BOONE, Iowa—The DMACC softball team is known for achieving success, both on and off the field.

•      The DMACC softball roster will include three high school valedictorians in 2020-21 

•      Head Coach Bob Ligouri has a reputation for recruiting great softball players who also prioritize success in their studies 

•      Last Spring semester, ten members of the DMACC softball team were named to the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) All-Academic Team with the entire softball team having a cumulative 3.49 grade point average

And when the 2020-21 season begins, the team will feature a trio of high school valedictorians — Zoey Wright of Pekin High School in Packwood, Julia Merfeld of Clear Lake High School and Lexi Lander of West Monona High School in Onawa — who are ready to help continue DMACC softball’s tradition of excellence.

Wright, a 2019 graduate of Pekin High School and was a redshirt member of the 2019-20 DMACC softball team, helped Pekin High School to a 19-14 record in 2019, batting .505 with a .896 slugging percentage and a .527 on-base percentage. She had 54 hits in 107 at-bats, including 12 doubles, three triples and seven home runs. Wright drove in 34 runs, scored 43 runs and was perfect in stolen bases with 14 stolen bases in 14 attempts. She had a .940 fielding percentage with 40 putouts, seven assists and three errors in 50 chances.

Merfeld, a graduating senior at Clear Lake High School, batted .538 with a .560 slugging percentage and a .563 on-base percentage in helping Clear Lake to a 10-15 record in 2019. She had 49 hits in 91 at-bats, including two doubles. Merfeld drove in five runs, scored 26 runs and stole eight bases in eight attempts. She had a .926 fielding percentage with 66 assists, 47 putouts and nine errors in 122 chances.

Lander, a graduating senior at West Monona High School, helped West Monona to a 30-6 record in 2019, batting .484 with a .882 slugging percentage and a .628 on-base percentage. She had 45 hits in 92 at-bats, including 19 doubles and six home runs. Lander scored 17 runs, drove in 39 runs and stole four bases in four attempts. Lander also pitched for West Monona, compiling a 23-5 record with an 0.91 earned run average. She pitched 184 and a third innings, allowing 59 runs, 24 earned runs, on 99 hits. She struck out 265 batters and walked 55. Opposing hitters batted .146 against Lander. As a fielder, Lander finished the season with a .920 fielding percentage. She had 45 assists, 24 putouts and six errors in 75 chances.

(contributed press release, DMACC)