Indians ranked No. 1 for the first time in history
“There have been a lot of great players and coaches in the history of this program that have helped build ICC softball to be able to earn this ranking,” Coach Andy Kirk said. “This is a special group of young ladies that work hard every day, and it’s great to see their hard work pay off this way. We are honored by the ranking, but know there is still a long way to go this season, especially when we step into conference play later this week.”
FULTON, Miss. – For the first time in program history, the Itawamba Community College softball team is the No. 1 team in the country, according to the National Junior Community College Athletic Association's (NJCAA) latest DII rankings released Tuesday afternoon.
The Indians (12-0) swept doubleheaders with Gordon (Ga.) State College and Lansing (Mich.) Community College over the weekend to take over the top spot in the nation.
"There have been a lot of great players and coaches in the history of this program that have helped build ICC softball to be able to earn this ranking," Coach Andy Kirk said. "This is a special group of young ladies that work hard every day, and it's great to see their hard work pay off this way. We are honored by the ranking, but know there is still a long way to go this season, especially when we step into conference play later this week."
ICC matched its highest-ever ranking last week when the Indians earned the No. 2 spot in the first regular-season poll of the year.
Phoenix (Ariz.) College, Des Moines Area (Iowa) Community College, Copiah-Lincoln Community College and Jones College round out this week's top five rankings. Four other MACCC programs are ranked in the Top 20: No. 9 Northwest Mississippi Community College, No. 12 Pearl River Community College, No. 15 Southwest Mississippi Community College and No. 18 Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College.
Click here to see the complete NJCAA DII rankings
The No. 1 ranking is the first time any of ICC's athletic programs have earned the top spot in the country, according to the NJCAA.
"It is always a little extra special to be the first at anything in a program's history," said Kirk. "This bunch will always have that accomplishment and memory to carry with them. Just like the first regular season championship, first conference tournament championship and our National Tournament teams of the past few seasons."
The Indians are scheduled to travel to Jones to open conference play on Friday. Tomorrow's home doubleheader with Jackson State (Tenn.) has been postponed to Wednesday, April 6.
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