2015-16 Barton Softball News
Five players from the Barton Community College softball team have signed letters of intent for the upcoming season at the next level. Head lining the selections is NJCAA All-American Madison Didion, bypassing her sophomore year as a Cougar to jump to the NCAA Division I level at Coppin State University. Joining Didion at the Division I level will also be Cadie O’Donnell who recently signed with Ball State University. Two members signed with Division II schools with Jenna Hosey headed to Northwestern Oklahoma State University while Holly Posegate joins the Bobcat program at Northwest Missouri State University. Lili Ertmann became the fifth Cougar to commit recently inking with NAIA member Avila University.
Brittany Wood of the Barton Community College softball team was recently named to the third team of the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) All-American selections. Recognized among forty-eight Division I student athletes across the nation of the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA), Wood was one of twelve outfielders selected joining pitcher Madison Didion as the second Lady Cougar to earn national accolades for the 2016 season.
Madison Didion of the Barton Community College softball team continues to have post-season accolades roll in landing on the third team of the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Division I All-American selections. Didion becomes the eighth in Barton softball history and the first NJCAA All-American since pitcher Christie Oreskovic was awarded the same third team honor following the 1996 season.
Madison Didion of the Barton Community College softball team continues to have the accolades roll in being recently named to the first team of the 2016 Fast Pitch News (FPN) National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Division I All-American selections. The distinction adds to her previous honors of Freshman and Most Valuable Player awards in the Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference (KJCCC) and Region VI, as well as, her second team selection to the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) West Region All-American team recognizing Division I players of the NJCAA.
Brittany Wood and Madison Didion of the Barton Community College softball team was recently named to the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) West Region All-American team recognizing Division I players of the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA). Wood led the selections as one of four outfielders named to the first team while Didion was honored as one of the top six pitchers in the region landing on the second team. The accolades follow a record breaking season by the Lady Cougars as Didion was named the Freshman and Most Valuable Player of the year in the Region VI and the Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference (KJCCC) conference with Wood being selected to second team.
The Barton Community College softball team was well represented on the recently released KJCCC Division I All-Conference Team with seven players garnering distinction, as well as, a sweep of the player and coaching awards. Voted by conference head coaches, headlining the selections were Head Coach Marc Benjamin as Co-Coach of the Year while Madison Didion grabbed not only the Freshman of the Year award but was voted the conference’s Most Valuable Player. Sophomores McKenna Mauler and Jenna Hosey joined Didion on the first team while sophomore Holly Posegate was joined by freshmen Jayden Gonzales, Brittany Wood, and Maddison Schofield on the second team. The selections helped lead Coach Benjamin’s third year of Lady Cougars to a runner-up finish in the Region VI Championship season as No. 9 Barton fell to No. 6 Butler Community College 11-10 finishing the 2015-16 campaign with a school record 51-8 record.
The title defense of the Barton Community College softball team took a dramatic sixth inning turn as Butler Community College earned a 11-10 comeback win Thursday afternoon at El Dorado’s East Park for the Region VI Division I championship. Owning the lead for most of the contest, the No. 9 ranked Lady Cougars had victory within its grasp until a five-run Butler sixth inning seized the title from the defending region champions. The No. 6 ranked Grizzlies end the Lady Cougars’ season with a program’s best 51-8 record while Butler’s thirty-one game win streak extends the season vying for next week’s District E Championship with a 46-4 record.
Returning to East Park focused on the mission of defending their title, the No. 9 ranked Barton Community College softball team took care of Dodge City Community College in six innings Thursday 9-1 in the Region VI elimination bracket final. Powered behind a third inning grand slam, Barton added three more in the following inning leading to the eight run victory launching the Lady Cougars back to the region title game for the second straight season.
Having grinded out a two run victory hours earlier, the Barton Community College softball team returned to the East Park diamond to face No. 6 ranked Butler Community College to earn the driver’s seat into Thursday’s Region VI Championship game. Grabbing a three run fourth inning lead, the No. 9 Lady Cougars saw their lead evaporate with two Grizzly runs in the fourth and fifth inning before a controversial call at the plate erased a game tying run as Butler escaped with the 4-3 victory. The loss drops Barton into the 12:00 p.m. loser’s bracket awaiting the winner of the Colby and Dodge City matchup while Butler will play the winner for the Region VI Championship at 2:00 p.m.
It wasn’t the prettiest of victories for the Barton Community College softball team in Wednesday afternoon’s Region VI winner’s bracket but the No. 9 Lady Cougars survived winning 3-1 over Colby Community College at El Dorado’s East Park. Getting the timely hits they needed combined with solid pitching, Barton advances to the 7:00 p.m. finals of the winner’s bracket versus the host and No. 6 ranked Butler Community College. Colby drops to the elimination side of the bracket set to face Seward County Community College in the 5:00 p.m. game.
For the first time since 1993, the Barton Community College softball team entered the Region VI Division I Softball Tournament as the defending champion opening up play with a 7-0 victory over Garden City Community College. Returning to the site of last year’s championship, the No. 9 ranked Lady Cougars powered up for three home runs getting two of those in back-to-back fashion leading a four run fourth inning while getting a one-hit complete game pitching performance. Improving to 49-6 on the season while dropping Garden City to 8-39, Barton will next play the third-seeded Trojans of Colby Community College in Wednesday’s 1:00 p.m. game at El Dorado’s East Park. The 41-16 Trojans were equally impressive in their opener with a six inning 10-2 win over sixth seeded Pratt Community College. Garden City will look to rebound in the double-elimination format tournament taking on Pratt in the 9:00 a.m. elimination game. Complete video and live stat coverage of the Lady Cougars title defense run can be found at www.BartonSports.com.
Leading the No. 9 ranked Barton Community College softball team to a regular season sweep at Pratt Community College, Brittany Wood and Madison Didion garnered the final weekly awards earning the Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference (KJCCC) Softball Player and Pitcher of the Week honors. Earning her second honor of the season, Wood was joined by Didion’s seventh pitching award giving the Lady Cougars a profound fifteen combined awards this season. Now 48-6 on the year, the second seeded Lady Cougars will begin their title defense in Tuesday at East Park in El Dorado in a 5:00 p.m. matchup against Garden City Community College.
Heavy rain sweeping through the state has postponed the Region VI Division I Softball Tournament. The double-elimination tournament at El Dorado’s East Park is now scheduled to begin on Tuesday, May 5, with the No. 9 ranked Barton Community College softball team’s title defense beginning at 5:00 p.m. against Garden City Community College.
The Barton Community College softball team cured the hangover from Saturday’s potential conference title loss behind them Monday in Pratt taking care of the Pratt Community College Beavers in a doubleheader sweep. With one team coming off a disappointing loss while the other team was fighting for regional seeding, the No. 9 ranked Lady Cougars scored two in the first inning holding on for a 4-2 game one victory before finalizing the regular season with an 8-0 shutout in a game shortened five innings. Barton concludes the regular season 19-5 in conference play and a school record 48-6 on the season while dropping Pratt to 7-17 in the Jayhawk and 13-29-1 overall. Taking a No. 2 seed into the Region VI tournament, the Lady Cougars will begin their title defense on Friday at East Park in El Dorado in a 5:00 p.m. matchup against Garden City Community College.
In a much anticipated matchup between top ten nationally ranked teams fighting for the conference title, the Barton Community College softball team’s bid for its first conference championship since 2004 came to an end Saturday in El Dorado as the No. 9 ranked Lady Cougars were swept by the No. 6 ranked Grizzlies of Butler Community College. In a resumption of its March 30 washed out doubleheader, Butler broke a 2-2 tie with two sixth inning doubles to win 3-2 then capitalized on six Barton errors in the nightcap put the touches on their sixth straight title winning 6-1. The pair of losses drops the Lady Cougars to 17-5 in conference play and 46-6 overall while Butler improves to 21-1 and 41-4 taking three of the four in the season series. Barton will conclude its regular season on Monday with a 2:00 p.m. doubleheader at Pratt Community College before turning its sights to the Region VI Tournament beginning Friday in El Dorado.
The Barton Community College softball team could have easily overlooked and therefore dash their hopes in a conference title in Friday's trip to Garden City. Instead, the No. 9 Lady Cougars played the minimum in taking care of business with a pair of shutout victories at Garden City Community College. Behind sixteen hits and scoring in each inning including a six run fifth, Barton took the opener 13-0 before a silent first four innings preceded a twelve run fifth capping the sweep 12-0. The Lady Cougars' two victories also eclipses the school record for wins in a season improving to 46-4 on the season and 17-3 in conference play while keeping the Broncbusters winless in Jayhawk play at 0-24 and falling to 8-38 on the year. Thanks to weather postponements this past week, Barton will have quick turnaround before heading east to El Dorado on Saturday for the anticipated resumption of a potential title showdown at No. 6 Butler Community College who sits atop the standings at 19-1 and 39-4 overall. Tied at two in the fifth inning of game one, the clash of the titans will resume at 3:00 p.m. with game two approximately twenty minutes after the conclusion.
