Iowa Western Softball Competes at World Series

OXFORD, Ala. — Iowa Western competed at the 2026 NJCAA Division I Softball World Series this past week. The Reivers qualified after becoming Midwest District champions and were slotted as the No. 15 seed at the World Series.

Opening the tournament in the first round Monday, May 25, the Reivers faced No. 18 Arizona Western. Defensively, the Reivers stumped the Matadors in a 3-0 win. Saydee Plummer had eight strikeouts and threw 74 strikes on 112 pitches. Kamira Botos scored two runs, stole two bases and hit a triple to help lead the Reivers to the win. The victory sent Iowa Western to the second round, where it faced No. 2 Northwest Florida State.

The Reivers held the defending national champions to one run for five innings, with Iowa Western tying the score at 1 in the top of the sixth. Kiana LeDoux hit a triple, scoring Briannah Kutschkau. Ruclaireth Tovar Rodríguez had a solid game with two hits, including a double and a triple. Despite holding the Raiders to one run through five innings, Northwest Florida State rallied late past the Reivers in a 4-1 win.

In an elimination game, No. 16 McCook (Neb.) awaited the Reivers. In the opening inning, the two teams traded runs before McCook took the lead and went on to win 7-4 despite a late push by Iowa Western. For the Reivers, Rodríguez had two RBIs, and Taylin Tabor scored twice while going 2-for-4 at the plate.

At the conclusion of the season, Iowa Western finished with a 50-8 record. It was the first time since 2008 that the Reivers reached 50 or more wins.

Iowa Western:

First Round: #15 Iowa Western def. #18 Arizona Western, 3-0 - Box Score
Second Round: #2 Northwest Florida State def. #15 Iowa Western, 4-1 - Box Score
Elimination Round: #16 McCook (Neb.) def. #15 Iowa Western, 7-4 - Box Score