Randall plays in national tourney

DES MOINES — Nevaeh Randall hasn’t had much time to relax and soak in her recent experience playing in a softball national championship tournament.

The Grand View first baseman from Creston was a key part of the Vikings’ run to the NAIA Softball World Series, finishing among the top five teams in the nation in a loss late Monday afternoon in Columbus, Georgia.

Twleve days earlier, the Vikings knocked off the country’s No. 1 ranked team in Oklahoma to reach the World Series. While in Georgia, Grand View defeated top seed Cumberlands (Kentucky), 2-0, before bowing out Monday with a 2-2 record. No. 2 seed Georgia Gwinnett ousted the Vikings, 2-0.

After arriving in Des Moines Tuesday evening, Randall spent Wednesday getting ready to move out of her Grand View dorm and spend the summer home in Creston, coaching middle school softball. She planned on returning to Creston Thursday and working at the middle school practice Thursday afternoon with coaching partner Cora Ostrum, a Southwestern Community College player.

It’s a quick transition from playing at the most intense level of NAIA collegiate softball, to providing a foundation of skills to young Creston players.

“It’s been kind of crazy, for sure,” Randall said from the Grand View campus Wednesday. “But, it (coaching) is something I enjoy. I like helping younger girls take their game to the next level, as much as I can. I also help girls individually one-on-one.”

Randall was a first team all-conference player for the 42-16 Vikings, who had the highest finish at the NAIA Softball World Series in school history. According to the most recent statistics available, Randall was batting .330 and led the team in home runs (nine), runs batted in (52) and slugging percentage (.636).

In two seasons, Randall has 15 home runs and 75 RBIs, with 13 stolen bases in 15 attempts.

League championship

Randall’s power was evident in the postseason run. Grand View scored in the eighth inning with for a 3-2 walk-off victory over Baker for the Heart of America Conference tournament championship. Randall doubled and scored the tying run (2-2) in the sixth inning.

The win gave the Vikings the league’s automatic bid to the NAIA Opening Round regional, hosted by No. 1-ranked University of Science and Arts in Chickasaw, Oklahoma.

Grand View began that opening round with an 8-0 win over Freed-Hardeman University of Tennessee. In the double-elimination format, Grand View then upset Science and Arts, 3-1, before losing the same matchup, 10-7, in a game that included Randall’s three-run homer.

The Vikings earned the trip to the NAIA World Series with a 3-1 win over Science and Arts in the elimination matchup, ending the host’s 49-9 season. Randall went 2-3 in that game with a run scored.

“We played a lot of highly-ranked teams in the preseason and I think that helped us prepare to play the number one team in that round,” Randall said. “Our conference has a lot of the top strikeout pitchers in the country. We were able to push through and get two wins against them. That win gave us a lot of confidence.”

Eighth-seeded Grand View opened the World Series in Georgia on May 22 with an 8-3 over No. 9 seed Midland University. Randall had one hit and drove in a pair of runs.

One day later, freshman Madeline Waldorf pitched a complete game shutout as Grand View knocked off No. 1 seed Cumberlands (Kentucky), 2-0.

Two consecutive losses ended the Vikings’ season as one of the five remaining teams in NAIA championship contention. No. 4 seed Oklahoma City University defeated the Vikings 8-0, and No. 2 seed Georgia Gwinnett won 2-0 in an elimination game.

“Oklahoma City and Gwinnett had really good pitching and when we made good contact we didn’t find the gaps. Their hits fell,” Randall said. “Gwinnett won it with one big hit, really. It was a 0-0 pitchers’ game for a long time.”

Third World Series trip

The 42-16 record pushes coach Lou A. Yacinich’s record to 743-457 over 23 seasons. This was the school’s 11th qualification for the NAIA national tournament, but just the third advancement as one of the 10 teams to the NAIA College World Series. The last was in 2022, just before Creston all-state infielder Gracie Hagle joined the Vikings squad.

“It was a great atmosphere,” said Randall, a sophomore majoring in nursing. “We played in a great stadium. Everything was scheduled very exact. On game days we had (batting) cages at certain times and a separate field to warm up on. The announcing was great. We had good umpiring crews. You could tell it was a big event.”

Joining Randall as first team all-conference from Grand View this season was center fielder Olivia Harmon, the team’s leadoff batter. Making second team were pitcher Madi Huisman, catcher Samantha Holbert and infielder Olivia Kyes. The conference Gold Glove squad included Viking outfielders Mackenzie Menister (left field) and Gabriella Taber (right field).

Harmon, Huisman, Holbert, Kyes and Menister are among the six seniors lost from this year’s regular lineup.

“We have a lot of girls who maybe didn’t get a lot of playing time this year, but have the ability to perform,” Randall said. “Obviously the seniors leave big shoes to fill, but coach does a good job of recruiting and bringing in good players who could potentially help. What we did this season shows what we’re capable of doing in this program.”