Six Area Netters Honored on Volleyball All-State Teams

Posted on November 22, 2017 by Rick Watts

The high school volleyball season has come to a close and the Iowa Girls Coaches Association have selected the All-State teams for all five classes.

In Class 1A, Montezuma junior Riley Gatton made the list as an honorable mention. Gatton was the leading attacker for the Bravettes during their 31-6 campaign. Gatton had 362 kills and an outstanding .308 kill efficiency on the year.

Pella Christian senior Bekah Horstman made the Second Team in Class 2A. PC was ranked for most of the season but would run into several great large school teams in the Little Hawkeye Conference. Horstman led to the way for the Eagles with 413 kills and a .246 kill efficiency. PC finished the year with a record of 21-16.

On the Class 3A Honorable Mention list, Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont had senior Torie Alexander listed. The Rockets finished the year 21-16 and Alexander was the leader in kills with 355. She also finished the year with a very strong .235 kill efficiency and 59 aces.

Pella was the lone area team to make the trip to Cedar Rapids and the State Volleyball Tournament and they were honored with three players making the All-State Teams in Class 4A.

Junior Emily Holterhaus was one of the best players in the state in all classes and she was honored as the only area player named to the First Team. Holterhaus dominated the opposition with 583 kill son the year and a stellar .326 kill efficiency.

She was joined by teammates Kara Wichhart and Natalie Clayberg as both were named to the Honorable Mention list. Wichhart served as the setter for the Lady Dutch and set up her teammates at a very high rate, as she was credited with 936 assists on the year. The senior was also a very important leader for Pella. Clayberg finished her junior season with 285 kills and a .204 kill efficiency. She also led the squad with 53 aces. Pella finished the year 33-7 and lost to eventual state champion Dubuque Wahlert in the state quarterfinals.

There were no area players named in Class 5A.

The state now transitions fully to girls’ basketball, which has just kicked off around the state.

Baseball All-State Teams Announced By Coaches Association

Posted on August 8, 2017 by Rick Watts

It’s never easy to become an All-State athlete, but a few area baseball players received that honor, as the Iowa High School Baseball Coaches Association released their 2017 All-State Teams earlier this week.

In Class 1A, Twin Cedars senior Trace Embray was named to a utility position on the First Team. Embray pitched over 37 more innings than anyone else for the Sabers. He tossed 62 innings while going 8-2 with a superb .90 ERA while striking out 98 batters and walking only 19. Opponents only had a .150 batting average against him.

He was no slouch at the plate either, hitting .440 with 4 homers and 32 RBI. He also had a .567 on-base percentage, went 33 for 34 stealing bases, and struck out only twice in 75 at bats.

He is joined by a pair of area players on the Second Team: Moravia third baseman Tucker Babbit and Sigourney outfielder Avery Moore.

Babbit finished a great junior year in which he led Moravia with a .413 batting average and a .570 on-base percentage. He hit the only home run on the season for the Mohawks while driving in 23. He was also a thief on the basepaths, going 23 for 25 in swipes. He also did some work on the mound, going 4-2 with a 2.22 ERA as the #3 pitcher in the Moravia rotation.

Moore was a great multi-sport athlete and he wraps up his senior season with an All-State Second Team honor. Moore hit .477 in 2017, hitting a homer with 19 runs batted in. He went 35 for 35 in steals and reached base at a .578 clip. He scored 39 runs on the season in just 23 games for Sigourney.

There were no area players named in Class 2A, but there were four players from the area in Class 3A.

On the First Team, Pella’s junior catcher Jaden Rolffs and senior utility player Tyler Hillman were both honored.

Rolffs was the best hitter for the Dutch in 2017, batting .450 with a .522 on-base percentage. He hit 3 home runs with a team-leading 38 RBI. He also walked twice as many times as he struck out.

Hillman finished a great senior season where he was excellent on the mound while doing more than his share of damage at the plate. He went 5-3 with a 2.20 ERA as the Pella ace. At the dish he hit .400 with a team-leading 6 homers with 33 runs driven in. He had a .511 on-base percentage and walked a team-high 23 times.

On the All-State Second Team in Class 3A, Oskaloosa outfielder Tyler Miller and Grinnell shortstop Ethan Mitchell made the team.

Miller finished an outstanding freshman campaign that saw him lead the state qualifying Indians with a .444 batting average. He reached base at a .492 clip while driving in 22 runs. He also led the way in steals with a 23 for 27 mark.

Mitchell helped lead Grinnell’s bounceback season with a .409 average, a .485 on-base percentage, 2 homers, and 36 RBI, all team-highs. The junior was 11 for 13 in steals and also contributed on the mound with a 4-4 record and a 3.32 ERA.

Finally, Ottumwa senior Austin Shotts was named to the All-State Second Team in Class 4A as the third baseman. Shotts batted .476 with a .563 on-base percentage. He hit one homer with a team-leading 25 RBI. He walked 19 times to only 10 strikeouts and went 17 for 21 in stolen bases. He also went 4-2 on the mound with a 2.12 ERA.

It was a successful summer sports season and these players were the cream of the crop on the baseball diamond in our listening area.

Sigourney, Montezuma Lead Area All-State Softball Honorees in Class 1A

Posted on August 7, 2017 by Rick Watts

Our final look at summer sports honors is today with the Class 1A All-State softball teams.

On the First Team, Sigourney junior Autum Barthelman was honored after a great season in which she used her bat and her speed. Barthelman hit .480 with 8 triples and went 43 for 43 stealing bases for the state tournament qualifying Savages.

Her teammate Kendall Streigle made the Second Team. Streigle was the pitcher for Sigourney and is the only senior the team loses from their 4^th place finish in 2017.

Two other South Iowa Cedar League players made the Second Team All-State list: North Mahaska junior Mallory Klinker and Tri-County senior Katlyn Little.

Klinker had a huge year for the Warhawks, batting .451 with a team leading 5 home runs and 5 triples. Little went huge her senior year for the Trojans, hitting .459 and doing a great job as the ace pitcher, holding an ERA of just 1.85 and striking out 154 in 136 innings.

Another trio of players made the Third Team: BGM sophomore Kelsey Lint, Lynnville-Sully senior Brenna Lanser, and Montezuma junior Cassidy Watts.

Lint was a .425 hitter in 2017 while leading the Bears with 25 RBI. She also was the ace pitcher with an ERA of 1.83 and 222 strikeouts in 176 innings.

Lanser helped the Hawks have a nice bounceback season, hitting .363 with a team leading 10 doubles, 4 homers and 27 RBI. She also struck out only eight times while going 15 for 16 in steals.

Watts was an important piece to Monte’s first ever state tourney qualifying team as the everyday catcher, but her offensive numbers were big as well. She hit .397 with a team-leading 7 triples, 4 homers, and 34 runs driven in. She also was 13 for 13 in steals on the year.

The Honorable Mention list is long as well, with a few players named from the area.

BGM senior Aimee Hochstetler, English Valleys junior Audrey Grove, the Melcher-Dallas pair of 8^th grader Riley Enfield and sophomore Emillie Krpan, Montezuma junior Hanna Jones, the North Mahaska duo of sophomore Emma Deucore and senior Jenson Kelderman, and Sigourney sophomore Summer Barthelman were all named Honorable Mention All-State.

You can check out complete lists of all five classes of players honored in our listening area on kboeradio.com and radiokmzn.com.

EBF Trio Leads Class 2A All-State Softball Teams

Posted on August 3, 2017 by Rick Watts

We continue our look at the All-State Teams in softball from the 2017 season and today Class 2A gets the spotlight.

Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont made a run to the state championship game and finished with a school record 32 wins. The Rockets were rewarded for their outstanding accomplishments with three First Team All-State players and the Coach of the Year.

Senior shortstop Haegen Boyer has been a major piece to the puzzle since her freshman year, and she was named to the First Team. Boyer hit .429 with an on-base percentage of .507. She was among the state leaders in all classes with 15 home runs and 59 RBI.

Boyer is joined on the First Team by fellow senior Claire Jager, who has been the starting catcher for the Rockets for four seasons. Jager had a great year at the plate, hitting .420 with a .507 on-base percentage. She also hit 3 home runs and drove in 34.

Jager had a great year behind the plate as well handling junior pitcher Randie Richmond, who was honored on the First Team. Richmond went 20-6 in the circle with an outstanding 1.16 ERA. Opponents only hit at a .206 clip against her in 2017. Richmond was also dangerous at the plate, as she hit .377 with 4 homers and 27 runs batted in.

Head Coach Tony Fenton had a lot to do with the success these players have enjoyed and he was rewarded for that by being named Class 2A Coach of the Year. 2017 was the second time in four years that EBF made it to the State Softball Tournament and Fenton guided the way with a very different group both times.

A team the Rockets eliminated from the tournament this year also has a duo of First Team All-Staters. Pella Christian had a phenomenal year, winning the large Little Hawkeye Conference outright on their way to a 32-6 overall record.

Their battery of senior pitcher Emma Schnell and senior catcher Elizabeth Van Manen led the way in all facets and were honored as First Team All-State players.

Schnell wrapped up a great career in the circle, finishing 2017 with a 23-5 record, a stellar 1.32 ERA, and a great opponent’s batting average of .168. She also struck out 213 batters in 186 innings while only issuing 22 walks. She also batted .384 with 4 homers and 27 RBI.

Van Manen was successful catching Schnell throughout her career, but really blossomed at the plate this year, leading the Eagles with a .409 average, 12 home runs, and 46 RBI.

There are no area players listed on the Second Team, but Pleasantville junior Andie Sowers made the Third Team. Sowers batted an unreal .490 with 2 homers and 27 RBI. She struck out only three times at the plate in 104 at bats in 2017.

The Class 2A Honorable Mention list is lengthy with players just missing the cut on the three All-State Teams, but a trio of area players were named there as well.

Pleasantville 8^th grader Josie Sowers was the lone non-senior to make the list from the area after batting .425 in her first varsity season for the Trojans.

Senior Brooke Mitrisin has been a long time contributor to the Pella Christian softball team and she was named to the Honorable Mention list. She hit .351 with a .400 on-base percentage for the Eagles.

Finally, Pekin senior Kaylee Linder made the Honorable Mention list. Linder hit .484 for the Panthers while striking out only twice in 93 at bats. She also led the team on the basepaths, going 22 for 22 in stolen bases.

Tomorrow, we’ll wrap up our look at the All-State Softball Teams by unpacking the Class 1A list on the No Coast Network.

Albia, PCM Represented on All-State Softball Teams in Class 3A

Posted on August 2, 2017August 2, 2017 by Rick Watts

Today, we’ll take a look at the Class 3A All-State Softball Teams.

Albia was a big surprise, upsetting their way to the Class 3A State Championship Game in Fort Dodge. Two of their players made First Team All-State.

Lead-off batter Hannah Isley had a great junior year, and that was rewarded with a First Team nomination. Pitcher Jena Lawrence progressed quickly as a freshman, and she also found herself on the top squad.

Isley batted .466 and hit 11 home runs this year. Lawrence was lights out in the pitching circle, striking out 253 batters in just 143 innings of work. She also hit over .400 at the plate and walked more times than she struck out.

Joining the two Lady Dees on the First Team was PCM senior Jayci Vos, who led the Mustangs in most offensive categories, including hitting near .500.

On the Second Team, Albia freshman Alex Beard and PCM senior Kayla Jennings were honored. Beard had a phenomenal season, leading the Lady Dees with 17 doubles and 39 RBI. Jennings was the second best hitter for the Mustangs and was the ace pitcher for a team who fell just shy of a regional final.

There were no area players listed on the Third Team.

We’ll dig into the Class 1A and 2A All-State lists later this week as we move forward with our wrap up of the summer sports season.

Five Honored in Class 4A and 5A All-State Softball Teams

Posted on August 1, 2017 by Rick Watts

Last week, the All-State Softball Teams were released by the Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union, and there are athletes from all five classes that were honored in our listening area.

We’ll start by breaking down the lists from the large schools in Class 4A and 5A.

Oskaloosa finished in third place at the state tournament this year and several players were a big part of that success.

Perhaps the most important player for Oskaloosa softball once again was pitcher Alexis Groet, who was named First Team All-State once again, and finishes her high school career as a five-time All-State player for Head Coach Jay Harms.

She is joined by fellow senior Aubrey Miller, who was named to the Second Team after five successful seasons at the plate for the Indians. Freshman Ava VandeWall finished a great year as one of the best hitters in the Osky lineup and she was named Third Team All-State.

The trio of Osky players were the only ones from Class 4A in our listening area.

As for Class 5A, Ottumwa is the only team in our listening area and a pair of Bulldogs were named as All-State players.

On the Second Team, sophomore Morgan Greiner made the list after a great season for Head Coach Frank Huston. She is joined by freshman Kacy Nickerson, who was named to the Third Team.

Ottumwa finished one win away from the State Softball Tournament in Fort Dodge, but the future is bright for the Bulldogs with two underclassmen leading the way.

Later this week, we’ll look at the Class 1A, 2A, and 3A All-State Teams from the IGHSAU as we continue to wrap up our coverage from the summer sports season.

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