2008 IHCC Softball Recruits
(June 16) -- Indian Hills Community College softball coach Jim Overturf has released the names of the incoming recruits who will play for the Warriors in the 2008-09 season. The list includes one transfer from a four-year school and ten players who are currently playing in their senior season in high school.
Here are the future Warriors, listed alphabetically, with their high school, hometown, and position.
Tricia Bix, Ottumwa High School, Ottumwa, IA, third base
McKenzie Cason, Ottumwa High School, Ottumwa, IA, second base
Brandi Haight, Iowa City West High School, Coralville, IA, outfield/pitcher
Ryan Jehle, Iowa City West High School, Iowa City, IA, catcher/first base
Ashley Lambson, Urbandale High School, Urbandale, IA, outfield
Kris Penick, BCLUW High School, Conrad, IA, outfield
Brittany Petersen, Ballard High School, Slater, IA, outfield
Michelle Phillips, Waukee High School, Waukee, IA, second base/shortstop (transfer from Northern Iowa)
Kelly Ruepke, ADM High School, Adel, IA, shortstop/second base
Lizzy Tucker, West Branch High School, West Branch, IA, catcher/first base
Kaci Walczak, Henry Senachwine High School, Henry, IL, pitcher/first base
Indian Hills Places Six on All-Region Squad
(May 27) -- Six players from Indian Hills Community College were named to the Iowa Community College Athletic Conference All-Region XI softball teams. The Warriors had two players on the all-region first team and four on the second team.
Indian Hills’ picks for the first team were sophomore catcher Kendra Gansz and freshman pitcher Ali Downing. Gansz led the Warriors in nearly every offensive category in 2008 including batting average, hits, doubles, home runs and RBIs. Ali Downing was the pitching staff leader in wins, strike outs and saves.
The second team all-region performers from IHCC included sophomore first baseman Kayla Lewis and three freshmen, shortstop/first baseman Karie Downing, outfielder Dallas Schmacker and third baseman Carly Hart. Lewis was also named to the all-region second team last year as a freshman.
Indian Hills to Host Region XI Softball Tourney
(April 28) -- The opening round pairings are set for this weekend’s Region XI postseason softball tournament which will be hosted by Indian Hills Community College.
The host Warriors will play the first two games of the tourney – on Saturday morning at 10:00 against top-seeded Iowa Western and at noon against Southeastern CC. Iowa Western, the regular season conference champ, will play Southeastern at 2:00 Saturday afternoon.
The double-elimination tournament will continue on Sunday with the first game tentatively scheduled to get underway at noon.
All games will be played at R.L. Hellyer Field on the IHCC Ottumwa campus. And all the games involving Indian Hills will be broadcast live on KMGO Radio (98.7 FM) and on the internet at www.kmgo.com.
(April 17) -- The spring rains continue to play havoc with the Indian Hills softball schedule. The scheduled doubleheader with Iowa Western has been moved from Thursday, April 17 to Saturday, April 19, starting at 3pm. And this weekend's Hindman/Person Invitational has been canceled, the second straight weekend that the Warriors have lost a home tournament to the weather. Two of the teams that were supposed to play in Ottumwa for the Hindman/Person tourney notified IHCC coach Jim Overturf that they couldn't make the trip since they have to try and make up conference games this weekend.
So the Warriors will hope the weather clears enough so they can play their Region XI twinbill with Iowa Western on Saturday. The doubleheader between the two teams in Council Bluffs has already been postponed twice and is now scheduled for next Friday, April 25.
(April 10) -- This weekend's scheduled softball tournament, hosted by Indian Hills -- the Reed & Reed Invitational -- has been canceled. The tourney was to have been played on Saturday and Sunday, Apr. 12 and 13. But the weather forecast, at least for the first part of the weekend, does not look good and the decision to cancel the tourney was made early enough so that one of the teams, Colby (KS) CC, would not have to make the long trip to Ottumwa from western Kansas with the prospect that no games could be played.
The next scheduled games for the Warriors will be a doubleheader at Illinois Central in Peoria, IL next Tuesday.
(March 11) -- Indian Hills freshman pitcher Ali Downing was named to the 12-player all-tournament team at the conclusion of last weekend's National Fastpitch Coaches Association Leadoff Classic in Florida. Downing won two of her three decisions for the Warriors in the tourney in Panama City Beach, Florida that brought together 24 of the top juco softball teams in the nation.
Downing started by pitching Indian Hills to a 2-1 victory over Wallace State-Hanceville on the opening day of the tourney. She allowed six hits and struck out four as the Warriors defeated a team that made it all the way to the finals before losing to Indian River 2-1 in eight innings. Downing's next start in the classic was a 7-2 win against Brevard (Fla.) in which she gave up only five hits and fanned four. The freshman righthander then suffered a 3-1 loss to Wallace State-Dothan in IHCC's final game in Florida. She permitted seven hits and struck out seven.
In the three games, Downing pitched a total of 20 innings and gave up 18 hits and six runs, five of them earned, while fanning 15. Her overall record for the Warriors' season-opening trip was 4-and-3. Indian Hills returned from the trip with a 6-and-8 record and did finish in the top eight at the Leadoff Classic.
The Warriors return to action in a tournament in Branson, Missouri March 21-22. Their home opener is against Kirkwood CC March 25.
(January 24) -- A two-sport star from West Branch High School has signed a letter-of-intent to attend Indian Hills Community College. Both IHCC volleyball coach Tori Fowler and softball coach Jim Overturf will benefit from the talents of Lizzy Tucker, a 5-foot, 10-inch right-side hitter in volleyball and catcher/first baseman in softball.
Tucker was an honorable mention all-conference choice in volleyball and was named academic all-conference the past two years. In softball, she was a 3rd team all-state selection and 1st> team all-district as a junior last summer. She had a .453 batting average for the season with 28 RBIs. Tucker was 1st team all-conference as a junior, honorable mention as a sophomore and 2nd team as a freshman.
Tucker is the daughter of Greg and Faye Tucker of West Branch.
(January 17) -- Indian Hills Community College will host a softball skills clinic at the Tom Arnold Net Center on the IHCC Ottumwa campus on Saturday, February 16. The clinic will be directed by Indian Hills coaches Jim Overturf and Jennifer Sabourin with help from members of the IHCC softball team.
The clinic will be divided into two sessions. The morning session will run from 9:00 until noon and will be for players in grades 4-7. This session will emphasize hitting, throwing, fielding, base running and sliding. The afternoon session is intended for players in grades 8-12 and will run from 1-4. This group will be instructed in hitting, including the psychology of hitting, as well as defensive breakdowns by position, throwing, base running and sliding.
The cost to attend either session is $30. Registration is limited so players are encouraged to register early. Clinic participants need to bring workout clothing, tennis shoes, a bat and glove.
For additional clinic information, contact Jim Overturf at 641-683-5299 or the IHCC Athletic Office at 641-683-5288.
(January 15) -- Former Indian Hills All-American pitcher Tara McClure will be the featured instructor for a special softball pitching and catching clinic at Indian Hills Community College on Saturday, February 9. There will be sessions for two age groups for the clinic which will be held in the Tom Arnold Net Center on the IHCC Ottumwa campus.
Players age 8-12 will attend from 10-11:30 am for a pitching session. McClure, who went on to play at the University of Louisville after graduating from IHCC, will work with the young pitchers during this part of the clinic. The older players, those age 13-18, will go from 1-3 pm. This part of the clinic will be for pitchers and catchers. All participants should bring a glove and tennis shoes and catchers need to provide their own equipment.
Indian Hills head coach Jim Overturf, assistant coach Jennifer Sabourin and members of the IHCC softball team will also provide instruction. The cost to attend the clinic is $40 for pitchers and $30 for catchers. Call either of the IHCC coaches for more information on the clinic.
(October 24) -- New Indian Hills softball coach Jim Overturf described his first experience with his new squad as a "roller coaster ride." The new IHCC coach took over the reins of the program this fall after spending the past seven seasons as head softball coach at Kirkwood Community College in Cedar Rapids.
The Warriors played what was undoubtedly the toughest fall schedule they've had in a number of years, yet survived the tests against a number of strong four-year schools. And the experience, Overturf says, will help them when the spring season rolls around next March.
"The fall season had its highs and lows," said the IHCC coach. "But most of all it was a great learning experience for the players and myself. It was a time to make small changes to help improve their skills and a time to get to know each other and build on team chemistry."
The Warriors' fall schedule was a very competitive one and included games against in-state schools Iowa, Iowa State and Drake. Indian Hills traveled to Chicago for a tournament where they battled Indiana University and Northern Illinois. The highlight of the fall campaign was a 5-1 win over Indiana.
Other four-year schools the Warriors competed against this fall included NAIA foes William Penn and Iowa Wesleyan and NCAA Division II opponent Truman State. In fact, Indian Hills only played four other community college teams in the fall. The rest of the 20 games they played were against four-year colleges and universities.
Overturf was happy with what he saw in the six-week fall season and is anxious to see what next spring brings for IHCC softball. "The team made great strides and finished the fall on a very positive note by winning three of our last four games. As a new coach, I thought with the tough competition and getting to know a new philosophy the team played very well. The fall has given us many things to think about and areas where we can improve in the offseason. The spring will bring a lot of exciting softball for Indian Hills players and fans!"
The Warriors' spring schedule is not yet complete. But it will include a season-opening trip to the southeast where Indian Hills will play games in Mississippi, Alabama and Florida. IHCC has been invited to compete in a tournament in Panama City, Florida that will bring together the top NJCAA Division I softball teams in the country. The Warriors will also have two home tournaments and will host conference foes Iowa Western and Southeastern for the Region XI postseason tourney at R.L. Hellyer Field the last weekend in April.
(October 1) -- The Indian Hills softball team kept an impressive streak alive in 2007. The Warrior softball squad had a cumulative grade point average of 3.35 which meant IHCC was a National Fastpitch Coaches Association All-Academic Team for the eighth year in a row. The Warriors' team GPA was the eighth-best in the nation among two-year schools.
Indian Hills' team grade point average has been above 3.0, the cutoff for consideration as an All-Academic Team, every year since 1999.
(July 10) -- Jim Overturf has been named the new head softball
coach at Indian Hills Community College. Overturf, an Albia native,
was a longtime softball coach at William Penn University and has
been the head coach at Kirkwood Community College in Cedar Rapids
for the past seven years.
Overturf had a record of 280-96 at Kirkwood and took the Eagles to the national tournament four times in his seven years at the school. Kirkwood played in the NJCAA Division II national tournament the past two seasons. Overturf’s 2007 squad was 38-14 and finished 7th in the nation, splitting four games at the national tourney. They lost their only head-to-head matchup with Indian Hills, the Warriors winning 6-2 in the Hindman/Person Invitational in late April.
Overturf said he looks forward to continuing the success that Indian Hills has had in softball. “There is something to be said about tradition and I know there is a rich tradition here in softball and other sports, and that Indian Hills is a great institution. In the back of my mind, I thought the Indian Hills job was one I would take a look at if there was an opening there.”
Indian Hills will return six players from this past season’s team that was 42-15. The new coach says his expectations are high for the 2008 team. “I plan to step in and work hard and we should be successful right away. Indian Hills has been very competitive in the state and nationally and it should be exciting being a part of the Warrior program.”
Overturf has a bachelor’s degree from William Penn University and a master’s degree from Iowa State University. He coached softball at William Penn for 16 years, 13 of those as head coach. Overturf was also an assistant volleyball coach at William Penn and served as the assistant athletic director there prior to moving to Kirkwood. He will teach physical education at Indian Hills, in addition to his coaching duties.
Jennifer Sabourin was the interim head softball coach for the Warriors for the 2007 season, taking over for Frank Huston last December. Sabourin will return to her previous job as assistant coach. The Indian Hills softball team has made 15 national tournament appearances in the past 17 years.
(May 3) -- Indian Hills Community College placed eight players on the Iowa Community College Athletic Conference all-Region XI teams. The Warriors had four players named to the first all-region team and four more on the second team.
IHCC players on the first team are third baseman Hilarie Droz, outfielder Jordann Ellis, pitcher Sonja Schwenker and pitcher/first baseman Allysa Fligg. Droz and Fligg are both Cardinal High School graduates who played on a pair of state championship teams in high school. Schwenker is from Burlington and Ellis’ hometown is Carlisle.
Named to the second team from Indian Hills are outfielder Haley Miller, second baseman Stephanie Benge, outfielder Amanda Olson and first baseman Kayla Lewis. Olson was also a member of the Cardinal HS title teams. Miller is from Keokuk, Benge is from Mount Pleasant and Lewis is from Bettendorf.
Of the Indian Hills players selected for the all-region squads, Lewis is the lone freshman. The other seven selections are all sophomores. Droz, Schwenker and Fligg all moved up to the first team after being named second team all-region picks last year.
© 2008, Indian Hills Community College |
Ottumwa & Centerville, IA
800.726.2585 | webmaster@indianhills.edu
Head Coach Jim Overturf
(641) 683-5299
joverturf@indianhills.edu