomore Britney Lewisnki leads the Trojan staff with a 0.65 earned run average, the second-best individual mark in the NJCAA this year.
• Sophomore McKenna Johnson earned the team's triple crown this year with a .474 batting average, eight home runs, and 56 RBI.
• The Trojans have won eight games in a row and 21 of its last 22 matchups.

SERIES HISTORY

The Warriors and Trojans have squared off a number of times in recent years.

• Dating back to the 2016 season, the two teams have squared off six times, with each side earning three wins.
• The two teams most recently split a doubleheader series in Seminole, OK on March 2, 2020.
• Indian Hills and Seminole State have matched up in the NJCAA World Series once before where the Trojans took a 3-2 victory to eliminate the Warriors in 1999.

WARRIORS' WORLD SERIES HISTORY

• Indian Hills enters the tournament with the most national tournament appearances of any of the 16 teams competing in Oxford this week.
• Each of the Warriors' 21 national tournament appearances have come since 1989.
• Indian Hills has won 28 games at the national tournament with its best showing coming in 2004 when the program placed fourth overall.
• The No. 10 seed is the second-best for the Warriors behind the 2005 squad's No. 5 seed. The national tournament began seeding in 2004.
• Of the 15 other teams in this year's field, the Warriors have matched up against four of them in past national tournament games – Angelina (TX), Florida SouthWestern State, Wallace State (AL), and Seminole State.
• Indian Hills owns the NJCAA record for longest game in national tournament history – a 23-inning contest vs. Glendale (AZ) in 1993.

WHAT'S NEXT

A spot in the quarterfinal round awaits the winner while the loser heads to the consolation bracket. The winner will take on the winner of No. 2 seed Florida SouthWestern State and No. 15 Gaston College (NC) at 4:00 PM Wednesday night. The loser of those two matchups will meet at 12:00 PM on Wednesday.