HISTORY: RVC Softball Wins Fourth Consecutive NJCAA National Title
Over the past four years, RVC Softball has been synonymous with excellence. Late Saturday night, the Golden Eagles raised the bar even higher. RVC Softball defeated Suffolk County Community College (NY) 20-0 to cruise to its fourth straight NJCAA National Championship. The national title sets a new record in NJCAA DIII softball for the most consecutive titles won. The Golden Eagles end its championship season with 57 wins - the most in program history.
"It has been an incredible ride for our program," said Head Softball Coach
Darin Monroe. "Although we faced many challenges all season long, this group of ladies showed a great deal of resiliency to show up day in and day out to leave its legacy. It is an honor to be able to coach this group, and win another title for our athletic department, our institution, and the Rockford community."
The record setting year was done in dominating fashion. The Golden Eagles did not allow a single run in the NJCAA DIII National Tournament, outscoring their opponents 41-0 over the course of those four games. In those four games, only one runner reached third base for the opposing teams. In their nine postseason games fueling Region IV, District G, and NJCAA titles, RVC outscored their opponents 77-5 with 7 shutouts. Saturday night's win over Suffolk County Community College capped off a 40-game win streak for the Golden Eagles, who outscored their opponents 400-38 in that stretch.
The Golden Eagles dominated the individual awards in Rochester.
Olivia Fluehr (Loves Park, IL) was named both Most Outstanding Player and Most Outstanding Pitcher.
Summer Amman (Beloit, WI) was named Most Outstanding Offensive Player.
Morgan Stamm (Orangeville, IL) was named Most Outstanding Defensive Player, while
Emily Cox (Erie, IL),
Hannah Long (Rockford, IL), and
Morgan Robb (Orangeville, IL) were all named to the All-Tournament Team. For the fourth consecutive year,
Darin Monroe was named Coach of the Tournament.
Opening Round - #1 RVC - 6, #8 Suffolk County (NY) - 0
Before what ultimately would be the final game of the season, the Golden Eagles met Suffolk County in the opening round Thursday afternoon. In the circle, Fluehr pitched a complete game 1-hitter to stifle the Sharks offense. Despite a quiet start offensively, RVC found its way to score in the bottom of the third and did not look back.
Lexi Morrison (Stillman Valley, IL) contributed a double, while Fluehr and Robb both hammered home runs to guide the Golden Eagle scoring attack.
Madason Shaw (Rock Falls, IL), Fluehr, and Robb drove in 2 runs each.
Quarterfinal Round - #1 RVC - 7, #4 St Cloud Tech (MN) - 0
The strong pitching continued for RVC once again as
Kelsie Packard (Beloit, WI) pitched a complete game two-hitter to tame the offensive attack of the Cyclones. Packard struck out 13 batters in the winning effort. The Golden Eagles wasted no time getting their bats going, scoring 3 runs in both the top of the first and second innings. Cox contributed 2 RBIs while 5 other Golden Eagles contributed 1 each.
Semifinal Round - #1 RVC - 8, #2 Herkimer (NY) - 0
What was thought to be the most highly anticipated match-up of the tournament did not live up to its hype. RVC and Herkimer met in each of the last 3 NJCAA DIII Championship games with RVC coming away victorious in each. The Golden Eagles scored 4 runs in the first inning - each of them coming off of a hit-by-pitch or a walk against Herkimer. RVC scored another 3 runs in the bottom of the third to stretch their lead even more to 7-0. The Golden Eagles crossed home plate 1 more time in the bottom of the fourth to push their lead to 8-0. The game would finish with that score as the game was called due to the 5-inning run rule. Packard worked her magic again in the circle, pitching 5 innings of shutout ball while allowing only 4 hits in the game.
Championship Round - #1 RVC - 20, #8 Suffolk County - 0
In a rematch of the opening round game, RVC carved its name into the history books. With 10 different Golden Eagles batting in at least 1 run, RVC routed the Sharks 20-0 in route to its fourth consecutive NJCAA title. Fluehr earned the win in the circle, giving up just 2 hits in 5 innings. Despite being up just 3-0 after 2 innings, the flood gates opened for the rest of the rainy evening for RVC. The Golden Eagles scored 4 runs in the third, 5 runs in the fourth, and 6 runs in the fifth to provide more than enough insurance to hold on for the victory. The championship game sent out RVC sophomores with a 106-11 record overall, 2 Region IV Championships, 2 North Central Community College Conference (N4C) Championships, and 2 NJCAA DIII National Championships.
"You do not really think about the numbers as it happens," said Monroe. "To be honest, some of the statistics are kind of mind-boggling. It is nice to see the hard work of our ladies paying off. I will definitely take a day to enjoy this, but next season starts now. With every win, the target just becomes bigger. I am already excited for next year."
