There's been a number of signs this season that the Morton College softball program is moving in the right direction.

The most recent sign is that the Panthers put themselves in position to host a best-of-three Region IV quarterfinal series against Blackhawk at 1 p.m. tomorrow (Tuesday, April 9th) at Goss Field. Morton College is the No. 4 seed in District A, while Blackhawk is 5th in District B.

Morton College and Blackhawk split a doubleheader Saturday in Moline to close out the regular season. Blackhawk rallied late for an 8-4 game-one win, while the Panthers made a five-run first inning stand for a 5-3 victory in the nightcap.

The Panthers' 19 wins this season are the most since the 1999 edition racked up 22 victories. Of Morton College's 55 games this season, 20 have been decided by two runs or less. Last year, just four of the Panthers' games were of the two run or less variety.

Morton College's team batting average is up 26 points from .261 to .287. And this has been done in 12 more games than a year ago. The Panthers also have more than doubled their home-run output from a year ago, hitting 34 in 2023 to 14 in 2022.

The Panthers have five regulars hitting over .300 in freshman Emily Bickett (.358 BA, 5 HR, 36 RBI), freshman Olivia Ortiz (.354, 3 HR, 33 RBI), sophomore Itza Gonzales (.331, 5 HR, 31 RBI), sophomore Paulina Viveros (.312, 4 HR, 19 RBI) and sophomore Heather Ward (.300, 1 HR, 25 RBI).

Freshman Mikayla Berquist leads the Panthers with nine home runs, while driving in 34 and hitting .287. Ailany Reyes (.283, team-leading 14 stolen bases), Thais Miranda (.275, 10 stolen bases) and Natalie Martinez (.272) also are contributing offensively as well.

As a reward for a 7-3 league record and a second-place finish, the Panthers placed six on the all-Illinois Skyway Collegiate Conference Team. Morton College made a five-game improvement on last year's 2-8 Skyway showing.

2023 First Team selections included:
Emily Bickett - .429 BA (15-35), 3 HR, 15 RBI
Olivia Ortiz - .552 BA (16-29), 12 RBI, 12 runs
Itza Gonzales - .538 BA (14-26), 3 HR, 12 RBI

2023 Second Team members featured:
Kennedi Meinecke - 3-1 record, 7 strikeouts in complete-game win vs. Lake County
Mikayla Berquist - 3 for 3 day, HR, 8-RBI game vs. McHenry

2023 Honorable Mention went to:
Paulina Viveros - .303 BA (10 for 33), 12 runs scored, five RBI.