DANVILLE, ILLINOIS - The Lady Jaguars made it to the NJCAA Division II National Tournament in Oxford, Alabama with their wins in a doubleheader over St. Louis Community College. The team won in the first game 5-4, and won the second 5-1. Those wins secured their spot in the National tournament; this is only the second time in program history.
The team is 43-13 overall and 18-6 in their conference. The team also has the highest number of triples and stolen bases in the division with 38 and 183. In 2017, which was the last time the Lady Jaguars made it to Nationals, the team had an overall record of 34-19 and 16-12 in the conference (once the season was over). This year's team feels confident and prepared for when they make it to Alabama.
Head Coach Matt Cervantes made a couple comments on what it means to his team to make it all the way to Nationals...:
"I wanna say everything, they have worked incredibly hard to be All-In everyday. They take care of each other, they build one another up and work to compete in practice. What we do here in athletics is very hard in every sport, we all grind for 10 months in hopes of qualifying for a National Championship and being one of the final 16 teams in the nation. This team has earned the right to be there and I am very proud of them and how they handle their business, but ultimately how they care for one another."
What is the team doing to prepare...:
"I gave the girls the past two days off to recover heading into this week.We are back at it today (Tuesday) and will continue our prep as normal. I don't think we need to reinvent the wheel here, we are 43-13 on the year doing what we do, stressing the little things and taking care of the softball. I know the girls are excited to get back into it and get moving towards travel day this Sunday. We will take one day at a time and get ready for the Seed Selection Show Friday"
The tournament is set to kick off on the 24th of this month at the Choccolocco Park complex.
