Comets swept by Danville in NJCAA District Championships

The Cottey Comets’ season came to an end Thursday evening in Danville, Ill., at the NJCAA Division II District Softball Championships, as the Comets were defeated by the Danville Area Community College Lady Jaguars –– 10-1 in the opener and 12-2 in the nightcap.

After winning the District P title, Danville (34-16) now moves on to the NJCAA National Tournament next week in Clinton, Miss.

Cottey concludes its season 15-19 overall, but made a marked improvement under first-year head coach Mark Skapin, who said this was a good learning experience for his club.

“I think the entire experience was a bit overwhelming for such an inexperienced bunch,” said Skapin. “They played a little tight and pressed too hard to try to make something happen. I think the team in general understands that they made it to this level a year earlier than expected and over the off-season everything that they were able to accomplish will start to settle in.

Skapin continued: “The experience of grinding out victories in the (Region 16) tournament and seeing what the district competition looks like will help make them more comfortable moving forward.

“The truth is, we were overmatched at the district tournament by a well-coached and extremely talented Danville team. Next year, I believe we will be able to close the gap with an outstanding 2017 recruiting class.”