What Shea Wesley's Heartland Hawks have done this season is almost unheard of.

"I think we went through the history books and it is unheard of," said Wesley. "When we were putting the team together we wanted to be competitive right away. Through recruiting and the whole process that was our ultimate goal."

In Heartland Community College's first year of competitive athletics, the Hawks' softball team captured its regional and qualified for the Division II national tournament being held this weekend in Normal. And they've done it with a roster comprised solely of freshmen.

"We knew it was going to be a tough year with all freshmen," said Heartland pitcher Amber May. " Our coaches pushed us in the fall. There wasn't one day we were slacking off. Now we're just getting to work and getting the fundamentals down. It's a good story to tell people that we're a freshman team that made it to nationals."

The Hawks aren't just younger than every other team - they're ridiculously shorthanded. A series of injuries has left them with only 9 healthy players. In fact, they had to put a soccer player on the roster to have someone of the bench in case they need a substitute.

"We're living it up as much as we can," said Amanda Satoris, a Hawks outfielder. " No one thinks we can do it and that makes it even better."

"We're ranked 6th," said May, "we've got people in the batting top–10 and pitching top–10. I think they realize we're going to be a threat."

Champions Field in Normal is the site of this weekend's tournament. The Hawks open Thursday against Lansing, Michigan.