DANVILLE — The best softball teams in the nation try to find a way to start early.
For the Danville Area Community College softball team to be at that level, they are starting the drive today.
The Lady Jaguars will play doubleheaders today against Volunteer State Community College in Gallatin, Tenn. and on Friday against Jackson State Community College in Smyrna, Tenn.
DACC will also start their home slate on Tuesday with a doubleheader against Kankakee Community College and College of Lake County on Wednesday.
“The more you play, the better that you get, so to play earlier is going to pay more dividends for us,” DACC head coach Matt Cervantes said. “We have a lot of talent on the roster, so to play more games and not worrying about different lineups is really huge. We want to create competition in the program and we have 22 girls who are bought into the process of going at it.”
The Lady Jaguars are coming off a 33-13 record last season and a lot from that group is coming back.
“We’ve got Kenzie Fasig, who was the M-WAC Pitcher of the year last year and was first-team all region and she turned it on last year,” Cervantes said. “We have Jocelyn Peel and Dakota Harrison, who got a lot of innings in last year in some tight and clutch moments and they know how to compete.
“Our whole infield is back this year and we were 33-13 with that infield and I am excited to see where there are at this year. We have Mia Herbert at third base, Ella Myers at short, Chloe Hunt at second and Alex Brown, who took over first and was able to hit her stride. We have Marin Gonski at catcher, who caught Kenzie all year and was a couple of voter away from being All-Region. We also have Kate Drew and Zoe Foxworthy-Dejournett, who are two big pieces as well. Maddie Ummell was hurt early last season, and is one of the hardest workers on the team.
“From a sophomore group, we are loaded and blessed because we have a lot of experience but our freshman class is stacked.”
The freshmen coming in have mostly a local favor that will bring depth for the team.
“We have a lot of good pieces from a freshmen perspective,” Cervantes said. “We have Macy Warner from Hoopeston, who is a phenomenal kid and teammate and will be in the outfield. Kendall Rannebarger is from Danville and will be an outfield and pitcher for us and she hit high-level pitching in the fall and that was good. Ka’Leah Bellik is also from Danville and she is a first and third baseman and outfielder, so we can put her in anywhere but she hits the crap out of the ball which is huge for us. We have Lani Gondzur from Westville and is a phenomenal teammate and is a grinder and pushes everyone around here. We have a lot from the area that are very good and they complement our lineup very well.
“We have Allyson Truelove and Tristan Ring from Casey-Westfield, who was third in state last year and they bring a lot of experience. Mackenzie Knowles is from Deer Creek-Mackinaw and she has come a long way. Ava Olson is from Beecher and she came off winning a state title with a talented squad. Bella Rodriguez is from Tri-County in Indiana and was player of the year in her area and she’s an absolute stud behind the plate and outfield. Paige Froess has been spinning the ball well and making a name for herself. I really like the dynamic I have with this group because they complement each other.”
The action next week at Winter Park will be the first games since the softball field at the park was fitted with a turf field that can handle the elements.
“The field is absolutely gorgeous and we are excited to be on it,” Cervantes said. “There are going to be some cool things to happen with that field and to consider where we are at, it is pretty sweet.”
After the early action, the Lady Jaguars will go in the Mid-West Athletic Conference play, which includes teams like Parkland College, Illinois Central College and Heartland Community College, who eliminated the Lady Jaguars in the Region 24 tournament.
“I believe we play in the best conference in the country because no team is a slouch,” Cervantes said. “We are always playing the best teams in the US to be successful and that’s what makes our league so much fun. We play these conference and regional teams and you are finding good softball, You are always finding teams that want to improve in our league and want to make everyone better and that’s what we want it.
“The best team of our region goes into the NJCAA tournament and they are able to represent Region 24 in the best way. We have done that with all of the teams that have advanced in the last 10 years. We all respectively done a great job in the national side.”
In the end, though, the goal is for the Lady Jaguars to make it to the tournament and Cervantes says they have the potential to do that.
“I think this group is really exciting and dynamic and they work hard,” Cervantes said. “One of the coolest things about them is that you don’t hear them complain. They just go to work and get at it. They are awesome kids and we are blessed with a awesome group that buys into each other and I think that is a good factor on why this year is great so far.
“I think what’s fun is that in our 12th season, we have been blessed with the right players and right families that has helped us to compete every single year and I think this year is no different. We have kids who are competitors down to the bones and that is exciting. I think we have have a very good opportunity ahead of us to climb that ladder. We just need to take each day ahead of us and build.”