NDSCS Off To Nationals As The Lone North Dakota College Softball Team Still Alive

The Wildcats will head to Syracuse, NY for a shot at the NJCAA Division III Softball Championship

WAHPETON, ND (KVRR) –  NDSU, UND, MSUM, and Concordia softball are all done for the spring. But in Division 3, the North Dakota State College of Science team will live to see another day and this time, on the national stage.

The Wildcats are off to the NJCAA nationals in Syracuse, New York after beating Saint Cloud Tech, 6-3, this weekend. It’s their 13th straight win after dropping their last seven games in April. NDSCS is (30-21) so far and as a team, they’re 2nd in the country in home runs hit and strikeouts recorded and 4th in runs batted in. That to end, in this month alone, they’ve scored 118 runs and on the season they’ve scored ten runs or more in a game thirteen times. COVID-19 hit the team a little earlier in the season but afterwards, the squad came together.

“Being able to compete for North Dakota and being one of the only teams still in North Dakota competing is kind of cool,” said sophomore infielder Mikayla Johnson.

“I know our coach told us a couple weeks ago how many teams were left in North Dakota and we were all like, ‘yea we want to be the last ones in North Dakota and keep going and win,'” said sophomore infielder Grace Hagen.

“In the beginning of the season, we didn’t all technically all get along and Covid was very difficult but now at the end of the season, I can proudly say that we’re all like family and we all get along and there’s no issues between us anymore and we’ve worked it all out,” said sophomore pitcher Sydney Schott.

“To be part of that team and experience that change and not only that. Like, learn each other and, I guess, build a family of your own in a way,” said sophomore pitcher Demi Uffelman.

The team leaves on Monday and the tournament starts on Thursday. It’ll go through Saturday.