National softball champions, Navajo athlete helps team win exciting national title game

CHINLE

The North Dakota State College of Science softball team won the NJCAA Division III National Championships for the first time by one point in the final game.

Vital to the win was Diné Brianna Switzler, representing the Navajo Nation, the Yakama Nation, and her home community of Kirtland, New Mexico.

This was the school’s first-ever national championship win, with a nail-biting final score of 13-12. It defeated the Corning Community College Red Barons in the title game.

“It feels surreal,” Switzler said. “It feels awesome, especially not only being first in school history but in program history.”

Switzler is Tódích’íi’nii and born for the Yakama Nation.

Despite finishing fourth place last year, the NDSCS faculty, staff, and her family told Switzler that they believed 2023 would be their year.

Relevant team

This year the Wildcats added some talented freshmen that the veteran teammates could bond with and create a coherent team.

Switzler believed their communications were what formed them into a good team as well as having skilled players. She credits her teammate and All-Conference MVP pitcher Katelyn Strauss with their success.

She also stressed that teamwork worked both ways – just as they relied on Katelyn to make the tough critical pitches, she also relied on the team to do its part.

The Wildcats battled through the season before returning to the nationals at Carrier Park in Dewitt, New York. The NDSCS Wildcats was the No. 1 team, while its rival, the Corning Community College Red Barons, was seeded No.2.

The bracket play was intense as the NDSCS’s Wildcats worked its way to the top, but the Barons blazed through its bracket, undefeated too.

On May 27, the two teams faced off against one another in a double elimination for the championship. To win the title, NDSCS would have to win two games.

The first match-up went great for the Wildcats as it won 11-4, a rebound from its earlier 3-2 loss in the semis against the Barons. Corning had taken the lead in the fifth inning, but Switzler hit a single and brought two runners home, putting the Wildcats back on top.

Game 2 was the deciding factor. The winner would be the 2023 Division III champions.

Determined comeback

The Wildcats tried to carry the energy from the last game into the second, but the Barons regained their footing.

By the fourth inning, the Barons took the lead 5-3 as the Wildcats changed pitchers. In between, Switzler had two hits and an RBI.

In the bottom of the seventh inning, Corning was on the road to victory with a score of 12-7 when NDSCS pulled off probably the greatest comeback in NJCAA softball history.

A Wildcat foul started the final set, and not long after, the Barons got their second out, making the NDSCS prospects look bleak. But that didn’t deter the team. Slow and steady, the Wildcats began taking bases. Singles and triples were hit, the bases were loaded, and the score was cut to 12-9 for the Barons. Switzler also walked, which helped progress the score forward.

Soon the field was full of tension as both teams were gripped with silent anticipation as the Wildcats’ latest score put them at 12-11 for the Barons, with one out left in the final inning.

Switzler said it was a very tough match, as taxing mentally as it was physically. While in the dugout, she helped encourage her teammates who were stressed over mistakes and the tense atmosphere.

“I felt like that was one of our biggest struggles, moving past our mistakes because mistakes happen in a game, and we just had to keep moving forward,” she said. “But I’d say I did pretty well being able to do a job for my team. It’s not an individual sport, we all did our job, and I think we all did very well.”

The game finally ended with a single from freshman Wildcat Lara Dolezal that brought in two teammates and made the final score 13-12 for NDSCS.

The field erupted to thunderous cheers following the Wildcats unexpected victory. It was a day Switzler is sure she’ll never forget.

“I guess you could say we’re very well known for comebacks, fighting back in the very last few innings, and we really jumped on the sticks, and we started hitting better,” she said, “we laid it all out there offensively.

“It was crazy, it felt very surreal, but it was a good way to fight back,” she said.

Creating bonds

The overall tournament was tough, but Switzler rose to the challenge. She felt she struggled with hitting but was glad she could improve by the final game, saying her confidence had built up to the point where she was now encouraging her teammates.

Not long after winning the national title, Switzler graduated from NDSCS with her associate degree.

“It feels awesome,” she said. “I’m just glad that I had finished it out with a bang and to say that my last year of softball, I was a national champion.”

Switzler has been playing softball for nearly 13 years, enjoying the competition, forming close bonds of sisterhood, and playing what she believes to be a challenging mental sport.

“I love the speed, I love the communication, and I love the pace of the game, and it’s just, overall, a fun sport to play,” she said.

Switzler graduated from Kirtland Central High, and her family moved to North Dakota, which she called a blessing in disguise. She was playing softball in the summer when she was noticed by a NDSCS coach who offered her a sports scholarship.

Switzler had never heard of NDSCS, but she was glad she took the opportunity, saying she had made good memories at the school and met great friends.

The coach reportedly said Switzler just stood out. Not only was she the only Native girl on the field, but she just walked and carried herself differently from other softball players.

“I was the only Native, and I was the only colored girl there, but they didn’t treat me any differently,” Switzler said. “I built some really good friendships, and they were very curious about my culture and where I came from.

“I try to stay resilient and strong and carry my image very well as a Native college athlete, and I felt like I did stand out but not too much to where I stayed humble,” she said.

Switzler hopes her appearance at a national championship setting will inspire other Native girls who are in sports to do their best and set high goals for themselves. And to encourage kids to get active and stay fit.

Switzler has since returned home and has been helping coach local softball teams like the New Mexico Punishers. She said that she wants to encourage kids to play sports and grow as a person.

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