“We are getting a good one,” Bob Ligouri smiled.
He should know. Ligouri is the head softball coach for DMACC, and he was all smiles Tuesday as the Bears received a commitment from Perry standout shortstop Jo Diw.
Ligouri built the DMACC program from scratch six years ago and has already posted a 277-69 mark, including World Series appearances in five of six seasons. The Bears were 47-9 last year to earn a World Series slot.
Diw gives the Bears a dynamic player from both the batter’s box and in the field.
She hit .454 last year, with a quite impressive slugging percentage of .908. Her 59 hits included 12 doubles, four triples and 13 home runs, which tied for second-best in Class 4A. Diw scored 49 runs, drove in 40 runs and stole 16-of-19 bases.
Perry was 26-11 last season and 8-6 in the Raccoon River Conference, widely considered the best softball conference in the state, regardless of class. Diw’s numbers were largely generated against some of the best pitching in the state, a fact Ligouri noted.
Diw credited her coaches and teammates for “always pushing me and supporting me” and praised second baseman and fellow senior Sidney Vancil for helping her focus on defense.
Older sister Julie swatted 16 career home runs for the Jayettes, and Jo thanked her sibling for all the time the pair had spent practicing.
Simpson, Central, Wartburg and a handful of others, including Northern Iowa, were interested in Diw, but the proximity of DMACC, the coaches and success of the Bears helped the Jayette star make her choice.
With one prep season still to play, Diw has already amassed impressive career statistics. She has 148 hits, with 24 doubles, six triples and 22 home runs. The speedy Diw is 29-of-35 in stolen bases, has scored 114 times and driven in 86 runs.
“I want to play two years and then go somewhere else — maybe UNI — and play two more,” Diw said. “I just like how it ‘felt’ with DMACC. It wasn’t really a hard choice.”
