South Suburban, Rock Valley emerge from Division II fields with Region 4 championships
KANKAKEE & ROCKFORD, ILL. - They may have taken different paths and brought different histories with them, but South Suburban College and Rock Valley College emerged from the 2023 Region 4 Division II Softball Tournaments with District A and District B championships, respectively. The Bulldogs emerged from the losers bracket with four straight wins to claim their program's first region title in 23 years, while the Golden Eagles won their first Division II title after an unprecedented run of region and national titles at the Division III level.
South Suburban College opened as the #3 seed in the District A bracket, which was being hosted by top-seed Kankakee Community College. Much like the host Cavaliers, the Bulldogs dropped their opening game in a 6-1 setback to second-seeded Waubonsee Community College. An elimination game against KCC saw South Suburban jump out to a 5-0 lead en route to a 10-0 shutout in five innings that ended the season of the bracket's top seed. The tournament's second elimination game pit the Bulldogs in a rematch with the Chiefs, and SSC came away with a 4-2 victory to advance out of the loser's bracket and into the championship round.
South Suburban College needed to defeat fourth-seeded Bryant & Stratton College twice to win the title. Tied 6-6 after six innings in the opener, South Suburban plated two runs in the top of the seventh to hold off elimination one more time on Sunday with an 8-6 win. The tournament shifted due to rain and the Bulldogs were now hosting the winner-take-all finale on Monday, May 15. After posting six runs in the first inning, SSC scored three more in the third to take a 9-2 lead. The Bobcats, however, were not going down without a fight, and battled back to tie the score at 9-9 in the sixth. South Suburban College found a little magic in the bottom of the seventh and walked off with a 10-9 championship-clinching win for the program's fifth region crown and first since 2000.
The District B tournament played out with far less drama and surprise, except for several time, day, and location changes that came and went due to weather. Rock Valley College, playing Division II for the first time and coming off eight consecutive NJCAA Division III National Championships, earned the number one seed and the right to host. The Golden Eagles, ranked #10 in the NJCAA Division II Poll, defeated fourth-seeded Black Hawk College 7-2 in the quarterfinal round before continued wet weather wreaked havoc on the tournament schedule. A shift to Madison, Wisconsin on Sunday was denied by continued rain, so the teams returned to Rockford on Monday, where RVC registered a 9-1 decision in five innings over third-seeded Madison College in the semifinals. After the WolfPack beat second-seeded Triton College for the second time in an elimination game, Rock Valley and Madison met again Tuesday with the title at stake. Following a three-run first inning, RVC posted eight runs in the second and was on its way a 14-1 win.
Rock Valley College (44-10) and South Suburban College (36-12) automatically qualified for the 2023 NJCAA Division II Softball World Series in Spartanburg, South Carolina, from May 23-27. The Golden Eagles were awarded the #7 seed and an first round game against #10-seed Des Moines Area Community College (49-10), while the Bulldogs were selected as the #15 seed and will begin the double-elimination tournament against #2-seeded Louisburg Community College (60-3).
2023 Region 4 Midwest District B All-Tournament Team
Molly Kable - Rock Valley College
Madison Carlson - Rock Valley College
Jenna Turner - Rock Valley College
Sam Tourtillott - Rock Valley College
Grace Stevenson - Rock Valley College
Kiana Patterson - Madison College
Briar Armatoski - Madison College
Karis Paulson - Madison College
Julianna Acevedo - Triton College
Kamryn Utendorf - Black Hawk College
2023 Region 4 Midwest District B Co-Coaches of the Year
Darin Monroe & Vivi Marquez - Rock Valley College
2023 Region 4 District A Bracket
2023 Region 4 District B Bracket