Winter Softball Camp Dates are Set

Ottumwa -- Indian Hills softball coach Jim Overturf has announced the dates for two camps he will hold this winter for youth softball players.

The first is a pitching and catching clinic on Saturday, January 30. The clinic will include instruction from former Indian Hills pitcher Tara McClure, who went on to achieve All-American status at the University of Louisville.

Beginning pitchers, those ages 8 through 12, will go from 10:00 to 11:30. Intermediate and advanced pitchers, ages 13 through 18, will have a session from 1:00 to 3:00. The afternoon session is for pitchers and catchers and all pitchers must have someone to catch them for drills.

Participants should bring a glove and tennis shoes and catchers must provide their own equipment.

Registration for both sessions begins a half hour before the session starts. The cost to attend is $40 for pitchers and $30 for catchers. The clinic will be held in the Tom Arnold Net Center on the IHCC Ottumwa campus.

For more information or to register in advance call coach Overturf at (641) 683-5299. Assistant coach Jennifer Sabourin and Indian Hills softball players will assist with the camp.

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A softball skills clinic for those in grades four through 12 will be held on Saturday, February 6, also in the Net Center on the Ottumwa campus.

There will be two sessions -- one for players in grades four through seven in the morning from nine to noon, and another session for grades eight through 12 from one to four in the afternoon.

The morning session will emphasize skill development in hitting, throwing, fielding, base running and sliding. The afternoon session, for the older players, will emphasize hitting and the psychology of hitting, and will also include defensive breakdowns by position, throwing, base running and sliding.

Each session will be limited to 54 participants so you are encouraged to register early. Campers will need to bring workout clothes, tennis shoes, a bat and glove.

The cost to attend the skills clinic is $30. Registration for both sessions begins a half hour prior to the start of the session.

More information can be obtained by calling IHCC softball coach Jim Overturf at (641) 683-5299. Coach Overturf, assistant coach Jennifer Sabourin and members of the IHCC softball team will provide the instruction for the clinic.

2009 Season Review

The IHCC softball team battled back from an excruciating loss in the second game of the Region XI postseason tournament to get another chance to knock off Southeastern CC, only to see their season end in a 2-0 loss to the BlackHawks. The Warriors had earned a spot in the region title game with a 3-0 win against Iowa Western, a team IHCC dominated in their last three meetings of the season, outscoring the Reivers 13-1.

Indian Hills ended the season with a 28-16 record. They gained the top seed for the postseason region tourney when sophomore Ali Downing threw a no-hitter at Iowa Western in a makeup game to end the regular season. In her last four games against IWCC, Downing gave up only one run in 31 innings.

For the second straight spring, the Warriors were plagued by bad weather with numerous games, including one entire tournament and a part of another one, cancelled.
Indian Hills opened their season with the annual southern trip and came home with a 9-5 record. Two of the losses, by scores of 2-1 and 6-3, were to Wallace State-Hanceville, an Alabama school that won the national championship in 2008 and was runner up in ’09.
Seven players were named to the All-Region teams. Downing, Dallas Schmacker, Carly Hart, Kelly Ruepke and Audrey Crabtree were all first-team picks and Kris Penick and Chelle Phillips were second-team selections.