ROCHESTER, Minn. – Rock Valley (Ill.) put an exclamation point on the 2017 NJCAA DIII Softball season with a dominating 20-0 victory over Suffolk County (N.Y.) to clinch its fourth consecutive national title. The four straight national championships by Rock Valley sets a new record in NJCAA DIII softball for the most consecutive titles won. The Golden Eagles end its championship season with 57 victories - the most in program history.
Rock Valley was the clear favorite in the tournament field, entering the championship as the No. 1 seed after holding the top ranking in the NJCAA for the entire season. The Golden Eagles did not surrender a run over their four game stretch in Rochester, outscoring their opponents 41-0.
- Olivia Fluehr took home Tournament MVP honors as well as the Most Outstanding Pitcher award for Rock Valley. The sophomore was credited with two victories in the circle while surrendering no runs and just three hits in 12 innings. She also was 7-for-13 at the plate with five runs scored, one home run and six RBIs.
- Summer Amman earned Most Outstanding Offensive Player honors after batting .538 for the tournament, including a two-run home run in the title game.
- In its 20 run effort in the finals, Rock Valley was credited with 18 RBIs - six alone coming from Emily Cox and Hannah Long.
- After falling to Rock Valley in the first round, Suffolk County battled back through the elimination bracket to advance to the finals. The Sharks knocked off No. 5 Onondaga (NY) 4-1, No. 3 Rowan Gloucester (NJ) 10-3, No. 4 St. Cloud Tech (MN) 7-5 and No. 2 Herkimer (NY) 7-5. Suffolk County ends its national runner-up season with a record of 26-17.
-- Photo courtesy of Rochester Amateur Sports Commission
-- Information courtesy of NJCAA