Eight more college players have joined the Iowa Women's Softball League for the 2018 season during the past week, swelling the ranks to 58 players with the opener still eight weeks away.

Four more players from Simpson College have joined the league, excited about playing their games in the new Central Division on their own college field in Indianola.

Two more players from Mount Mercy University also have registered, equally excited about playing their games in the Eastern Division on their terrific new field on campus.

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The other two players to register in the past week are from Western Illinois University and Missouri Southern. All told, players from 29 different colleges have joined the IWSL so far.

The new players from Simpson College are Ashley Allen from East Marshall High School, Madi Bennett from Fort Dodge, Kayla Reusche from Waverly-Shell Rock and Brynna Bowman from Fairfield. The Mount Mercy players are Emily Oler and Skyler Hop. Back for a second season in the league is Western Illinois pitcher Emily Ira.

Rounding out the list is Missouri Southern outfielder Emilee Meyer.

Allen, a catcher, is hitting .402 with one homer and 27 RBIs for the Storm this season. She was a NFCA Student-Athlete All-American for Simpson last year as a sophomore and also was named all-Iowa Conference. Allen made the all-state and all-tournament teams in high school at East Marshall.

Bennett, an infielder, is hitting .290 with 11 RBIs for Simpson this season. She made all-state in high school at Fort Dodge.

Reusche, an infielder and outfielder, is hitting .229 with six RBIs for the Storm. She set the school record for most times behing hit-by-a-pitch at Simpson last year as a sophomore and was an all-conference selection at Waverly-Shell Rock.

Bowman, a pitcher and outfielder, was a star player at Fairfield High School. She began playing for Fairfield as an eighth grader and made the all-state team for four years. She has not appeared in a varsity game for Simpson yet this year.

Oler, a freshman pitcher and first baseman, has gotten off to a good start at Mount Mercy. She is hitting .409 with seven homers and 29 RBIs, and has compiled a 4-4 record in the circle. She was an all-state selection at Cedar Rapids Jefferson and a member of the varsity for five years.

Hop is a utility player for Mount Mercy, capable of playing a variety of positions. She has appeared in two games this year for the Mustangs, who are 23-18 overall and 12-10 in the Heart of America Conference.

Ira, a pitcher and outfielder, is a productive two-way player at Western Illinois University. She has a 6-7 record and 3.59 ERA in the circle, with 115 strikeouts in 101.1 innings. She's also hitting .286 with three RBIs.

Ira was a three-time all-state selection at Solon High School and was the 2015 Iowa Elite Player of the Year. She's been a two-time selection on the Summit League all-conference team in college and was the league's Pitcher of the Year in 2017.

Meyer, from Muscatine, is an outfielder at Missouri Southern State University after spending two years at Kirkwood. She is hitting .250 at Missouri Southern with eight RBIs.

Meyer helped Kirkwood compile a 58-6 record and reach the Junior College World Series as a freshman in 2016 when she hit .404 and scored 85 runs with 36 stolen bases. She missed the 2017 campaign at Kirkwood with a leg injury and is a sophomore athletically at Missouri Southern.

The Iowa Women's Softball League was created by the Metro Sports Report last year and is the only summer college softball league in Iowa. The league will feature eight Sunday doubleheaders in June and July for a 16-game season.

The entire registration process can be handled on-line at MetroSportsReport.com. Click on the registration link that accompanies this story. Have a credit card handy to pay the $100 fee through PayPal. Scholarships are available by contacting league director Jim Ecker at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

The Hawkeye Convenience Stores are the title sponsor for the IWSL. Ironside Apparel and Emil's Hideaway Restaurant/Freshwraps Deli are gold medal sponsors. Bosch Financial is a silver medal sponsor. Acoustics by Washburn, Butz Insurance and TSF Structures are bronze medal sponsors.