Judson News
Tue, Apr 22, 2008 - [Softball]
   

Elgin, Ill.- After waiting 30 years to go to a national tournament last season, Judson has now made it two years in a row to the NCCAA National Tournament. This is the second time that a Judson softball team has gone to a national tournament with last year's team the first to participate.

With the bid to the national tournament, Judson also received notice that they had three players named NCCAA All-North Central Region in Nicole Dimiceli (Itasca, Ill.), Lizzy Jacobson (Elgin, Ill.), and Debra Leganski (Elgin, Ill.).

Nicole Dimiceli

Lizzy Jacobson

Debra Leganski

Judson will open the 2008 NCCAA National Tournament on Thursday, April 24th, in West Palm Beach, Florida, as they will face the host team #6 Palm Beach Atlantic. PBA is a NCAA Division II school and is 29-22 this season and 12-10 in the Sunshine State Conference. The two teams will face off on Thursday, April 24th, at 3:00 p.m. central time. The winner will play the #1 seed Mt. Vernon Nazarene Cougars at 5:00 p.m. central time on Thursday.

Other teams in the bracket are #2 Spring Arbor (MI), #3 Mid-Continent (KY), #4 Olivet Nazarene (IL), and #5 Central Baptist (AR).

Judson enters the tournament with a 20-19 record and needs just three wins to tie the most wins in school history. The 20-wins are the most by Becky Bruns at Judson in her fourth year as the head coach.

Gaining the all-region awards were Dimiceli, Jacobson, and Leganski. Dimiceli, only a freshman, leads the team in batting at .431, doubles (17), and RBI (36). She is just three doubles short of tying the Judson single season record for doubles and needs just six RBI to break the Judson single season record for RBI. She also has seven home runs and leads the CCAC in doubles. She has also been named the CCAC Player of the Week, once, this season, too.

Jacobson has been solid for Judson this season at the plate and on the mound. She is 8-8 overall and has 67 strikeouts with a 4.42 ERA. At the plate, she is batting .330 and has eight home runs and 28 RBI. In the final CCAC game of the year vs. Trinity International, she hit her eighth home run which was a grand slam.

Leganski has been stellar at the plate with 12 home runs. With those 12 home runs, she leads the CCAC and now holds the Judson single season record for home runs. She also has 16 career home runs which is a new Judson record, too, for career home runs. She currently is batting .347 with 35 RBI and has six doubles.