Only number that counts for Eagles: 51-3

CEDAR RAPIDS - They don't ask.

And even if they did, Joe Yegge wouldn't tell.

"Nobody wants to know their stats," said Molly Link, second baseman on the Kirkwood Community College softball team.

"Nobody cares. It's not about that. It's more about our team record."

That team record is 51-3, boosted by a current 25-game win streak, as the Eagles head into the final week of the regular season.

Kirkwood is rated No. 2 nationally in NJCAA Division II.

In his third year as head coach, Yegge has assembled a powerhouse. The Eagles have shut out 26 opponents and have outscored their competition by a 446-61 margin.

They're an unselfish group with a blind eye toward the stats book. It wasn't always that way.

"Early in the season, I was a little worried about team chemistry," Yegge said.

Said Link, a sophomore who played high school ball at Western Dubuque: "When you get a group of girls together, you're going to have cliques."

Then came a five-day trip to Missouri in mid-March.

"The kids were on the bus a lot, between the travel and the rain," Yegge said.

The cliques dissolved. The team meshed.

Kirkwood won its first 19 games, dropped three of 10, then went on its current binge of victories.

Maybe the Eagles aren't fixated on the numbers. But some can't be ignored.

For instance, the team is hitting .414 with 49 home runs.

Four Eagles are batting .473 or better, led by Link at .514.

Amanda Lambrecht (21-1) and Kylee Knop (23-2) handle the bulk of the pitching duty.

"Kylee's not overpowering. She moves the ball and changes speeds," Yegge said. "Amanda is more of a power pitcher with a riseball."

Kirkwood closes its regular season with double-headers at Southeastern (today) and Kishwaukee, Ill. (Wednesday).

Then it's the regional tournament at Fort Dodge, which begins Friday.

Included in the field are No. 9 Iowa Central (46-8) and No. 11 Iowa Lakes (53-7).

"Regionals probably will be tougher than nationals," Yegge said. "Getting through Iowa Lakes and Iowa Central, that is going to be tough."

If the Eagles do it, they'll do it without looking at the box score.

"We're not going to change anything," Link said. "Hopefully we can get it done."