The Heart of America conference tournament in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, kicked off this weekend. As tradition holds, the awards for players in the Heart of America conference are presented at the start of each game in honor of the players’ achievements in regular-season play.
The Pirates had eight players who were part of the all-conference selections.
First team all-conference consisted of Freshman of the Year, pitcher, Hanna Vaught, and shortstop Halle Magee.
Second team all-conference went to left fielder Dani Klein-McAlister, right fielder Gracie Ramsey, second baseman Shelby Sanders, first baseman Faith Tessman, and pitcher Lauren Fiene.
One Pirate was named in the honorable mention all-conference team. That recipient was centerfielder Caroline Riffer.
This was Park’s first time at the Heart of America conference tournament and being a part of the conference recognition. Park ended its regular season ranked third in the conference. Its first opponent up in Cedar Rapids was the Mount Mercy Mustangs.
Before leaving for the tournament, Head Coach and Senior Women’s Leader Lindsey Derry said the team she was most excited to play again was the Mustangs. In the regular season, the Pirates split with the Mustangs in a Mustang walk-off win. “A walk-off win is a little bitter, you know, we played really well. We just couldn’t get the timely hit,” said Derry. Derry also mentioned how it takes complementary softball, which is defense, pitching, and offense, all coming together.
In the Pirates’ first conference tournament game, they came out on top of the Mustangs in a 7-3 win.
Their next opponent was the Grandview Vikings, a team that swept them in the regular season and was number two in the conference.
Derry was excited for Vaught’s appearance in this matchup because she couldn’t compete against the second-ranked team in the regular season. In the tournament, the Pirates fell to the Vikings, 5-2, in a well-fought game.
The tournament was double elimination, the Pirates had to win to continue their journey. Their next opponent was the Benedictine Ravens. In the regular season, the Pirates swept the Ravens. As Derry said, “Anything can happen in a bracket like this, especially in the Heart of America.”
The Pirates’ final Heart of America conference game was Friday night when the Ravens beat Park 5-3.
The hope for the season continues, especially for the seniors on this team who are highly recognized by Derry for their passion.
The Pirates have a slight hope of getting a bid for the conference tournament because of their RPI. The Pirates are number 49 nationally, and the opening round starts with 48.
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