East Peoria, IL - The Illinois Central College softball team (33-21) earned the #13 seed in next week's NJCAA DII World Series in Oxford, AL as announced on the NJCAA Network on Tuesday afternoon. The Cougars will take on #20 seed Mott Community College (39-9) from Flint, MI on Monday, May 19 at 11:00 am CST at Choccolocco Park in Oxford, AL.
"I like our seed and feel we will match up well against Mott," coach Heather Doty said.
ICC earned their bid by winning the Central District Tournament on Sunday in Park Hills, MO. The trip to the World Series will be ICC's first since 2022 and the program's 11th under Doty.
Mott earned their appearance by winning three one-run games on the way to the Great Lakes District A Tourney title. The Bears are led by third baseman Kiera McGarvie (.479 batting average, 63 RBI, 9 home runs) and centerfielder Heaven Helkowski (.443 batting average). Pitchers Arika Hines (158.1 IP and 7.38 K/9) and Maggie Boehm (151 IP and 7.19 K/9) lead the way on the mound.
If ICC wins their first game they will play against #4 Des Moines Area (DMACC) on Tuesday, May 20 at 11:00 AM. If they lose their first game, they would play on Tuesday, May 20 at 5:00 PM. The tournament has a total of 20 teams and is double elimination.
ICC played four teams in the tourney field during the regular season in #3 Jones, #4 DMACC, #12 Rock Valley, and #18 Bryant & Stratton (WI).
All-tournament games will be live-streamed on the NJCAA Network for a paid subscription fee. A day pass is available for $12 and a complete tournament pass is available for $35.
For updates on the team's ventures in Oxford, check the ICC Athletics website or follow the Softball team's social media accounts on Facebook, Instagram, and X (formerly known as Twitter).
FULL TOURNAMENT BRACKET: https://d2o2figo6ddd0g.cloudfront.net/6/f/askl13odk1afhs/2025_NJCAA_DII_Softball_Championship_Bracket-_Seeded.pdf
WHAT'S NEXT FOR THE COUGARS
2025 NJCAA DII World Series
#13 Illinois Central Cougars (33-21)
vs. #20 Mott (39-9)
Monday, May 19 - 11:00 AM CST
at Choccolocco Park, Oxford, AL
NJCAA Network ($): https://www.njcaa.org/network/landing/index
ICC Gamechanger watch Live: https://www.awre.tv/signup?next=/channel/t83621
Live Stats: (GameChanger; "Illinois Central College 2025")
FULL WORLD SERIES' SEEDING
#1 St. John's River State
#2 Murray State
#3 Jones
#4 Des Moines Area
#5 Copiah-Lincoln
#6 Kirkwood
#7 Pima
#8 Phoenix
#9 Northwest Mississippi
#10 Iowa Central
#11 Johnson County
#12 Rock Valley
#13 ILLINOIS CENTRAL
#14 Black Hawk
#15 Lansing
#16 Potomac State
#17 Mercer County
#18 Bryant & Stratton (WI)
#19 Delaware Tech
#20 Mott
