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Posted: May 24, 2023

Joliet makes incredible run to Region 4 title, first NJCAA appearance

(Image courtesy of Joliet Junior College Athletics)
(Image courtesy of Joliet Junior College Athletics)

GLEN ELLYN, ILL. - The Joliet Junior College softball team survived a long and uphill battle that included winning a play-in series and not one, but two upsets of the nation's No. 1 ranked team to claim the 2023 NJCAA Region 4 Division III Great Lakes District Softball Tournament title on May 13 at the College of DuPage. It's the Wolves first region championship and will advance them to their first-ever appearance at the national tournament. Coach Emily Marino was presented the Region 4 Coach of the Year Award after finishing a gauntlet of games that included opponents from Regions 10 and 12.

Joliet Junior College began postseason play with a best-of-three series against Harper College, which they swept with five-inning wins of 13-4 and 9-1. The series win put them in the Region 4 Great Lakes District Tournament, however, they drew a quarterfinal matchup against Region 10 Caldwell Community College & Technical Institute out of North Carolina, who entered the tournament as the top-ranked team in the NJCAA Division III Poll. The Wolves shutout CCC&TI for a 4-0 upset to reach the semifinals. After a tough 9-1 loss to Region 12 winner Delta College, JJC found itself in a rematch with the Cobras in a semifinal elimination game. Joliet rallied from a 3-1 deficit to take a one-run lead in the sixth, but Caldwell Tech answered in the bottom half to even the score. In extra innings, the Wolves walked off with a 5-4 win in the ninth to reach the championship.

Due to their prior loss to the Pioneers, JJC needed two wins in the championship to claim the Region 4 Great Lakes District. The Wolves scored three runs in the sixth to win 4-2 and force the "if necessary" game, which saw JJC use a three-run third inning and a two-run fifth to claim a 5-2 decision in the winner-take-all finale. 

Joliet Junior College (33-21) earned an automatic berth to the 2023 NJCAA Division III Softball World Series in DeWitt, New York, from May 24-27. The Wolves will open as the #6-seed with an opening game matchup against #3 Brookdale Community College (33-9), which finished the season ranked fifth in the nation. The game will be played at 2:00 p.m. on Wednesday, May 24 to begin the double-elimination tournament.