Warriors Chosen to Play in Leadoff Classic in Florida

Ottumwa -- The Indian Hills Community College softball team has been chosen to play in the prestigious National Fastpitch Coaches Association Leadoff Classic in Florida next March. The field for the tourney will include 16 NJCAA Division I teams and eight NJCAA Division II teams, 14 of which participated in their respective division’s national tournament in 2010.

Indian Hills qualified for the NJCAA Division I national tourney last May, the 16th time the school played in the national tournament. Each participant in the Leadoff Classic was selected on the basis of its cumulative achievements over the past three seasons.

The tournament will be played March 4-6 in Panama City Beach, Florida. The classic will be divided into pool play and bracket play with each team guaranteed a minimum of five games.

Each team will begin the tournament by playing the other three schools in their pool. Once pool play is completed, the teams will be divided into three brackets of eight teams each. The six pool winners and top two second-place teams will form the Gold Championship Bracket, with the remaining four second-place teams and four at-large teams making up the Silver Championship Bracket. The final eight teams will be assigned to the Bronze Championship Bracket.

The Warriors, who were 33-24 and Region 11 and District K champions last year, will make the classic a part of their season-opening spring trip in 2011.